Coal still powered major parts of global energy and the economy in 2022, with global coal production reaching 8.5 billion tonnes and coal responsible for 40% of global CO2 emissions. The scale shows up in trade and jobs, from 1.2 billion tonnes of coal moved globally to global coal employment of 8 million. This article summarizes the latest industry figures on production, reserves, and emissions to explain what the headlines miss.
Key Takeaways
- Coal contributed $24 billion to US GDP in 2021
- Global coal employment was 8 million in 2021
- Global CO2 emissions from coal 15 Gt in 2022
- Global coal production reached 8.5 billion tonnes in 2022
- Global proven coal reserves are 1.074 trillion tonnes
Coal production remained steady as demand increased, supporting consistent industry growth and stable employment.
Related reading
01 · Category
Economic28 stats
01
Coal contributed $24 billion to US GDP in 2021
02
Global coal market value $1.1 trillion in 2022
03
China coal industry revenue 1.2 trillion USD in 2022
04
India coal sales 15 billion USD in FY2023
05
Australia coal exports worth 65 billion AUD in 2022
06
US coal exports $19 billion in 2022
07
Indonesia coal export revenue $50 billion in 2022
08
Global coal trade volume 1.2 billion tonnes in 2022
09
Coal royalties in Wyoming $1.6 billion in 2022
10
South Africa coal GDP contribution 1.2% in 2022
11
EU coal imports cost 40 billion EUR in 2022
12
Poland coal sector 2% of GDP
13
Global coal investment $70 billion in 2022
14
US coal tax revenue $1.5 billion federally in 2022
15
Coal prices peaked at $400/tonne in 2022
16
Coal power generation costs $60/MWh globally average
17
Coal taxes US states $800 million Appalachia
18
Global coal subsidies $60 billion in 2022
19
India Coal India profit 2.7 billion USD FY2023
20
Indonesia coal GDP contribution 4%
21
Australia coal royalties 8 billion AUD 2022
22
World coal seaborne trade 1.23 Bt in 2023
23
China domestic coal prices 1,200 RMB/tonne 2023
24
US Powder River Basin coal value $5 billion
25
EU coal phase-out cost 15 billion EUR
26
Global thermal coal demand 8 Btce 2023
27
Coal investment Asia 80% global total
28
South Africa Eskom coal cost 20 billion ZAR/year
Interpretation
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.
02 · Category
Employment30 stats
01
Global coal employment was 8 million in 2021
02
US coal mining employed 40,768 people in 2022
03
China coal sector employs over 5 million workers
04
India coal industry workforce 350,000 direct employees
05
Australia coal mining jobs 50,600 in 2022
06
Indonesia coal employs 250,000 workers
07
South Africa coal mining 92,000 jobs in 2022
08
Russia coal industry 150,000 employees
09
Poland coal mining employed 83,000 in 2022
10
US coal jobs declined 5% from 2021 to 2022
11
Global coal mine workers average wage $25,000/year
12
Australia underground coal miners 15,000
13
India Coal India Ltd employs 272,000
14
EU coal employment fell to 120,000 in 2022
15
Colombia coal jobs 10,000 direct
16
Global coal workforce down 10% since 2018
17
US surface mine workers 25,000 in 2022
18
China coal jobs peaked at 12 million in 1990s
19
US coal employment by state highest in WV 13,000
20
Australia QLD coal jobs 28,000
21
China Shanxi province coal workers 2 million
22
South Africa Mpumalanga coal jobs 80%
23
Global women in coal mining 10-15%
24
US coal contractor jobs 20,000
25
India open cast coal workers 200,000
26
Russia Kuzbass coal region 100,000 jobs
27
EU coal jobs training programs for 50,000
28
Coal industry union membership 30% in US
29
Global coal safety incidents 1,000 deaths/year
30
Australia coal average salary AUD 140,000
Interpretation
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.
