The world’s two largest coal consuming countries in 2023 were also the world’s *** most populous nations: China and India, at **** and ** exajoules consumed, respectively. In the case of China, this equates to approximately ** percent of the global coal consumption, whereas India accounted for **** percent. Global coal consumption Global coal consumption has been steadily increasing since 1998. That year, the global consumption amounted to **** exajoules. In 2010, consumption of coal reached ***** exajoules. This figure increased to ****** exajoules by 2022. China’s coal consumption over time As one of the largest consumers of coal in the world, China’s coal consumption has more than ******* since 1998. That year, the nation consumed **** exajoules. However, since 2013, China has been slowly decreasing the consumption rate. In 2013, the East Asian country consumed **** exajoules, and in 2016 this figure dropped to around ** exajoules. The latest data shows that in 2022, China consumed **** exajoules worth of coal. From 2015 to 2016, China’s coal consumption decreased by *** percent. However, consumption increased from 2018 to 2019 by some *** percent. Coal also represents the largest source of energy consumption in China, accounting for **** percent of total energy consumption in 2023.

The average for 2022 based on 190 countries was 47609 thousand short tons. The highest value was in China: 4779588 thousand short tons and the lowest value was in Angola: 0 thousand short tons. The indicator is available from 1980 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

In 2023, China was by far the largest consumer of coal in the world. That year, the country used some **** billion million metric tons of the fossil fuel, which translated to more than half of total worldwide coal consumption. India and the United States followed as the second and third largest coal consumers, with wide margins between all three of the countries. The role of coal in China's energy sector Due to substantial deposits within its territory, coal has long been a major source of energy in China. This is particularly true for power and heat generation. In 2022, the coal share of total electricity production in China still amounted to more than ** percent, despite recent gains in China's renewable energy output. As an economic powerhouse requiring huge amounts of energy, China is not only the largest consumer of coal, but also the world's largest renewable energy consumer. Most consumed energy sources Although many countries are actively striving to increase renewable capacity additions in an effort to curb their carbon footprint, phasing out fossil fuels has proven challenging. Oil, natural gas, and coal remain by far the most consumed primary energy types in the world, their share in final consumption having changed only marginally in the last four years. This is also due to the wide spectrum of usage applications, such as within the transportation sector and for manufacturing industries.

Total annual coal consumption by country from 1980 to 2012 (available as Quadrillion Btu). Downloaded from the Energy Information Administration (EIA)'s International Energy Statistics portal

In 2023, China had by far the largest share of coal consumption across the globe, with more than half of the world's total consumption. By comparison, India ranked second, accounting for 13.4 percent of the total coal consumption worldwide. Meanwhile, Taiwan represented approximately one percent of the world's coal consumption. Electricity generated by coal is one of the most prominent sources in the world.

China was projected to be the world's leading coal consuming nation in 2023, at an estimated 4.42 billion short tons. India was ranked in second place, with an expected coal consumption volume of 976 million short tons in 2023.

In 2023, coal consumption worldwide came to around ****** exajoules, up from ****** exajoules in the previous year. 2023 was also the year with the highest figure. During the period in consideration, consumption of coal across the globe increased by some ***** exajoules.

World coal usage/consumption for 2015 was 39.15%, a 1.32% decline from 2014.

• World coal usage/consumption for 2014 was 40.47%, a 0.56% decline from 2013.
• World coal usage/consumption for 2013 was 41.02%, a 0.77% increase from 2012.
• World coal usage/consumption for 2012 was 40.25%, a 0.72% decline from 2011.

Sources of electricity refer to the inputs used to generate electricity. Coal refers to all coal and brown coal, both primary (including hard coal and lignite-brown coal) and derived fuels (including patent fuel, coke oven coke, gas coke, coke oven gas, and blast furnace gas). Peat is also included in this category.

