The world as we know it is increasingly dependent on critical minerals. These elements underpin everything from smartphones and medical devices to electric vehicle batteries and solar panels – and with demand soaring, countries are jostling to protect their supplies of these essential components.

What's more, they're increasingly being used as bargaining chips as trade tensions between America and China escalate and threaten to spill over to other countries.

Read on to discover how critical minerals underpin the world as we know it today and the fierce competition they're sparking across the planet. 

All dollar amounts in US dollars.