While coal production reached a staggering 8.5 billion tonnes globally in 2022, powering economies and lighting cities, this immense scale comes with profound environmental and economic complexities that define our energy present and future.
Key Takeaways
- Global coal production reached 8.5 billion tonnes in 2022
- US coal production was 577 million short tons in 2022
- China produced 4.1 billion tonnes of coal in 2022
- Global proven coal reserves are 1.074 trillion tonnes
- US has 250 billion short tons of recoverable coal reserves
- China holds 143 billion tonnes of proven coal reserves
- Global coal employment was 8 million in 2021
- US coal mining employed 40,768 people in 2022
- China coal sector employs over 5 million workers
- Coal contributed $24 billion to US GDP in 2021
- Global coal market value $1.1 trillion in 2022
- China coal industry revenue 1.2 trillion USD in 2022
- Global CO2 emissions from coal 15 Gt in 2022
- Coal responsible for 40% of global CO2 emissions
- US coal plants emit 1.1 billion tonnes CO2 annually
Despite large declines in the West, global coal production and use remains immense.
Economic
- Coal contributed $24 billion to US GDP in 2021
- Global coal market value $1.1 trillion in 2022
- China coal industry revenue 1.2 trillion USD in 2022
- India coal sales 15 billion USD in FY2023
- Australia coal exports worth 65 billion AUD in 2022
- US coal exports $19 billion in 2022
- Indonesia coal export revenue $50 billion in 2022
- Global coal trade volume 1.2 billion tonnes in 2022
- Coal royalties in Wyoming $1.6 billion in 2022
- South Africa coal GDP contribution 1.2% in 2022
- EU coal imports cost 40 billion EUR in 2022
- Poland coal sector 2% of GDP
- Global coal investment $70 billion in 2022
- US coal tax revenue $1.5 billion federally in 2022
- Coal prices peaked at $400/tonne in 2022
- Coal power generation costs $60/MWh globally average
- Coal taxes US states $800 million Appalachia
- Global coal subsidies $60 billion in 2022
- India Coal India profit 2.7 billion USD FY2023
- Indonesia coal GDP contribution 4%
- Australia coal royalties 8 billion AUD 2022
- World coal seaborne trade 1.23 Bt in 2023
- China domestic coal prices 1,200 RMB/tonne 2023
- US Powder River Basin coal value $5 billion
- EU coal phase-out cost 15 billion EUR
- Global thermal coal demand 8 Btce 2023
- Coal investment Asia 80% global total
- South Africa Eskom coal cost 20 billion ZAR/year
Economic Interpretation
Despite its well-earned role as the climate's public enemy number one, coal remains a stubbornly wealthy, deeply embedded, and lavishly subsidized global landlord, raking in trillions while still collecting rent from the world's largest economies.
Employment
- Global coal employment was 8 million in 2021
- US coal mining employed 40,768 people in 2022
- China coal sector employs over 5 million workers
- India coal industry workforce 350,000 direct employees
- Australia coal mining jobs 50,600 in 2022
- Indonesia coal employs 250,000 workers
- South Africa coal mining 92,000 jobs in 2022
- Russia coal industry 150,000 employees
- Poland coal mining employed 83,000 in 2022
- US coal jobs declined 5% from 2021 to 2022
- Global coal mine workers average wage $25,000/year
- Australia underground coal miners 15,000
- India Coal India Ltd employs 272,000
- EU coal employment fell to 120,000 in 2022
- Colombia coal jobs 10,000 direct
- Global coal workforce down 10% since 2018
- US surface mine workers 25,000 in 2022
- China coal jobs peaked at 12 million in 1990s
- US coal employment by state highest in WV 13,000
- Australia QLD coal jobs 28,000
- China Shanxi province coal workers 2 million
- South Africa Mpumalanga coal jobs 80%
- Global women in coal mining 10-15%
- US coal contractor jobs 20,000
- India open cast coal workers 200,000
- Russia Kuzbass coal region 100,000 jobs
- EU coal jobs training programs for 50,000
- Coal industry union membership 30% in US
- Global coal safety incidents 1,000 deaths/year
- Australia coal average salary AUD 140,000
Employment Interpretation
While coal's global workforce has shrunk to a hardy eight million souls, it remains a massive, perilous, and paradoxically prosperous employer—where a miner's fate depends less on the job's universal dangers and more on whether they're digging in West Virginia, Shanxi, or Queensland.
