In February 2026, the U.S. Geological Survey put a fresh number on a transformation that has been building for a decade: batteries now account for 88% of global lithium end-use, up from 87% a year earlier. The metal that once quietly toughened ceramics and thickened industrial greases has been almost entirely repurposed by the battery economy. As covered in our reporting on the shift from surplus to deficit, the supply side of this story is tightening.