Coal remained the largest single source of global electricity in 2024, supplying an estimated 35% of generation worldwide. At the same time, renewables and nuclear reached two-fifths of global generation, making the coal-power story one of continued scale alongside a measurable shift in the sources meeting new demand.
Key Coal Electricity Statistics
The most useful headline measures span generation, demand, regional dependence, U.S. supply and historical efficiency estimates:
- Coal supplied 35% of global electricity generation in 2024, according to the International Energy Agency’s global estimate.
- Global coal-power generation reached 10,700 TWh in 2024, up nearly 1% from 2023 worldwide.
- The global electricity sector accounted for two-thirds of coal consumption in 2024, a consumption measure rather than a generation share.
- Fossil fuels produced nearly 60% of global electricity in 2024, including coal, natural gas and other fossil sources.
- China generated almost 60% of its electricity from coal in 2024, while renewables supplied about 35%.
- China’s electricity demand rose 7%, or more than 550 TWh, in 2024, compared with the previous year.
- Coal supplied nearly three-quarters of India’s electricity in 2024, according to the IEA estimate.
- India’s coal-power generation grew 5% in 2024, while total coal demand rose about 5.5%.
- Southeast Asia received almost half of its electricity from coal in 2024.
- EU coal-power generation fell 15% in 2024, measured year over year.
- U.S. utility-scale coal plants generated 652,156 thousand MWh in 2024, based on EIA plant-survey data.
- U.S. utility-scale coal generation fell 3.4% from 2023 to 2024, declining from 675,115 to 652,156 thousand MWh.
- U.S. coal production totaled 512.5 million short tons in 2024, down 11.3% year over year.
- The U.S. electric-power sector consumed 373.3 million short tons, or 87.6% of national coal consumption, in 2024.
- The historical global average efficiency of coal electricity was 34% in the OECD/IEA study covering 2001–2005.
- Technical coal-efficiency improvements were estimated to save 15–21 EJ of fuel per year, under the historical study’s assumptions.
- Coal-efficiency improvements were associated with 1.4–2.0 Gt CO2 of possible annual reductions, a technical potential rather than an observed outcome.
- Renewables and nuclear supplied more than 80% of the growth in global electricity generation in 2024, according to the IEA estimate.
Contents
- Key Coal Electricity Statistics
- Global Coal Electricity Statistics and the 2024 Power Mix
- Coal Electricity Trends in China, India and Southeast Asia
- U.S. Coal Electricity Generation, Fuel Use and Mines
- Coal-Fired Electricity Efficiency and Fuel-Saving Potential
- Coal Electricity Emissions and the Measured Power Transition
Global Coal Electricity Statistics and the 2024 Power Mix
The IEA’s Global Energy Review 2025 estimates that coal generated 10,700 TWh worldwide in 2024, an increase of nearly 1% or 90 TWh from 2023. This was slower than the expansion of total electricity generation, which grew by more than 1,200 TWh, or 4%, during the same period.
| Global measure | 2024 result | Period or definition |
|---|---|---|
| Coal share of generation | 35% | World, 2024 |
| Coal-power generation | 10,700 TWh | World, 2024 |
| Coal-power annual change | Nearly 1%; +90 TWh | 2024 vs. 2023 |
| Fossil-fuel generation share | Nearly 60% | World, 2024 |
| Renewables and nuclear share | Two-fifths | World, 2024 |
Source: Electricity – Global Energy Review 2025 – Analysis and Coal – Global Energy Review 2025 – Analysis.
Coal demand and coal-fired generation are related but distinct measures. Global coal demand grew 1.2%, equivalent to about 67 million tonnes of coal equivalent, in energy terms in 2024; in physical terms it rose 1.4%, or 123 million tonnes, and demand includes non-power uses.
The electricity sector accounted for two-thirds of global coal consumption in 2024. The IEA also estimates that coal-fired output grew by less than 1%, half the previous year’s growth rate, while wind, solar PV and nuclear generation together increased by 770 TWh.
Coal Electricity Trends in China, India and Southeast Asia
Coal dependence differs sharply across the largest and fastest-growing power systems. The IEA’s 2024 estimates show high coal shares in China, India and Southeast Asia, while advanced economies recorded declines in coal use or generation.
| Geography | Coal electricity measure | 2024 result | Change or scope |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | Coal share of generation | Almost 60% | 2024 mix |
| China | Coal generation change | +1.2% | 2024 vs. 2023 |
| India | Coal share of electricity | Nearly three-quarters | 2024 mix |
| India | Coal-power generation change | +5% | 2024 vs. 2023 |
| Southeast Asia | Coal share of electricity | Almost half | 2024 mix |
| European Union | Coal-power generation change | −15% | 2024 vs. 2023 |
Source: Electricity – Global Energy Review 2025 – Analysis and Coal – Global Energy Review 2025 – Analysis.
China’s electricity demand rose 7%, or more than 550 TWh, in 2024, while coal generation increased 1.2%. Coal accounted for 58% of global coal consumption, and more than one-third of all coal consumed globally was burned by Chinese power plants; these consumption figures include non-power uses where stated.
China’s estimated 2024 electricity mix also included about 35% renewables. That combination means a large renewable build-out and continued coal generation can occur in the same expanding power system, without treating demand growth as coal-generation growth.
