Charcoal Production by Country 2024

China is the world's largest producer and consumer of coal, mining 4,320 million cubic feet annually in 2023.

While China’s coal output has been increasing at an impressive rate, its level of production has led to environmental and safety concerns. Chief among these are an excessive waste of coal resources and a large number of worker casualties.

Other Leading Producers

India: India has some of the world's largest coal reserves at approximately 267 billion tonnes. The energy derived from coal in India is about twice that of energy derived from oil.

Russia: This country ranks fifth position in coal production and holds the world’s second-largest coal reserves, estimated at 175 billion tonnes. Most of its coal is located east of the Ural Mountains in Siberia.

United States: The U.S. has significant coal reserves, primarily in the Allegheny and Appalachian Mountains. However, mechanization and increasing natural gas use have set the U.S. coal industry on a declining path.

South Africa: Leading the African continent in coal production, South Africa’s coal mining mainly occurs in the East Rand around Witbank, the Vaal valley, and the Waterberg in the Limpopo Province.

Market Trends

According to the International Energy Agency, the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and a strong post-pandemic economic bounceback made for three turbulent years in the coal markets.

2023 has been the first year of relative predictability and stability in some time, with global coal demand growing by about 1.5% to a total of 4.7 billion tonnes. This represents an increase of 2% in non-power industrial applications and 1% in power generation.

China and India were the main drivers of this growth, with each country increasing their consumption by about 5% during the first half of the year. Meanwhile, coal demand fell by 24% and 16% in the U.S. and European Union, respectively.

Environmental and Social Impact

Coal mining regions are often associated with significant social, cultural, and environmental impacts. In China, for instance, the rapid increase in coal production has led to serious environmental damage and safety concerns.

The continued use of coal and other fossil fuels is thought to be a significant contributor to the pressing issue of climate change. As renewable energy sources pick up steam and achieve mainstream adoption, coal use worldwide will likely decline.