In 2024, coal consumption worldwide came to around *******exajoules, up from ****** exajoules in the previous year. 2024 was also the year with the highest figure. During the period in consideration, consumption of coal across the globe increased by some ***exajoules.

The world’s two largest coal consuming countries in 2024 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 2023. 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 2023, 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 2024, 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 **** percent of the total coal consumption worldwide. Meanwhile, Taiwan represented approximately *** 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 **** billion short tons. India was ranked in second place, with an expected coal consumption volume of *** million short tons in 2023.

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)

Top Countries' Share of Global Coal Consumption, 2016 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

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 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.

CN: Coal Consumption: Shanxi data was reported at 601.891 Ton mn in 2022. This records an increase from the previous number of 559.907 Ton mn for 2021. CN: Coal Consumption: Shanxi data is updated yearly, averaging 286.052 Ton mn from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2022, with 29 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 601.891 Ton mn in 2022 and a record low of 76.590 Ton mn in 1990. CN: Coal Consumption: Shanxi 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.

China Coal Consumption: Industry: Manufacturing data was reported at 1,668.190 Ton mn in 2022. This records an increase from the previous number of 1,587.000 Ton mn for 2021. China Coal Consumption: Industry: Manufacturing data is updated yearly, averaging 898.372 Ton mn from Dec 1985 (Median) to 2022, with 37 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1,813.450 Ton mn in 2015 and a record low of 522.970 Ton mn in 1985. China Coal Consumption: Industry: Manufacturing data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s China – Table CN.RBB: Coal Consumption.

China Coal Consumption: Industry data was reported at 4,371.750 Ton mn in 2022. This records an increase from the previous number of 4,175.850 Ton mn for 2021. China Coal Consumption: Industry data is updated yearly, averaging 1,532.316 Ton mn from Dec 1980 (Median) to 2022, with 40 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 4,371.750 Ton mn in 2022 and a record low of 438.484 Ton mn in 1980. China Coal Consumption: Industry data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s China – Table CN.RBB: Coal Consumption.

The average for 2022 based on 53 countries was 4257.64 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.

China accounts for around **** percent of total coal electricity generation in the world. China is by far the leading country in terms of coal-fired power generation, at over ***** terawatt hours produced every year. The ten largest coal power producers together generate around*** percent of the worldwide total.

United States Coal Consumption: Transportation data was reported at 0.000 Short Ton th in Jul 2018. This stayed constant from the previous number of 0.000 Short Ton th for Jun 2018. United States Coal Consumption: Transportation data is updated monthly, averaging 0.000 Short Ton th from Jan 1973 (Median) to Jul 2018, with 547 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 17.000 Short Ton th in May 1973 and a record low of 0.000 Short Ton th in Jul 2018. United States Coal Consumption: Transportation data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Energy Information Administration. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.RB005: Coal Consumption.

China Coal Consumption: Residential data was reported at 55.500 Ton mn in 2022. This records a decrease from the previous number of 59.290 Ton mn for 2021. China Coal Consumption: Residential data is updated yearly, averaging 94.915 Ton mn from Dec 1980 (Median) to 2022, with 39 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 175.253 Ton mn in 1988 and a record low of 55.500 Ton mn in 2022. China Coal Consumption: Residential data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s China – Table CN.RBB: Coal Consumption.

Stay updated with Market Research Intellect's Anthracite Coal Consumption Market Report, valued at USD 10.5 billion in 2024, projected to reach USD 13.8 billion by 2033 with a CAGR of 4.2% (2026-2033).

Historical chart and dataset showing Somalia coal usage/consumption by year from 2000 to 2021.

Historical chart and dataset showing Mozambique coal usage/consumption by year from 1971 to 2021.

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