Chilean mining sees record investment despite falling lithium market share

According to the 2025 Copper and Other Minerals Statistics Yearbook from Cochilco, Chile's share of global lithium production fell to 19.4% in 2025, down from 26.03% in 2020. While Chilean production grew by 14.5% to reach 56,000 metric tons of lithium content, global production expanded at a much faster rate of 29.3%.

China has overtaken Chile to become the world's second-largest lithium producer, increasing its output by 49.8% to 62,000 metric tons. Australia remains the global leader with 92,000 tons. In Chile, companies operating in the Salar de Atacama saw a 12.9% increase in lithium carbonate equivalent production, led by SQM.

Separately, the mining sector in Chile saw record investment in 2025, totaling US$15,523.6 million, a 6.8% increase from the previous year. This figure includes both state-owned and private large-scale mining. Private mining accounted for US$10,405.6 million of this total, while the state company Codelco invested US$5,072.6 million. Mining activities represented 61.19% of Chile's total exports in 2025.