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Visualizing the World’s Largest Copper Producers

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Visualizing the World’s Largest Copper Producers

Visualizing the World’s Largest Copper Producers

Man has relied on copper since prehistoric times. It is a major industrial metal with many applications due to its high ductility, malleability, and electrical conductivity.

Many new technologies critical to fighting climate change, like solar panels and wind turbines, rely on the red metal.

But where does the copper we use come from? Using the U.S. Geological Survey’s data, the above infographic lists the world’s largest copper producing countries in 2021.

The Countries Producing the World’s Copper

Many everyday products depend on minerals, including mobile phones, laptops, homes, and automobiles. Incredibly, every American requires 12 pounds of copper each year to maintain their standard of living.

North, South, and Central America dominate copper production, as these regions collectively host 15 of the 20 largest copper mines.

Chile is the top copper producer in the world, with 27% of global copper production. In addition, the country is home to the two largest mines in the world, Escondida and Collahuasi.

Chile is followed by another South American country, Peru, responsible for 10% of global production.

RankCountry2021E Copper Production (Million tonnes)Share
#1🇨🇱 Chile5.627%
#2🇵🇪 Peru2.210%
#3🇨🇳 China1.88%
#4🇨🇩 DRC 1.88%
#5🇺🇸 United States1.26%
#6🇦🇺 Australia0.94%
#7🇷🇺 Russia0.84%
#8🇿🇲 Zambia0.84%
#9🇮🇩 Indonesia0.84%
#10🇲🇽 Mexico0.73%
#11🇨🇦 Canada0.63%
#12🇰🇿 Kazakhstan0.52%
#13🇵🇱 Poland0.42%
🌍 Other countries2.813%
🌐 World total21.0100%

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and China share third place, with 8% of global production each. Along with being a top producer, China also consumes 54% of the world’s refined copper.

Copper’s Role in the Green Economy

Technologies critical to the energy transition, such as EVs, batteries, solar panels, and wind turbines require much more copper than conventional fossil fuel based counterparts.

For example, copper usage in EVs is up to four times more than in conventional cars. According to the Copper Alliance, renewable energy systems can require up to 12x more copper compared to traditional energy systems.

Technology2020 Installed Capacity (megawatts)Copper Content (2020, tonnes)2050p Installed Capacity (megawatts)Copper Content (2050p, tonnes)
Solar PV126,735 MW633,675372,000 MW1,860,000
Onshore Wind105,015 MW451,565202,000 MW868,600
Offshore Wind6,013 MW57,72545,000 MW432,000

With these technologies’ rapid and large-scale deployment, copper demand from the energy transition is expected to increase by nearly 600% by 2030.

As the transition to renewable energy and electrification speeds up, so will the pressure for more copper mines to come online.

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Electrification

Top 20 Countries by Battery Storage Capacity

China holds about two-thirds of global BESS capacity.

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This graphic highlights the top 20 battery storage capacity markets by current and planned grid capacity in gigawatt hour (GWh).

Visualizing the Top 20 Countries by Battery Storage Capacity

Over the past three years, the Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) market has been the fastest-growing segment of global battery demand. These systems store electricity using batteries, helping stabilize the grid, store renewable energy, and provide backup power.

In 2024, the market grew by 52%, compared to 25% growth in the EV battery market. Among the top companies in the BESS market are technology giants such as Samsung, LG, BYD, Panasonic, and Tesla.

This graphic highlights the top 20 BESS markets by current and planned grid capacity in gigawatt hour (GWh), based on exclusive data from Rho Motion as of February 2025.

Chinese Dominance

As with the EV market, China currently dominates global BESS deployments, accounting for approximately two-thirds of installed capacity. However, other markets are expected to grow significantly in the coming years, driven by low-cost lithium-ion cells and the expansion of renewable energy capacity.

Currently, China has 215.5 GWh of installed capacity and an ambitious 505.6 GWh project pipeline. The U.S. follows with 82.1 GWh installed and 162.5 GWh planned.

