Ranking of the World’s Biggest Coal Consumers - 2026

Coal and Related Carbon Resources / Economics

Desjardins reported in mid-April 2026 that coal consumption is highly concentrated among a small number of major economies, with China sitting far ahead of every other country. This chart ranks the world’s largest coal consumers using data from the Statistical Review of World Energy 2025, highlighting how demand is distributed across major economies.

China’s Outsized Role in Global Coal Use

China consumed 92.2 exajoules of coal in 2024, equal to 55.8% of the global total. This reflects the scale of the country’s industrial base, electricity needs, and continued reliance on coal-fired power, even as it rapidly expands renewable energy capacity.

Below we list the biggest coal consumers based on 2024 data in our article. Altogether, China and India account for nearly 70% of global coal consumption, underscoring how concentrated demand is between the world’s two most populous countries. Beyond these two giants, the U.S. ranks third with 4.8% of global consumption, followed by Indonesia (2.9%), Japan (2.7%), and Russia (2.3%).

Where Coal Consumption is Still Growing

As countries transition toward cleaner energy, coal demand is moving in different directions. While usage has declined in many advanced economies, it continues to rise in several fast-growing countries where energy demand is still expanding.

The following table shows where coal use grew the most in top coal consumers between 2023 and 2024 in our article. Vietnam saw the biggest increase at 9.3%, followed closely by Indonesia at 9.0%. Türkiye also posted strong growth at 7.1%, while India’s consumption rose by 3.7%. Even China, already the world’s largest coal consumer by a wide margin, saw demand rise by 1.4% in 2024.

While coal use is declining across much of the West, it continues to grow in several emerging economies—highlighting the uneven pace of the global energy transition.

To learn more on the Voronoi App, See the biggest sources of energy around the world in every country in this global map (here).