Lignite Imports by Country

Lignite imports by country measures the amount of lignite imported by each country, in million metric tons (Mmt) per year. Lignite, also known as brown coal, is the softest type of coal and has relatively low energy content and high moisture content. Because its high moisture makes long-distance transport less economical, lignite is often consumed close to where it is mined, including at mine-mouth power plants. The statistics are based on the U.S. Energy Information Administration's (EIA) International Energy Statistics. The table covers 134 countries with a reported 2024 value and includes data from 2019 to 2024. The reported world total was 198.8 Mmt in 2024, up from 154.5 Mmt in 2023.

The map shows the distribution of lignite imports in 2024, while the table provides the complete 2019-2024 series.

Lignite Imports by Country

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#	Country	2024 (Mmt)
1	China CN	190.47
2	Serbia RS	2.64
3	Uzbekistan UZ	2.37
4	Brunei BN	1.31
5	North Macedonia MK	1.04
6	Poland PL	0.22
7	Slovakia SK	0.15
8	Tajikistan TJ	0.12
9	Switzerland CH	0.08
10	Thailand TH	0.08
11	United States US	0.06
12	Vietnam VN	0.04
13	Germany DE	0.03
14	Bosnia and Herzegovina BA	0.02
15	Netherlands NL	0.02
16	Hungary HU	0.02
17	France FR	0.02
18	Austria AT	0.01
19	Romania RO	0.01
20	Kyrgyzstan KG	0.01
21	Kosovo XK	0.01
22	Bulgaria BG	0.01
23	Slovenia SI	0.01
24	Japan JP	0.01
25	Spain ES	0.01
26	Czech Republic CZ	0.01
27	Mexico MX	0
28	Saudi Arabia SA	0
29	Croatia HR	0
30	United Kingdom GB	0
31	Canada CA	0
32	Malaysia MY	0
33	India IN	0
34	Ireland IE	0
35	Russia RU	0
36	Lithuania LT	0
37	Indonesia ID	0
38	Mongolia MN	0
39	Egypt EG	0
40	Algeria DZ	0
41	Australia AU	0
42	South Korea KR	0
43	Trinidad and Tobago TT	0
44	Chile CL	0
45	Brazil BR	0
46	Colombia CO	0
47	Turkmenistan TM	0
48	Kazakhstan KZ	0
49	Syria SY	0
50	Guatemala GT	0
51	Ecuador EC	0
52	Lebanon LB	0
53	Argentina AR	0
54	Kuwait KW	0
55	Morocco MA	0
56	South Africa ZA	0
57	Bolivia BO	0
58	Azerbaijan AZ	0
59	Qatar QA	0
60	Malawi MW	0
61	Iceland IS	0
62	Bangladesh BD	0
63	Afghanistan AF	0
64	Albania AL	0
65	Angola AO	0
66	Armenia AM	0
67	Aruba AW	0
68	Barbados BB	0
69	Belarus BY	0
70	Belize BZ	0
71	Bermuda BM	0
72	Bhutan BT	0
73	Botswana BW	0
74	Myanmar MM	0
75	Burundi BI	0
76	Cameroon CM	0
77	Central African Republic CF	0
78	Congo CG	0
79	Cook Islands CK	0
80	Costa Rica CR	0
81	Cuba CU	0
82	Denmark DK	0
83	Djibouti DJ	0
84	Dominican Republic DO	0
85	Estonia EE	0
86	Faroe Islands FO	0
87	Fiji FJ	0
88	Finland FI	0
89	Greece GR	0
90	Greenland GL	0
91	Grenada GD	0
92	Guinea-Bissau GW	0
93	Haiti HT	0
94	Iran IR	0
95	Israel IL	0
96	Italy IT	0
97	Jordan JO	0
98	Kenya KE	0
99	Latvia LV	0
100	Lesotho LS	0
101	Liberia LR	0
102	Libya LY	0
103	Malta MT	0
104	Mauritius MU	0
105	Moldova MD	0
106	Montenegro ME	0
107	Nepal NP	0
108	New Caledonia NC	0
109	New Zealand NZ	0
110	Nigeria NG	0
111	Norway NO	0
112	Oman OM	0
113	Pakistan PK	0
114	Papua New Guinea PG	0
115	Paraguay PY	0
116	Peru PE	0
117	Portugal PT	0
118	Puerto Rico PR	0
119	Senegal SN	0
120	Seychelles SC	0
121	Sierra Leone SL	0
122	Singapore SG	0
123	Somalia SO	0
124	Sri Lanka LK	0
125	Sudan SD	0
126	Sweden SE	0
127	Togo TG	0
128	Tunisia TN	0
129	Türkiye TR	0
130	Ukraine UA	0
131	United Arab Emirates AE	0
132	Yemen YE	0
133	Zambia ZM	0
134	Zimbabwe ZW	0

China dominated global lignite imports in 2024, accounting for about 95.8% of the reported world total. China and Serbia together accounted for about 97.1%, while the top three countries accounted for 98.3%. The top five accounted for about 99.5%, showing how heavily global lignite imports were concentrated among a small number of countries. China's imports were about 72.1 times higher than Serbia's, the second-largest importer.