Top BESS MarketsInstalled 2024 (GWh)2027P
🇨🇳 China215.5721.2
🇺🇸 USA82.1244.6
🇬🇧 UK7.556.3
🇦🇺 Australia5.6102.9
🇨🇱 Chile3.841.0
🇮🇹 Italy2.27.9
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia1.332.4
🇿🇦 South Africa1.39.4
🇮🇪 Ireland1.62.5
🇵🇭 Philippines1.06.1
🇯🇵 Japan1.05.0
🇩🇪 Germany1.06.2
🇰🇷 South Korea1.11.3
🇮🇱 Israel0.84.6
🇫🇷 France0.61.8
🇧🇪 Belgium0.75.3
🇺🇿 Uzbekistan0.65.9
🇸🇪 Sweden0.61.5
🇮🇳 India0.54.3
🇨🇦 Canada0.318.3

Canada is projected to be the fastest-growing market through 2027, with its cumulative capacity hitting 18.3 GWh—a significant increase from its current 0.3 GWh capacity.

Countries such as Australia (97.3 GWh pipeline), Saudi Arabia (31.1 GWh), and Chile (37.2 GWh) have relatively small current installations but plan substantial expansions. Within Europe, the UK leads with 7.5 GWh of installed capacity and 48.7 GWh in the pipeline, while Italy, Germany, France, and Belgium show steady but more modest growth.

Despite being technological leaders, Japan (4 GWh pipeline) and South Korea (0.3 GWh) have relatively low planned BESS expansions.

According to Rho Motion, China will remain the dominant player in 2027, but its share of the total market is expected to decline to just over 50% based on the current project pipeline.

While the BESS market is expanding, challenges remain, including grid connection bottlenecks and the development of revenue streams in emerging markets.

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Electrification

Visualizing Chinese EV Market Share Overseas

Chinese brands accounted for 62% of global EV sales in 2024.

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This graphic shows the presence of Chinese electric vehicles in other countries, considering total EV sales and market share. 

Visualizing Chinese EV Market Share Overseas

China is the undisputed global powerhouse of the EV industry, leading in both domestic sales and overall production. Chinese brands were responsible for 62% of EV global sales in 2024.

This graphic shows the presence of Chinese electric vehicles in other countries, considering total EV sales and market share.  This data comes exclusively from Rho Motion’s EV Sales Quarterly Outlook, as of 2024.

Affordable EVs

As the global EV market has expanded, in 2024, over 17 million units were sold. Chinese manufacturers have aggressively pursued international opportunities, offering affordable vehicles that often undercut local competitors.

However, market access has varied significantly across regions. The U.S. and Canada are the only markets where Chinese-made EVs have no presence. The U.S. has taken a firm stance against Chinese EVs, imposing a 100% tariff in 2024, and more recently enacting laws banning Chinese technology in EVs on U.S. roads. Given its deep economic ties with the U.S., Canada followed suit with identical tariffs.

CountryTotal EV SalesChinese Market Share
🇺🇸 U.S.1,540,3540%
🇩🇪 Germany577,6304%
🇬🇧 UK571,1417%
🇫🇷 France464,5895%
🇨🇦 Canada246,4240%
🇧🇪 Belgium192,5603%
🇳🇱 Netherlands190,7846%
🇸🇪 Sweden165,2565%
🇳🇴 Norway126,0889%
🇧🇷 Brazil125,62482%
🇪🇸 Spain122,37510%
🇮🇹 Italy121,8896%
🇯🇵 Japan114,1292%
🇦🇺 Australia113,51126%
🇮🇳 India104,42623%
🇩🇰 Denmark103,2028%
🇲🇽 Mexico95,28270%
🇹🇭 Thailand77,25077%
🇵🇹 Portugal72,0708%
🇮🇱 Israel69,59564%
🇨🇭 Switzerland68,4071%
🇦🇹 Austria63,71711%
🇮🇩 Indonesia43,20275%
🇫🇮 Finland37,8812%
🇮🇪 Ireland30,1059%
🇸🇬 Singapore29,52126%
🇲🇾 Malaysia21,79852%
🇳🇵 Nepal12,70574%
🇳🇿 New Zealand10,02715%
🇨🇱 Chile5,60442%

Europe, by contrast, has been more open to Chinese EVs but remains cautious about protecting its domestic automotive industry. In 2024, following an anti-subsidy investigation, the EU introduced variable BEV import tariffs on specific Chinese automakers of up to an additional 35.3%.

Meanwhile, in countries without a strong domestic auto industry, Chinese EVs have rapidly gained market share. This is especially evident in neighboring Asian countries and in South and Central America, where Chinese manufacturers are expanding aggressively by beginning to build production capacity and capitalizing on the demand for affordable electric vehicles.

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