Lithium Compounds Market - Forecast (2022 - 2027)

The lithium Compounds Market size is expected to be valued at $13.8 billion by the end of the year 2027 and the Lithium Compounds industry is set to grow at a CAGR of 8.3% during the forecast period from 2022-2027. The increase in demand for energy-saving devices with good battery backup owing to various factors such as the drastic shift in lifestyle, technological advancements, and others is highly driving the demand for the lithium compounds market. Furthermore, the increasing production and use of glass and ceramics in various products namely kitchenware, medical equipment, automobile parts and others are also contributing to the growth of the lithium compounds market. Lithium carbonate, a type of lithium compound is majorly used in various applications ranging from medicines to batteries owing to its enhanced properties which is one of the significant factors impacting the growth of the lithium compounds market. Other types of lithium compounds such as lithium chloride, lithium hydroxide and lithium chloride are widely used in the production of cathodes in batteries and in the production of glasses and ceramic. This is highly driving the demand for the lithium compounds market.

COVID-19 impact

Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the lithium compounds market witnessed a major downfall in the growth and demand owing to the various economic and legal restrictions imposed in countries across the world. The restriction and bans on trade, export, import and other inter-country and inter-state activities affected the lithium compounds market in terms of production, supply-chain management and distribution. The restrictions were in effect for the major part of the year 2020. However, the restrictions were eased out and the bans were lifted at the beginning of the year 2021 when the Covid-19 cases were decreasing. The lithium compounds market is expected to grow by the year end of 2021.

Report Coverage

The report: “Lithium Compounds Market - Forecast (2022-2027)” covers an in-depth analysis of the following segments of the Lithium Compounds Industry.

• By Compound: Lithium Carbonate, Lithium Hydroxide, Lithium Concentrate, Lithium Metal, Butyl Lithium, Lithium Chloride, Lithium Bromide, Lithium Iodide, Lithium Oxide, Lithium Chromate and Others.
• By Application: Li-ion Batteries, Cement & Concrete, Metallurgy, Lubricants, Glass & Ceramics, Polymers, Specialty Inorganics, Medicines and Others.
• By End-Use Industry: Aerospace and Defence, Automotive, Oil and Gas, Energy, Building & Construction, Chemical Industry, Healthcare and Medical Industry and Others.
• By Geography: North America (U.S, Canada, Mexico), Europe (Germany, UK, France, Italy, France, Netherlands, Belgium Spain, Russia and the Rest of Europe), APAC (China, Japan India, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Taiwan, Malaysia), South America (Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Chile and Rest of South America) and RoW (the Middle East and Africa).

Key Takeaways

The asia-Pacific market held the largest share in the lithium compounds market owing to the highly developed electronics industry and battery technology segments in countries like India, China and Japan.

The increasing production of glass & ceramic and related products is one of the major factors driving the lithium compounds market as lithium concentrate, a type of lithium compound is used in the production of glass and ceramics.

The growing demand for battery-saving devices owing to the technological advancement and growth is driving the demand for the lithium compounds market, as lithium carbonate is widely used in the production of cathodes in batteries.

Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the Lithium compounds market witnessed a major downfall due to the various restrictions laid down by countries across the globe.

Lithium Compounds Market Segment Analysis - By Compound

The lithium carbonate segment held the largest share of 32% in the Lithium compounds market in the year 2020. Lithium carbonate is highly used in the processing of metal oxides. Lithium carbonate is the first lithium compound derived from a chain of lithium, which is used as a building block for other lithium derivatives. Lithium carbonate is majorly used in the production of various products such as glass & ceramics, aluminum, pharmaceuticals, Li-ion batteries and others. The increasing application of such products is driving the demand for the lithium carbonate segment in the lithium compounds market. Lithium carbonate is also used in the oven glasses to reduce the melting point of silica. This is one of the major reason driving the demand for lithium carbonate in the lithium compounds market.

Lithium Compounds Market Segment Analysis - By Application

The li-ion batteries segment held the largest share of 30% in the Lithium compounds market in the year 2020. The increase in the demand and production of electric vehicles in the present days is one of the factors driving the manufacturing of Li-ion batteries. According to the International Energy agency, the global sales of electric cars topped 2.1 million units in 2019 surpassing the global sales of 2018. This eventually boosted the stock to 7.2 million electric cars. Electric cars registered a 40% year-on-year increase in the year 2020 at 2.94 million units. The increase in the sales and production of electric cars is increasing the demand for Li-ion batteries which is further driving the lithium compounds market.