03 · Category
Environmental28 stats
01
Global CO2 emissions from coal 15 Gt in 2022
02
Coal responsible for 40% of global CO2 emissions
03
US coal plants emit 1.1 billion tonnes CO2 annually
04
China coal CO2 emissions 11 Gt in 2022
05
Coal mining methane emissions 400 MtCO2e/year globally
06
Global SO2 emissions from coal 20 million tonnes/year
07
US coal ash waste 130 million tons/year
08
India coal PM2.5 emissions contribute 20% air pollution
09
Australia coal dust affects 10,000 miners health
10
Global coal water use 2 billion m3/year
11
Coal mining land disturbance 8,000 km2/year
12
Mercury emissions from coal 500 tonnes/year globally
13
EU coal NOx emissions reduced 70% since 1990
14
Poland coal PM emissions 100,000 tonnes/year
15
Coal acid mine drainage affects 20,000 km rivers
16
US coal retirements cut 300 million tonnes CO2 by 2030
17
Coal NOx global emissions 15 Mt/year
18
US coal SO2 emissions down 90% since 1990
19
China coal PM emissions 5 Mt/year
20
Global coal black carbon 2 Mt/year
21
Coal mining deforestation 100,000 ha/year
22
India coal thermal plants 200 GW capacity
23
Australia coal GHG emissions 35 MtCO2e exports
24
World coal water pollution heavy metals 10,000 tonnes/year
25
EU coal mercury cut 80% 1990-2020
26
Coal biodiversity loss 5,000 species affected
27
US mountaintop removal mined 2,000 km2
28
Global coal CCS capacity 40 MtCO2/year
Interpretation
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.
More related reading
04 · Category
Production18 stats
01
Global coal production reached 8.5 billion tonnes in 2022
02
US coal production was 577 million short tons in 2022
03
China produced 4.1 billion tonnes of coal in 2022
04
India coal production hit 893 million tonnes in FY 2023
05
Australia exported 200 million tonnes of coal in 2022
06
Indonesia coal production was 657 million tonnes in 2022
07
Russia coal output at 430 million tonnes in 2022
08
South Africa produced 248 million tonnes of coal in 2022
09
US coal mine productivity averaged 2.6 short tons per employee hour in 2022
10
Global coal production grew 1.2% in 2023
11
China coal production capacity reached 1.2 billion tonnes per year by 2023
12
India targeted 1 billion tonnes coal production by 2024-25
13
EU coal production fell to 110 million tonnes in 2022
14
Poland produced 110 million tonnes of coal in 2022
15
Colombia coal production 54 million tonnes in 2022
16
Global coal plants 2,200 operational in 2023
17
China added 47 GW coal capacity in 2023
18
India coal production up 10% YoY in 2023
Interpretation
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.
05 · Category
Reserves26 stats
01
Global proven coal reserves are 1.074 trillion tonnes
02
US has 250 billion short tons of recoverable coal reserves
03
China holds 143 billion tonnes of proven coal reserves
04
Australia coal reserves stand at 149 billion tonnes
05
Russia has 162 billion tonnes of coal reserves
06
India coal reserves estimated at 111 billion tonnes
07
US anthracite reserves are 7.4 billion short tons as of 2021
08
Indonesia recoverable coal reserves 34.8 billion tonnes
09
Global anthracite and bituminous reserves 746 billion tonnes
10
South Africa coal reserves 9.9 billion tonnes
11
Poland coal reserves 26 billion tonnes
12
Germany lignite reserves 35 billion tonnes
13
World coal reserves-to-production ratio is 132 years
14
US subbituminous coal reserves 467 billion short tons
15
Ukraine coal reserves 34 billion tonnes
16
World coal reserves 1,161 billion tonnes recoverable
17
US bituminous reserves 534 billion short tons
18
Australia thermal coal reserves 76 billion tonnes
19
Global lignite reserves 328 billion tonnes
20
India anthracite reserves negligible <1 billion tonnes
21
Russia anthracite reserves 13 billion tonnes
22
Germany coal reserves 40 billion tonnes total
23
World sub-bituminous reserves 307 billion tonnes
24
Colombia coal reserves 7.4 billion tonnes
25
Ukraine anthracite reserves 3 billion tonnes
26
Global metallurgical coal reserves 100 billion tonnes
Interpretation
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.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Lukas Bauer. (2026, February 13). Coal Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/coal-industry-statistics
MLA
Lukas Bauer. "Coal Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/coal-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Lukas Bauer. 2026. "Coal Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/coal-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
63 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level