Global coal use has rebounded strongly after plummeting at the height of the pandemic. It rose to an estimated 8.77 billion tonnes in 2024, a record. However, demand is set to stay close to this level through 2027. In China – which consumes 30% more coal than the rest of the world put together – coal consumption is expected to level off due to the massive expansion of renewables alongside strong growth in electricity demand.
In most advanced economies, coal demand has already peaked and is expected to keep decreasing through 2027. Meanwhile, demand for coal is still increasing in some emerging economies where electricity demand is rising sharply along with economic and population growth, such as India, Indonesia and Viet Nam. In emerging economies, growth is mainly driven by coal demand from the power sector, although industrial use is also going up(Coal, n.d.).
Reference:
Coal. (n.d.). IEA. Retrieved June 25, 2025, from https://www.iea.org/energy-system/fossil-fuels/coal
