Lithium battery

A lithium battery, comprising:

• a cathode including a cathode active material;
• an anode including an anode active material;
• and
• an organic electrolytic solution between the cathode and the anode,
• wherein:
• the cathode active material includes a nickel-containing layered lithium transition metal oxide,
• the cathode includes a carbonaceous nanostructure, the carbonaceous nanostructure having an average length of 50 μm to about 200 μm, an amount of the carbonaceous nanostructure being about 0.5 wt % to about 5 wt % based on a total weight of the cathode,
• the organic electrolytic solution includes a first lithium salt, an organic solvent, and a bicyclic sulfate-based compound represented by Formula 1 below:
• in Formula 1, each of A1, A2, A3, and A4 is independently a covalent bond, a substituted or unsubstituted C1-C5 alkylene group, a carbonyl group, or a sulfinyl group, provided that A1 and A2 are not simultaneously a covalent bond and provided that A3 and A4 are not simultaneously a covalent bond, and
• an amount of the bicyclic sulfate-based compound is from about 0.4 wt % to about 5 wt % based on a total weight of the organic electrolytic solution.