Lignite Exports by Country

Lignite exports by country measure the amount of lignite exported by each country, expressed in million metric tons (Mmt) per year. Lignite, or brown coal, is the softest coal with the lowest energy content and highest moisture. It is rarely transported far and is usually burned at mine-mouth power plants. The statistics are based on the U.S. Energy Information Administration's (EIA) International Energy Statistics. The table covers 77 countries with a reported 2024 value and includes data from 2019 to 2024. The world total stood at 176.5 Mmt in 2024, up from 141.0 Mmt in 2023.

The map highlights where lignite exports are most concentrated in 2024; the table below holds the full 2019-2024 series. This is not just a ranking — the paragraphs below explain what the numbers reveal that the table alone does not.

Lignite Exports by Country

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#	Country	2024 (Mmt)
1	Indonesia ID	152
2	Russia RU	14.38
3	Mongolia MN	4.11
4	Kazakhstan KZ	1.66
5	Bosnia and Herzegovina BA	0.9
6	Germany DE	0.84
7	Greece GR	0.74
8	Kyrgyzstan KG	0.5
9	Myanmar MM	0.27
10	Czech Republic CZ	0.21
11	Montenegro ME	0.19
12	Romania RO	0.19
13	Laos LA	0.15
14	Uzbekistan UZ	0.13
15	Canada CA	0.07
16	Albania AL	0.06
17	Türkiye TR	0.03
18	United States US	0.01
19	Serbia RS	0.01
20	Poland PL	0.01
21	Bulgaria BG	0.01
22	China CN	0
23	Pakistan PK	0
24	Hungary HU	0
25	India IN	0
26	United Kingdom GB	0
27	Ireland IE	0
28	Georgia GE	0
29	Netherlands NL	0
30	North Macedonia MK	0
31	South Africa ZA	0
32	Ecuador EC	0
33	Australia AU	0
34	Saudi Arabia SA	0
35	Austria AT	0
36	Colombia CO	0
37	Japan JP	0
38	Afghanistan AF	0
39	Bahrain BH	0
40	Barbados BB	0
41	Belarus BY	0
42	Botswana BW	0
43	Brazil BR	0
44	Burkina Faso BF	0
45	Chile CL	0
46	Croatia HR	0
47	Denmark DK	0
48	Dominican Republic DO	0
49	Estonia EE	0
50	Ethiopia ET	0
51	Finland FI	0
52	France FR	0
53	Iran IR	0
54	Italy IT	0
55	Kosovo XK	0
56	Latvia LV	0
57	Lebanon LB	0
58	Lesotho LS	0
59	Lithuania LT	0
60	Luxembourg LU	0
61	Madagascar MG	0
62	Malaysia MY	0
63	Mexico MX	0
64	Namibia NA	0
65	Nigeria NG	0
66	Norway NO	0
67	Panama PA	0
68	Peru PE	0
69	Portugal PT	0
70	Puerto Rico PR	0
71	Singapore SG	0
72	Slovenia SI	0
73	South Korea KR	0
74	Spain ES	0
75	Sweden SE	0
76	Tanzania TZ	0
77	Ukraine UA	0

Analysis: Indonesia alone accounted for about 86 percent of the world total in 2024, and Indonesia and Russia together for about 94 percent. The top three accounted for about 97 percent, the top five for about 98 percent, and the top ten for about 100 percent. Indonesia's lignite was about 10.6 times that of Russia, the second-largest exporter — a gap that explains much of the global structure.

Who Leads Lignite Exports?

Data: Indonesia (152.0 Mmt) was the largest exporter in 2024, ahead of Russia (14.381 Mmt). The next largest were Mongolia (4.114 Mmt), Kazakhstan (1.664 Mmt), Bosnia and Herzegovina (0.897 Mmt), Germany (0.844 Mmt), Greece (0.741 Mmt). Analysis: The top five alone — Indonesia, Russia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Bosnia and Herzegovina — already make up about 98 percent of world total, while the remaining 72 countries together account for less than 2 percent. Context: This concentration means that shifts in just a few countries drive the world total.

Where Lignite Is Concentrated

Analysis: The top ten held about 100 percent of the world total in 2024, leaving less than 1 percent for the other 67 countries. In Asia, Indonesia dominates, while in Europe, Bosnia and Herzegovina is among the leading exporters.

What Changed Most Recently? (2023-2024)

Analysis: Indonesia saw the largest increase, rising from 108.8 to 152.0 Mmt (up 43.204 Mmt, about 39.7 percent). Mongolia (+1.332 Mmt) and Greece (+0.741 Mmt) also rose. The sharpest decline was Russia (20.637 to 14.381 Mmt, down 6.256 Mmt). Overall the world total rose by about 35.5 Mmt (+25.1 percent) to 176.5 Mmt. Context: Year-to-year moves like these show whether growth is broad-based or driven by a single country.

How Has Lignite Evolved Since 2019?

Analysis: The world total moved from 108.9 Mmt in 2019 to 176.5 Mmt in 2024, with a low of 103.4 Mmt. For perspective, Indonesia went from 90.17 to 152.0 Mmt, while Russia went from 12.032 to 14.381 Mmt. Context: Comparing 2019-2024 reveals whether leaders are extending their lead or losing share — here, the top-ranked country extended its lead while others grew.