CN: Coal Consumption: Guizhou data was reported at 122.200 Ton mn in 2022. This records a decrease from the previous number of 124.802 Ton mn for 2021. CN: Coal Consumption: Guizhou data is updated yearly, averaging 97.322 Ton mn from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2022, with 29 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 136.789 Ton mn in 2016 and a record low of 27.090 Ton mn in 1990. CN: Coal Consumption: Guizhou data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Energy Sector – Table CN.RBB: Coal Consumption.

Top Countries by Coal Consumption, 2016 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

The average for 2022 based on 47 countries was 4458.02 thousand short tons. The highest value was in South Africa: 192244.14 thousand short tons and the lowest value was in Angola: 0 thousand short tons. The indicator is available from 1980 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Key information about India Coal Consumption

• India Coal Consumption was reported at 452.221 TOE mn in Dec 2018
• This records an increase from the previous number of 415.943 TOE mn for Dec 2017
• India Coal Consumption data is updated yearly, averaging 120.212 TOE mn from Dec 1965 to Dec 2018, with 54 observations
• The data reached an all-time high of 452.221 TOE mn in 2018 and a record low of 35.461 TOE mn in 1966
• India Coal Consumption data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by BP PLC
• The data is categorized under World Trend Plus’s Association: Metal and Mining Sector – Table WB.BP.CONS: Coal Consumption (Discontinued)

The average for 2022 based on 47 countries was 150042.16 thousand short tons. The highest value was in China: 4779588 thousand short tons and the lowest value was in Bahrain: 0 thousand short tons. The indicator is available from 1980 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Historical chart and dataset showing Finland coal usage/consumption by year from 1960 to 2023.

European Coking Coal Energy Supply by Country, 2023 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

In 2023, China was the biggest consumer of coal in the Asia-Pacific region, with a total consumption of approximately 92 exajoules. That year, India was the region's second-largest consumer of coal, consuming around 22 exajoules.

Nepal: Coal consumption, thousand short tons: The latest value from 2023 is 1180.35 thousand short tons, a decline from 1184.98 thousand short tons in 2022. In comparison, the world average is 50012.11 thousand short tons, based on data from 190 countries. Historically, the average for Nepal from 1980 to 2023 is 293.77 thousand short tons. The minimum value, 68.34 thousand short tons, was reached in 1981 while the maximum of 1184.98 thousand short tons was recorded in 2022.

Kazakhstan coal usage/consumption for 2022 was 62.08%, a 2.05% decline from 2021.

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li>Kazakhstan coal usage/consumption for 2021 was <strong>64.13%</strong>, a <strong>3.15% decline</strong> from 2020.</li>
<li>Kazakhstan coal usage/consumption for 2020 was <strong>67.28%</strong>, a <strong>1.75% decline</strong> from 2019.</li>
<li>Kazakhstan coal usage/consumption for 2019 was <strong>69.04%</strong>, a <strong>0.51% decline</strong> from 2018.</li>
</ul>Sources of electricity refer to the inputs used to generate electricity. Coal refers to all coal and brown coal, both primary (including hard coal and lignite-brown coal) and derived fuels (including patent fuel, coke oven coke, gas coke, coke oven gas, and blast furnace gas). Peat is also included in this category.

Key information about United States Coal Consumption

• United States Coal Consumption was reported at 317.010 TOE mn in Dec 2018
• This records a decrease from the previous number of 331.263 TOE mn for Dec 2017
• US Coal Consumption data is updated yearly, averaging 424.641 TOE mn from Dec 1965 to Dec 2018, with 54 observations
• The data reached an all-time high of 545.740 TOE mn in 2005 and a record low of 277.235 TOE mn in 1965
• US Coal Consumption data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by BP PLC
• The data is categorized under World Trend Plus’s Association: Metal and Mining Sector – Table WB.BP.CONS: Coal Consumption (Discontinued)

The average for 2022 based on 24 countries was 23184.73 thousand short tons. The highest value was in the USA: 515554.78 thousand short tons and the lowest value was in Antigua and Barbuda: 0 thousand short tons. The indicator is available from 1980 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.