Who Leads Lignite Imports?

China was the largest lignite importer in 2024, with 190.47 Mmt, followed by Serbia with 2.642 Mmt and Uzbekistan with 2.374 Mmt. Brunei ranked fourth with 1.308 Mmt, while North Macedonia ranked fifth with 1.041 Mmt. Poland and Slovakia followed with 0.217 Mmt and 0.145 Mmt, respectively. Together, the top five accounted for about 99.5% of the reported world total, leaving only a small share for all other countries.

Where Lignite Is Concentrated

Lignite imports were highly concentrated in 2024. China accounted for the overwhelming majority of the world total, while Serbia and Uzbekistan were the next largest importers. North Macedonia was also among the leading European importers. The United States reported 0.064 Mmt, but this was a relatively small amount compared with the leading countries. Overall, the figures show that international lignite trade is concentrated in a handful of markets, consistent with the fuel's high moisture content and the resulting cost of transporting it over long distances.

What Changed Most Recently? (2023-2024)

China recorded the largest increase in lignite imports, rising from 144.817 Mmt in 2023 to 190.47 Mmt in 2024. This was an increase of 45.653 Mmt, or about 31.5%. North Macedonia also increased sharply, from 0.012 Mmt to 1.041 Mmt, while Brunei rose from 0.841 Mmt to 1.308 Mmt. Russia recorded the largest decline among the listed countries, falling from 0.845 Mmt to 0.001 Mmt. The reported world total increased from 154.5 Mmt to 198.8 Mmt, an increase of 44.3 Mmt, or about 28.7%.

How Have Lignite Imports Changed Since 2019?

The reported world total increased from 110.2 Mmt in 2019 to 198.8 Mmt in 2024. The lowest annual total during this period was 106.9 Mmt. China's imports increased from 102.584 Mmt in 2019 to 190.47 Mmt in 2024, while Serbia's rose from 0.353 Mmt to 2.642 Mmt. The data shows that China's position became even more dominant over the period, while several smaller importers experienced much more modest changes.

Lignite in Context

Lignite, or brown coal, has a lower energy content and higher moisture content than harder coal types. These characteristics make it less suitable for long-distance transportation, so lignite is often consumed near its source. The 2024 data reflects this characteristic: a very large share of reported global lignite imports was concentrated in China, with most other countries accounting for only small amounts. The EIA reports lignite separately from other coal types, allowing its international trade to be examined independently.

