In 2024, China consumed 92.2 exajoules of coal,
accounting for 55.8% of the global volume. This figure reflects the scale of
the country's industry, its demand for electricity, and its continued
dependence on coal production despite the rapid development of renewable energy
sources. Together, China and India account for nearly 70% of global coal
consumption, highlighting a high concentration of demand in the two most
populous nations.
Beyond these two giants, the United States ranks third
with 4.8%, followed by Indonesia (2.9%), Japan (2.7%), and Russia (2.3%).
As countries transition to clean energy sources, the
demand for coal is shifting unevenly. For instance, while coal use is declining
in several developed economies, it continues to rise in developing nations
where energy consumption is steadily increasing. Notably, the largest growth in
coal consumption was recorded in Vietnam at 9.3%, followed by Indonesia at 9.0%.
At the same time, coal usage increased by 7.1% in Türkiye and 3.7% in India,
according to naked-science.ru.