Battery supply chains span mineral extraction, refining, active materials, cell and pack manufacturing, deployment, recycling and electricity-system effects. The statistics below make the scale, geography, investment, demand and scenario assumptions explicit, with observed results separated from estimates and forecasts.
Key Battery Supply Chain Statistics
The most broadly useful figures are:
- 2.5 TWh of battery manufacturing was reached globally in 2023.
- 780 GWh of manufacturing capacity was added globally between 2022 and 2023.
- More than 9 TWh of annual capacity could be announced globally for 2030 if projects are completed on time.
- About 70% of projected 2030 global capacity was already operational or committed when assessed in 2024.
- 110 GWh of EV batteries were produced in Europe in 2023.
- 70 GWh of EV batteries were produced in the United States in 2023.
- About 60% of Europe’s EV battery production came from Poland in 2023.
- More than 30% of US EV battery demand was imported in 2023, according to an IEA regional trade simulation.
- Nearly 90% of global installed cathode-active-material capacity was held by China in 2023 or early 2024.
- About 140 kt of battery lithium demand was recorded globally in 2023, up more than 30% from 2022.
- About 150 kt of battery cobalt demand was recorded globally in 2023, up 15%.
- Almost 370 kt of battery nickel demand was recorded globally in 2023, up nearly 30% from 2022.
- USD 150 billion of EV and storage battery investment was recorded globally in 2023.
- More than 3 TWh of global EV battery demand is projected for 2030 in the IEA STEPS, compared with about 1 TWh in 2024.
- More than 40 GW of battery storage was added globally in the power sector in 2023.
- More than 300 GWh per year of recycling capacity existed globally in 2023.
- More than 1,500 GWh per year of recycling capacity could exist globally in 2030 if announced projects are completed.
- About 130 TWh of electricity was consumed by the global EV fleet in 2023.
Contents
- Battery manufacturing scale and capacity growth
- Regional battery production, trade and ownership
- Battery minerals, prices and processing concentration
- Battery investment, utilization and market expansion
- Battery recycling capacity and circular supply
- Battery sustainability and electricity-system outcomes
Battery Supply Chain Statistics: Manufacturing Scale and Capacity Growth
The IEA’s battery-manufacturing measure covers the covered battery supply chain, rather than only EV cells. Globally, manufacturing reached 2.5 TWh in 2023, while capacity increased by 780 GWh from 2022 to 2023; the 2023 addition was reported as more than 25% higher than the 2022 addition. IEA, Outlook for battery and energy demand – Global EV Outlook 2024
| Measure | Result | Scope and period |
|---|---|---|
| Battery manufacturing | 2.5 TWh | Global, 2023 |
| Capacity added | 780 GWh | Global, 2022–2023 |
| 2023 addition versus 2022 | More than 25% higher | Global, annual additions |
Announced projects imply a much larger future footprint, but these are conditional projections rather than observed output:
- Announced global manufacturing capacity could exceed 9 TWh in 2030 if projects are completed in full and on time.
- About 70% of projected 2030 capacity was already operational or committed when status was assessed in 2024; committed means a final investment decision and construction started or begun, while regional announcement definitions vary.
- At an assumed maximum utilization rate of 85%, announced capacity implies almost 8 TWh of potential 2030 production, including more than 5.5 TWh from operational plants or committed announcements.
China’s project pipeline has a different expansion profile from those in the United States and European Union. Committed capacity would be over two times China’s domestic battery demand in the 2030 Announced Pledges Scenario (APS), more than 40% of announced Chinese capacity relies on expanding existing plants, and about 80% of announced US and EU capacity is expected to come from new plants.
These figures describe announced or expected project structures, not completed construction. IEA, Outlook for battery and energy demand – Global EV Outlook 2024
Regional Battery Production, Trade and Ownership Data
The regional figures below focus specifically on EV batteries, so they should not be read as totals for stationary storage or portable electronics. Europe produced 110 GWh and the United States 70 GWh of EV batteries in 2023. IEA, Trends in electric vehicle batteries – Global EV Outlook 2024
| Region or country | EV battery production or trade measure | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Europe | 110 GWh produced | 2023 |
| United States | 70 GWh produced | 2023 |
| Poland | About 60% of European production | 2023 |
| Hungary | Almost 30% of European production | 2023 |
| Europe | More than 20% of EV demand imported | 2023 estimate |
| United States | More than 30% of EV demand imported | 2023 estimate |
| China | Around 12% of EV batteries exported | 2023 estimate |
Poland supplied about 60% of Europe’s EV battery production in 2023 and Hungary supplied almost 30%. Europe imported more than 20% of its EV battery demand, while the United States imported more than 30%; these are IEA regional trade-simulation estimates, and stationary and portable applications are excluded.
Around 12% of China’s EV batteries were exported in 2023, also as a trade-flow estimate. IEA, Trends in electric vehicle batteries – Global EV Outlook 2024
Material production is even more concentrated than regional EV-battery output. China held nearly 90% of global installed cathode-active-material capacity and over 97% of installed anode-active-material capacity in 2023 or early 2024; outside China, Korea held 9% and Japan 3% of global installed cathode-active-material capacity.
These are installed-capacity estimates, not production output, and ownership classifications follow IEA methodology. IEA, Trends in electric vehicle batteries – Global EV Outlook 2024
Battery Mineral Demand, Prices and Processing Concentration
Battery demand for key minerals grew sharply in 2023, although mineral-market figures are not automatically battery-only. Battery lithium demand was about 140 kt, up more than 30% from 2022, and batteries represented 85% of total lithium demand.