Lignite Imports by Country

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#	Country	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024
1	China	102.58	99.27	119.11	116.01	144.82	190.47
2	Serbia	0.35	0.3	0.32	0.85	3.14	2.64
3	Uzbekistan	0.58	2.11	1.7	1.83	2.8	2.37
4	Brunei	0.34	1.2	1.3	1.2	0.84	1.31
5	North Macedonia	0.02	0.03	0.28	0.46	0.01	1.04
6	Poland	0.33	0.23	0.18	0.33	0.25	0.22
7	Slovakia	0.48	0.46	0.26	0.36	0.4	0.15
8	Tajikistan	0	0	0	0	0.04	0.12
9	Switzerland	0.01	0.01	0.02	0.11	0.08	0.08
10	Thailand	0.38	0.15	0.28	0.26	0.17	0.08
11	United States	0.07	0.1	0.11	0.06	0.06	0.06
12	Vietnam	0.29	0	0.01	0	0.03	0.04
13	Germany	0.07	0.27	0.19	0.09	0.03	0.03
14	Bosnia and Herzegovina	0	0	0	0.04	0.03	0.02
15	Netherlands	0.05	0.01	0.01	0.02	0.02	0.02
16	Hungary	0	0	0	0	0	0.02
17	France	0.11	0.06	0.07	0.05	0.02	0.02
18	Austria	0.11	0.08	0.07	0.08	0	0.01
19	Romania	0	0	0	0.01	0.01	0.01
20	Kyrgyzstan	0	0	0	0	0.02	0.01
21	Kosovo	0.01	0.02	0.05	0.01	0	0.01
22	Bulgaria	0	0	0	0	0	0.01
23	Slovenia	0.41	0.29	0.23	0.45	0.43	0.01
24	Japan	0.02	0.02	0.01	0.01	0.02	0.01
25	Spain	0	0	0	0	0	0.01
26	Czech Republic	0.25	0.18	0.23	0.21	0.01	0.01
27	Mexico	0.01	0	0	0	0	0
28	Saudi Arabia	0.01	0.01	0	0.01	0	0
29	Croatia	0.03	0.02	0.01	0.01	0.01	0
30	United Kingdom	0	0	0	0	0	0
31	Canada	0.01	0.01	0	0	0	0
32	Malaysia	0	0.01	0.01	0	0	0
33	India	1.19	0.32	0.67	0.8	0.21	0
34	Ireland	0.01	0.02	0.03	0.02	0.02	0
35	Russia	2.34	1.53	1.52	2.2	0.85	0
36	Lithuania	0	0	0	0	0	0
37	Indonesia	0	0	0	0	0	0
38	Mongolia	0	0	0	0	0	0
39	Egypt	0	0	0	0	0	0
40	Algeria	0	0	0	0	0	0
41	Australia	0	0	0	0	0	0
42	South Korea	0	0	0	0	0	0
43	Trinidad and Tobago	0	0	0	0	0	0
44	Chile	0	0	0	0	0	0
45	Brazil	0	0	0	0	0	0
46	Colombia	0	0	0	0	0	0
47	Turkmenistan	0	0	0	0	0	0
48	Kazakhstan	0	0	0	0	0	0
49	Syria	0	0	0.01	0	0	0
50	Guatemala	0	0	0	0	0	0
51	Ecuador	0	0	0	0	0	0
52	Lebanon	0	0	0	0	0	0
53	Argentina	0	0	0	0	0	0
54	Kuwait	0	0	0	0	0	0
55	Morocco	0	0	0	0	0	0
56	South Africa	0	0	0	0	0	0
57	Bolivia	0	0	0	0	0	0
58	Azerbaijan	0	0	0	0	0	0
59	Qatar	0	0	0	0	0	0
60	Malawi	0	0	0	0	0	0
61	Iceland	0	0	0	0	0	0
62	Bangladesh	0.12	0.13	0.17	0.16	0	0
63	Afghanistan	0	0	0	0	0	0
64	Albania	0	0	0	0	0	0
65	Angola	0	0	0	0	0	0
66	Armenia	0	0	0	0	0	0
67	Aruba	0	0	0	0	0	0
68	Barbados	0	0	0	0	0	0
69	Belarus	0.01	0	0	0	0	0
70	Belize	0	0	0	0	0	0
71	Bermuda	0	0	0	0	0	0
72	Bhutan	0	0	0	0	0	0
73	Botswana	0	0	0	0	0	0
74	Myanmar	0.01	0.01	0.01	0	0.01	0
75	Burundi	0	0	0	0	0	0
76	Cameroon	0	0	0	0	0	0
77	Central African Republic	0	0	0	0	0	0
78	Congo	0	0	0	0	0	0
79	Cook Islands	0	0	0	0	0	0
80	Costa Rica	0	0	0	0	0	0
81	Cuba	0	0	0	0	0	0
82	Denmark	0	0	0	0	0	0
83	Djibouti	0	0	0	0	0	0
84	Dominican Republic	0	0	0	0	0	0
85	Estonia	0	0	0	0	0	0
86	Faroe Islands	0	0	0	0	0	0
87	Fiji	0	0	0	0	0	0
88	Finland	0	0	0	0	0	0
89	Greece	0	0	0	0	0	0
90	Greenland	0	0	0	0	0	0
91	Grenada	0	0	0	0	0	0
92	Guinea-Bissau	0	0	0	0	0	0
93	Haiti	0	0	0	0	0	0
94	Iran	0	0	0	0	0	0
95	Israel	0	0	0	0	0	0
96	Italy	0	0	0	0	0	0
97	Jordan	0	0	0	0	0	0
98	Kenya	0	0	0	0	0	0
99	Latvia	0	0	0	0	0	0
100	Lesotho	0	0	0	0	0	0
101	Liberia	0	0	0	0	0	0
102	Libya	0	0	0	0	0	0
103	Malta	0	0	0	0	0	0
104	Mauritius	0	0	0	0	0	0
105	Moldova	0	0	0	0	0	0
106	Montenegro	0	0	0	0	0	0
107	Nepal	0	0	0	0	0	0
108	New Caledonia	0	0	0	0	0	0
109	New Zealand	0	0	0	0	0	0
110	Nigeria	0	0	0	0	0	0
111	Norway	0	0	0	0	0	0
112	Oman	0	0	0	0	0	0
113	Pakistan	0	0	0	0	0	0
114	Papua New Guinea	0	0	0	0	0	0
115	Paraguay	0	0	0	0	0	0
116	Peru	0	0	0	0	0	0
117	Portugal	0	0	0	0	0	0
118	Puerto Rico	0	0	0	0	0	0
119	Senegal	0	0	0	0	0	0
120	Seychelles	0	0	0	0	0	0
121	Sierra Leone	0	0	0	0	0	0
122	Singapore	0	0	0	0	0.18	0
123	Somalia	0	0	0	0	0	0
124	Sri Lanka	0	0	0	0	0	0
125	Sudan	0	0	0	0	0	0
126	Sweden	0	0	0	0	0	0
127	Togo	0	0	0	0	0	0
128	Tunisia	0	0	0	0	0	0
129	Türkiye	0	0	0	0	0	0
130	Ukraine	0	0	0	0	0	0
131	United Arab Emirates	0	0	0	0	0	0
132	Yemen	0	0	0	0	0	0
133	Zambia	0	0	0	0	0	0
134	Zimbabwe	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 imports 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 because of rounding. This page covers lignite imports only and does not include other coal types, which are reported separately in the source.