The World is Consuming More Coal Than Ever.
Global coal consumption has reached a record high, with annual demand hitting 8.85 billion metric tonnes this year. This marks an increase of 1.40 billion tonnes since 2020.
The main driver of this growth is China, which now accounts for roughly 56% of global consumption, or 4.95 billion tonnes. By comparison, the United States consumes only 410 million tonnes, around 5% of the world total.
Although the International Energy Agency (IEA) predicts a slight decline in demand over the next five years, expecting it to reach about 8.60 billion tonnes by 2030, past forecasts for coal consumption have often proven wrong.
One thing is clear: coal remains in strong demand worldwide, and its importance shows no signs of decreasing.