India’s coal demand rose about 5.5%, or 40 Mtce, in 2024, and coal power represented nearly three-quarters of that demand. India’s coal-power generation grew 5%, while coal supplied nearly three-quarters of electricity generation.
Southeast Asian coal consumption increased almost 8%, or 25 Mtce, in 2024. The consumption statistic covers all coal uses, whereas the nearly half share describes electricity generation.
The direction was different in advanced economies. U.S. coal consumption fell 4%, about 10 Mtce, in 2024, and EU coal demand fell more than 10%, or 21 Mtce; EU coal-power generation declined 15%.
U.S. Coal Electricity Generation, Fuel Use and Mines
U.S. Energy Information Administration data provide observed annual figures for utility-scale plants and coal mines. In 2024, utility-scale coal plants generated 652,156 thousand MWh net, down from 675,115 thousand MWh in 2023, a 3.4% decline.
| U.S. utility-scale electricity measure | 2023 | 2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coal generation | 675,115 thousand MWh | 652,156 thousand MWh | −3.4% |
| Coal consumed for generation | 386.626 million short tons | 372.931 million short tons | −3.5% |
Source: Survey-Level Detailed Data Files. The plant figures cover U.S. utility-scale facilities, and the fuel measure excludes coal used for useful thermal output.
The EIA recorded 372.931 million short tons of coal consumed for utility-scale electricity generation in 2024, compared with 386.626 million short tons in 2023. Separately, the EIA’s final annual coal data show that the electric-power sector consumed 373.3 million short tons, equal to 87.6% of total U.S. coal consumption.
U.S. coal production was 512.5 million short tons in 2024, down 11.3% from 2023. Total coal consumption fell from 425.9 million short tons in 2023 to 410.9 million short tons in 2024.
The mine-supply base also contracted. Producing mines declined from 560 to 524, productive capacity fell 1.7% to 832.8 million short tons, and average coal-mine employment was 44,060, 1,416 fewer than in 2023.
Average U.S. coal-mining productivity was 5.22 short tons per employee-hour in 2024, down 7.6% from 2023. Capacity is not the same as production, and employment is an annual average rather than a year-end headcount.
Source: Annual Coal Report.
Coal-Fired Electricity Efficiency and Fuel-Saving Potential
The OECD/IEA report Energy Efficiency Indicators for Public Electricity Production from Fossil Fuels uses a historical 2001–2005 study basis. It covers public electricity and combined heat and power plants, excludes autoproducers, and should not be read as a current global plant-efficiency estimate.
| Fuel or aggregate | Average efficiency | Study scope |
|---|---|---|
| Coal electricity | 34% | World, 2001–2005 |
| Natural-gas electricity | 40% | World, 2001–2005 |
| Oil electricity | 37% | World, 2001–2005 |
| All fossil-fuel electricity | 36% | World, 2001–2005 |
Source: Energy Efficiency Indicators for Public Electricity Production from Fossil Fuels.
In the study’s global accounting, electricity production represented 32% of fossil-fuel use, or 132 EJ, and 41% of energy-related CO2 emissions, or 10.9 Gt CO2. Autoproducers represented less than 6% of global electricity production in the dataset.
The report estimated technical fuel-saving potential across fossil-fuel electricity at 21–29 EJ per year, associated with 1.8–2.5 Gt CO2 of possible annual reductions. These are technical potentials, not achieved savings or a forecast.
For coal-fired public electricity and CHP plants specifically, improving efficiency alone was estimated to save 15–21 EJ of fuel per year and was associated with 1.4–2.0 Gt CO2 of possible annual reductions. The values depend on the historical study assumptions and do not measure reductions that actually occurred.
Coal Electricity Emissions and the Measured Power Transition
The historical OECD/IEA assessment found average fossil-fuel electricity efficiency of 39% in OECD countries and 33% in non-OECD countries. Across individual countries in that study, average fossil-fuel electricity efficiency ranged from 28% in India to 55% in Luxembourg; these country figures cover all fossil fuels, not coal alone.
The same report identified potential CHP carbon savings of 110–170 Mt CO2 per year from greater industrial CHP use. That estimate concerns industry and district-heating CHP systems and is broader than coal-only electricity.
The more recent 2024 global power data show a transition in the sources supplying additional generation. Renewables alone accounted for almost three-quarters of the increase in global power generation, while renewables and nuclear together supplied more than 80% of growth.
Global solar-PV generation increased about 480 TWh in 2024, and wind generation increased about 180 TWh. Natural-gas generation also rose about 2.5% year over year, so the transition involved changing contributions across several technologies rather than a single replacement measure.
| Geography or technology | Coal electricity result | 2024 context |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 16% of generation | IEA country mix estimate |
| European Union | 11% of generation | IEA regional mix estimate |
| China | Almost 60% of generation | IEA country mix estimate |
| India | Nearly three-quarters of electricity | IEA country mix estimate |
Source: Electricity – Global Energy Review 2025 – Analysis.
These comparisons require consistent definitions. IEA 2024 values are estimates and regional shares are rounded narrative figures; EIA 2024 coal and plant statistics are final annual data for their stated survey populations, while the efficiency report is historical and excludes autoproducers.