Battery cobalt demand rose 15% to 150 kt, with batteries representing 70% of total cobalt demand. IEA, Trends in electric vehicle batteries – Global EV Outlook 2024
| Mineral | Battery demand in 2023 | Change or end-use context |
|---|---|---|
| Lithium | About 140 kt | Up more than 30% from 2022; batteries were 85% of total demand |
| Cobalt | 150 kt | Up 15%; batteries were 70% of total demand |
| Nickel | Almost 370 kt | Up nearly 30% from 2022; batteries were over 10% of total demand |
Battery nickel demand was almost 370 kt in 2023, up nearly 30% from 2022, and battery demand accounted for over 10% of total nickel demand. Separately, across clean-energy and other applications, global lithium demand rose 30% in 2023 while nickel, cobalt and graphite demand rose 8–10%; that broader measure should not be treated as battery-only. IEA, Trends in electric vehicle batteries – Global EV Outlook 2024; IEA, Market review – Global Critical Minerals Outlook 2024
Supply exceeded demand in 2023 for several minerals: cobalt by 6.5%, nickel by 8%, and lithium by more than 10%. These are estimated supply-demand balances across all uses, so they do not describe battery inventory or a guaranteed future price outcome. IEA, Trends in electric vehicle batteries – Global EV Outlook 2024
Battery Investment, Utilization and Market Expansion Trends
Global investment in EV and storage batteries reached USD 150 billion in 2023, including about USD 115 billion in EV-battery investment. China, Europe and the United States together accounted for over 90% of total battery investment, and EV-battery investment was eight times higher in 2023 than in 2018 while battery-storage investment was five times higher. IEA, Status of battery demand and supply – Batteries and Secure Energy Transitions
The demand outlook also broadens beyond passenger cars. In the IEA Stated Policies Scenario (STEPS), global EV battery demand is projected to exceed 3 TWh in 2030, up from about 1 TWh in 2024.
Electric trucks’ share is projected to rise from nearly 3% of EV battery demand in 2024 to over 8% in 2030, while emerging markets and developing economies excluding China are projected to double their share from nearly 5% to 10%. These are scenario projections, not observed outcomes. IEA, Electric vehicle batteries – Global EV Outlook 2025
Battery-storage deployment provides a separate measure of market expansion. More than 40 GW of battery storage capacity was added in the global power sector in 2023, double the 2022 addition; utility-scale projects represented 65% of additions and behind-the-meter systems 35%.
This measure is storage capacity, not EV-battery production. IEA, Status of battery demand and supply – Batteries and Secure Energy Transitions
Battery Recycling Capacity and Circular-Supply Trends
Global battery-recycling capacity exceeded 300 GWh per year in 2023, but this is nameplate capacity rather than material actually processed. China held more than 80% of global recycling capacity, while Europe and the United States each held under 2%. IEA, Outlook for battery and energy demand – Global EV Outlook 2024
| Recycling measure | Result | Period and qualification |
|---|---|---|
| Global capacity | More than 300 GWh/year | 2023, nameplate capacity |
| China’s share | More than 80% | 2023, capacity share |
| Europe’s share | Under 2% | 2023, capacity share |
| United States’ share | Under 2% | 2023, capacity share |
| Announced global capacity | Above 1,500 GWh/year | 2030 conditional forecast |
Announced projects could raise global recycling capacity above 1,500 GWh per year in 2030 if they are developed in full and on time. Under that conditional projection, China could hold 70% of 2030 capacity, with Europe and the United States about 10% each; production scrap is expected to provide half of recycling feedstock and retired EV batteries about 20%. IEA, Outlook for battery and energy demand – Global EV Outlook 2024
Battery Supply-Chain Sustainability and Electricity-System Outcomes
The global EV fleet consumed about 130 TWh of electricity in 2023, equal to about 0.5% of global final electricity consumption. EVs used around 1% of final electricity consumption in both China and Europe, using regional final-electricity denominators. IEA, Outlook for battery and energy demand – Global EV Outlook 2024
The IEA scenarios show how large the potential electricity-system connection could become:
- In the 2035 STEPS, EVs are projected to use 8.1% of global final electricity.
- In the 2035 APS, EVs are projected to use 9.8% of global final electricity.
STEPS means the Stated Policies Scenario and APS means the Announced Pledges Scenario. These are scenario forecasts, and non-road electricity values in the cited assessment use World Energy Outlook 2023 data. IEA, Outlook for battery and energy demand – Global EV Outlook 2024
Lifecycle results vary by country, electricity mix and system boundaries. For a medium-size battery-electric car, the lifecycle-emissions reduction exceeded 60% compared with an equivalent internal-combustion-engine car in the United Kingdom and Chile, while the reduction was 20% in India in an assessment published in 2024. IEA, EV Battery Supply Chain Sustainability: Life cycle impacts and the role of recycling
Scaled recycling could reduce primary mineral demand in a 2050 national-climate-targets scenario by 25% for lithium and nickel and 40% for cobalt. The result assumes recycling scales effectively and meets national climate targets, so it is not a current observed reduction. IEA, EV Battery Supply Chain Sustainability: Life cycle impacts and the role of recycling
Finally, reported critical-mineral-sector injury rates fell nearly 30% from 2019 to 2022 among reporting companies. This company-reported indicator is not a census of the entire critical-mineral industry. IEA, Market review – Global Critical Minerals Outlook 2024