Lithium Compounds Market Segment Analysis - By End-Use Industry

The automotive industry held the largest share growing at a CAGR of 8.7% in the Lithium compounds market in the year 2020. The increasing use of lithium carbonate, lithium chloride, lithium hydroxide and lithium chloride in the production of cathodes and anodes in batteries is one of the major factor driving the demand for lithium compounds in the automotive sector. According to the International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers (OICA), even though the automotive industry production declined by 13.77% in the year 2020 due to the global pandemic, the automobile industry is estimated to bounce back on track in the coming days. This is driving the need for automotive parts like batteries and others which is further increasing the growth and demand for lithium compounds market.

Lithium Compounds Market Segment Analysis - By Geography

Asia-Pacific region held the largest share of 42% in the Lithium compounds market in the year 2020. The rapid growth of population in countries like India and China coupled with the countries’ high dependence on end use industries like building & construction, automotive and medical industry is driving the demand for lithium compounds as it is used in various applications of these end-use industries. For instance, according to India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF), the pharmaceutical industry in India is estimated to be around US$41 billion by the end of 2021. Furthermore, the investments in the pharmaceutical industry in India stood at US$17.5 billion in the year 2020 and the Indian government further announced an incentive scheme in February 2021 which will attract investments of US$2.07 billion into the sector. This will majorly impact the lithium compounds market in the region. Furthermore, according to the International trade administration, the production in the pharmaceuticals industry in Japan increased by 35.2% to US$84.6 million in the year 2019 from US$62.57 million in the year 2018. This is driving the Asia-Pacific region of the lithium compounds market.

Lithium Compounds Market Drivers

Increasing Demand from Medical Industry

Lithium carbonate is used in medications in treating maniac-depressive disorders (bipolar disorder). Lithium carbonate is used for stabilizing mood and in reducing extreme behaviors by restoring the balance of neurotransmitters (natural substances in the brain). It helps in reducing the severity and frequency of mania. Lithium compound is tested to have reduced the risk of suicide tendencies among mentally-ill patients. According to the latest statistics provided by World Health Organisation (WHO) on depression and suicide in the year 2019, more than 264 million people are affected by depression across the globe and around 800 thousand people commit suicide every year. Suicide was found to be the second leading cause of death in 15-29 years old every year. The increasing mental health awareness and thereby treatment of such illness is increasing the use of lithium carbonate in the production of medicines for such illness. This is further driving the lithium compound market.

The Increasing Production of Glass and Ceramic

The increase in the production of glass & ceramic and related products is one of the significant factors driving the demand for lithium concentrate, a type of lithium compound that is widely used in the production of glass and ceramics which is further fuelling the growth of the lithium compound market. For instance, according to Glass Alliance Europe, the glass production in Europe reached 37.2 million tonnes, an increase of 1.8% compared to the previous year 2018. Likewise in the US, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis of the US, the total value of the glass and glass product manufacturing industry was valued at US$3.83 trillion in the year 2020, an increase of 0.26% from the previous year value. The increase in production of glass and ceramics is driving the demand for lithium concentrate, a lithium compound that is further driving the demand for the lithium compound market.

Lithium Compounds Market Challenges

High operational costs and fluctuating price of lithium

The high operational costs involved in the setting up of the production of lithium compounds are one of the major factors restraining the growth of the lithium compounds market. The setting up cost and operational costs involved with lithium compound are expensive, because of which the growth of the lithium compounds market is highly restricted. Furthermore, the fluctuating prices of lithium is one of the major restricting factor hindering the growth of the lithium compounds market. According to the data provided by the Trading Economics, the price of lithium carbonate increased by 32.02% in May 2021 as compared to the increase of 19.30% in January 2021. This fluctuation is one of the biggest challenge faced by the lithium compounds market.

Lithium Compounds Market Industry Outlook

Acquisitions and mergers, production expansion, facility expansion collaborations, partnerships, and investments, are some of the key strategies adopted by players in the Lithium Compounds Market. Major players in the Lithium Compounds Market are Lithium Americas Corp., Albemarle Corporation, Neometals Ltd, FMC Corporation, Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile, Livent Corporation, Tianqi Lithium Industries Inc., Nemaska Lithium Inc., Neo Lithium Corporation, Millennial Lithium Corporation and Galaxy Resources Limited among others.

Acquisitions/Technology Launches

On 25 September 2020, Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited (CATL), a battery manufacturer and technology company known for its lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles & energy storage systems and Shenzhen KSTAR Science & Technology partnered for constructing a lithium-ion battery manufacturing facility in Fuji, China. The companies invested about US$150 million in the factory in China which occupies 1GWh of annual production capacity and will make lithium-ion battery packs as well as integrated products for solar-plus-storage.


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