Lignite in Context

Context: Lignite, or brown coal, is the softest coal with the lowest energy content and highest moisture. It is rarely transported far and is usually burned at mine-mouth power plants. Unlike the table which shows “how much,” this section explains “why it matters”: concentration at this level means supply, trade and energy security are tied to a handful of economies. The EIA reports lignite separately from other coal types precisely because its uses and markets differ.

Lignite Exports by Country

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#	Country	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024
1	Indonesia	90.17	85.23	88.21	85.35	108.79	152
2	Russia	12.03	13.11	12.71	16.78	20.64	14.38
3	Mongolia	0.15	0.09	0.43	0.1	2.78	4.11
4	Kazakhstan	2.67	1.64	1.58	2.26	2.71	1.66
5	Bosnia and Herzegovina	0	0	0	0.34	0.94	0.9
6	Germany	1.63	1.48	1.93	1.15	0.95	0.84
7	Greece	0.02	0.01	0.04	0.36	0	0.74
8	Kyrgyzstan	0.34	0.59	0.75	0.72	0.95	0.5
9	Myanmar	0	0	0	0.09	0.22	0.27
10	Czech Republic	0.75	0.55	0.44	1.04	0.76	0.21
11	Montenegro	0.11	0.1	0.16	0.23	0.21	0.19
12	Romania	0	0	0	0.23	0.27	0.19
13	Laos	0.58	0.26	0.33	0.29	0.27	0.15
14	Uzbekistan	0	0	0	0.01	0	0.13
15	Canada	0.07	0.1	0.11	0.06	0.06	0.07
16	Albania	0	0	0	0	0.22	0.06
17	Türkiye	0	0	0.01	0.01	0.01	0.03
18	United States	0.03	0.03	0.02	0.03	0.03	0.01
19	Serbia	0.09	0.07	0.04	0.01	0.02	0.01
20	Poland	0.15	0.07	0.02	0.01	0	0.01
21	Bulgaria	0.05	0.03	0.01	0.46	1.09	0.01
22	China	0.08	0.05	0.01	0.01	0.01	0
23	Pakistan	0	0	0	0	0	0
24	Hungary	0	0	0.01	0	0.01	0
25	India	0	0	0	0	0	0
26	United Kingdom	0	0	0	0	0	0
27	Ireland	0	0	0	0	0	0
28	Georgia	0	0	0	0	0	0
29	Netherlands	0	0	0	0	0	0
30	North Macedonia	0	0	0	0.05	0.06	0
31	South Africa	0	0	0	0	0	0
32	Ecuador	0	0	0	0	0	0
33	Australia	0	0	0	0	0	0
34	Saudi Arabia	0	0	0	0	0	0
35	Austria	0	0	0	0	0	0
36	Colombia	0	0	0	0	0	0
37	Japan	0	0	0	0	0	0
38	Afghanistan	0	0	0	0	0	0
39	Bahrain	0	0	0	0	0	0
40	Barbados	0	0	0	0	0	0
41	Belarus	0	0	0	0	0	0
42	Botswana	0	0	0	0	0	0
43	Brazil	0	0	0	0	0	0
44	Burkina Faso	0	0	0	0	0	0
45	Chile	0	0	0	0	0	0
46	Croatia	0	0	0	0	0	0
47	Denmark	0	0	0	0	0	0
48	Dominican Republic	0	0	0	0	0	0
49	Estonia	0	0	0	0	0	0
50	Ethiopia	0	0	0	0	0	0
51	Finland	0	0	0	0	0	0
52	France	0	0	0	0	0	0
53	Iran	0	0	0	0	0	0
54	Italy	0	0	0	0	0	0
55	Kosovo	0.03	0.01	0.27	0.13	0.01	0
56	Latvia	0	0	0	0	0	0
57	Lebanon	0	0	0	0	0	0
58	Lesotho	0	0	0	0	0	0
59	Lithuania	0	0	0	0	0	0
60	Luxembourg	0	0	0	0	0	0
61	Madagascar	0	0	0	0	0	0
62	Malaysia	0	0	0	0	0.02	0
63	Mexico	0	0	0	0	0	0
64	Namibia	0	0	0	0	0	0
65	Nigeria	0	0	0	0	0	0
66	Norway	0	0	0	0	0	0
67	Panama	0	0	0	0	0	0
68	Peru	0	0	0	0	0	0
69	Portugal	0	0	0	0	0	0
70	Puerto Rico	0	0	0	0	0	0
71	Singapore	0	0	0	0	0	0
72	Slovenia	0	0	0	0	0	0
73	South Korea	0	0	0	0	0	0
74	Spain	0	0	0	0	0	0
75	Sweden	0	0	0	0	0	0
76	Tanzania	0	0	0	0	0	0
77	Ukraine	0	0	0	0	0	0

Methodology

The statistics are based on the U.S. Energy Information Administration's (EIA) International Energy Statistics. Values represent annual lignite exports in million metric tons (Mmt). Where no value is available, the cell is left empty. A value of 0 indicates that the source reports zero. The sum of individually listed countries may differ slightly from the reported world total due to rounding. This page covers lignite exports only and does not include other coal types, which are reported separately in the source.