Environmental
- Global CO2 emissions from coal 15 Gt in 2022
- Coal responsible for 40% of global CO2 emissions
- US coal plants emit 1.1 billion tonnes CO2 annually
- China coal CO2 emissions 11 Gt in 2022
- Coal mining methane emissions 400 MtCO2e/year globally
- Global SO2 emissions from coal 20 million tonnes/year
- US coal ash waste 130 million tons/year
- India coal PM2.5 emissions contribute 20% air pollution
- Australia coal dust affects 10,000 miners health
- Global coal water use 2 billion m3/year
- Coal mining land disturbance 8,000 km2/year
- Mercury emissions from coal 500 tonnes/year globally
- EU coal NOx emissions reduced 70% since 1990
- Poland coal PM emissions 100,000 tonnes/year
- Coal acid mine drainage affects 20,000 km rivers
- US coal retirements cut 300 million tonnes CO2 by 2030
- Coal NOx global emissions 15 Mt/year
- US coal SO2 emissions down 90% since 1990
- China coal PM emissions 5 Mt/year
- Global coal black carbon 2 Mt/year
- Coal mining deforestation 100,000 ha/year
- India coal thermal plants 200 GW capacity
- Australia coal GHG emissions 35 MtCO2e exports
- World coal water pollution heavy metals 10,000 tonnes/year
- EU coal mercury cut 80% 1990-2020
- Coal biodiversity loss 5,000 species affected
- US mountaintop removal mined 2,000 km2
- Global coal CCS capacity 40 MtCO2/year
Environmental Interpretation
Coal’s global rap sheet is a monstrous ledger of climate mayhem and local misery, where even a few bright spots in emissions cuts feel like polishing a tombstone for a planet that’s still being buried.
Production
- Global coal production reached 8.5 billion tonnes in 2022
- US coal production was 577 million short tons in 2022
- China produced 4.1 billion tonnes of coal in 2022
- India coal production hit 893 million tonnes in FY 2023
- Australia exported 200 million tonnes of coal in 2022
- Indonesia coal production was 657 million tonnes in 2022
- Russia coal output at 430 million tonnes in 2022
- South Africa produced 248 million tonnes of coal in 2022
- US coal mine productivity averaged 2.6 short tons per employee hour in 2022
- Global coal production grew 1.2% in 2023
- China coal production capacity reached 1.2 billion tonnes per year by 2023
- India targeted 1 billion tonnes coal production by 2024-25
- EU coal production fell to 110 million tonnes in 2022
- Poland produced 110 million tonnes of coal in 2022
- Colombia coal production 54 million tonnes in 2022
- Global coal plants 2,200 operational in 2023
- China added 47 GW coal capacity in 2023
- India coal production up 10% YoY in 2023
Production Interpretation
While China and India sprint ahead building new coal plants to power their growth, the rest of the world ambles reluctantly toward the exit, proving that kicking this dirty habit is a global tug-of-war between economic necessity and environmental survival.
Reserves
- Global proven coal reserves are 1.074 trillion tonnes
- US has 250 billion short tons of recoverable coal reserves
- China holds 143 billion tonnes of proven coal reserves
- Australia coal reserves stand at 149 billion tonnes
- Russia has 162 billion tonnes of coal reserves
- India coal reserves estimated at 111 billion tonnes
- US anthracite reserves are 7.4 billion short tons as of 2021
- Indonesia recoverable coal reserves 34.8 billion tonnes
- Global anthracite and bituminous reserves 746 billion tonnes
- South Africa coal reserves 9.9 billion tonnes
- Poland coal reserves 26 billion tonnes
- Germany lignite reserves 35 billion tonnes
- World coal reserves-to-production ratio is 132 years
- US subbituminous coal reserves 467 billion short tons
- Ukraine coal reserves 34 billion tonnes
- World coal reserves 1,161 billion tonnes recoverable
- US bituminous reserves 534 billion short tons
- Australia thermal coal reserves 76 billion tonnes
- Global lignite reserves 328 billion tonnes
- India anthracite reserves negligible <1 billion tonnes
- Russia anthracite reserves 13 billion tonnes
- Germany coal reserves 40 billion tonnes total
- World sub-bituminous reserves 307 billion tonnes
- Colombia coal reserves 7.4 billion tonnes
- Ukraine anthracite reserves 3 billion tonnes
- Global metallurgical coal reserves 100 billion tonnes
Reserves Interpretation
The sobering math of these global coal reserves paints a world stubbornly prepared to power its past for over a century, not its future.
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