(LOOTPRESS) – Global coal consumption and production both reached unprecedented levels in 2024, highlighting a persistent reliance on the fossil fuel despite mounting climate concerns and net-zero pledges.
The findings come from the 2025 Statistical Review of World Engery, which reported global coal demand at an all-time high of 165.1 exajoules (EJ).
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The surge is largely fueled by Asia’s heavy dependence on coal.
China alone was responsible for 56% of the world’s coal consumption, using 92.2 EJ in 2024—a nearly 17% increase since 2017.
Despite repeated forecasts suggesting China had moved past its peak coal era, the resource continues to power its electricity grid, industrial base, and energy strategy.
India also saw a significant rise in coal consumption, reaching 21.8 EJ—up almost 45% from ten years ago.
The country’s growing power demands, combined with limited natural gas infrastructure and government support for domestic coal use, have sustained the upward trend.
Beyond China and India, coal use is expanding rapidly throughout the Asia-Pacific. Countries like Indonesia, Vietnam, and Bangladesh are investing heavily in coal as they work to electrify rural areas and expand manufacturing.
In many of these developing nations, coal remains a cost-effective and locally available energy option, even as wealthier nations push toward renewable alternatives.
Meanwhile, coal use continues to decline across the industrialized world. In Europe, consumption fell to 10 EJ in 2024, despite temporary increases in countries like Germany and Poland.
The region has continued its downward trajectory, even amid energy disruptions tied to the war in Ukraine.
In the United States, coal consumption reached 9.9 EJ in 2024—a small uptick following the pandemic, but still well below previous decades.
The U.S. has largely shifted toward natural gas and renewable energy sources, and coal’s share of the power mix continues to shrink.
However, reductions in coal use across the OECD are being outpaced by growth in the developing world. As of 2024, non-OECD countries account for approximately 71% of global coal consumption, up from 63% in 2014.
This growing divide poses new challenges for international climate goals and energy equity.
Coal production also climbed to record levels in 2024, reaching 182 EJ globally.
China led production with 94 EJ—more than half of the world’s total output. India also expanded significantly, doubling its coal production since 2006. Indonesia, a major exporter to the region, has nearly quadrupled its output over the same period.
In contrast, the United States and Russia—despite holding large reserves—have seen more modest production. The U.S. produced 23 EJ last year, accounting for about 12% of global output.
Russia remained steady at 9.2 EJ, constrained by international sanctions and shifting market conditions.
The data underscores a key global tension: while some nations phase out coal, others are ramping it up, widening the global energy divide and complicating the path toward coordinated climate action.
