Metallurgical Coal Consumption by Country
Metallurgical coal consumption by country measures the amount of metallurgical coal consumed in each country, expressed in million metric tons (Mmt) per year. Metallurgical coal, also known as coking coal, is primarily used to produce coke for blast furnaces in steelmaking rather than for electricity generation. The statistics are based on the U.S. Energy Information Administration's (EIA) International Energy Statistics. The table covers 60 countries with a reported 2024 value and includes data from 2019 to 2024. The world total stood at 1,019.7 Mmt in 2024, down from 1,024.7 Mmt in 2023.
The map highlights where metallurgical coal consumption is most concentrated in 2024; the table below contains the full 2019-2024 series. The analysis below puts the figures into context by showing how concentrated consumption is, which countries changed most and how the global total has evolved. Analysis: China alone accounted for about 63 percent of the reported world total in 2024, while China and India together accounted for about 74 percent. The top three accounted for about 81 percent, the top five for about 87 percent and the top ten for about 93 percent. China's metallurgical coal consumption was about 5.7 times that of India, the second-largest consumer, highlighting the strong concentration of the global market. Data: China (639.5 Mmt) was the largest consumer in 2024, ahead of India (113.2 Mmt). The next largest were Russia (71.614 Mmt), Japan (37.874 Mmt), South Korea (23.809 Mmt), Indonesia (16.989 Mmt) and the United States (14.011 Mmt). Analysis: The five largest consumers — China, India, Russia, Japan and South Korea — accounted for about 87 percent of the reported world total. The remaining 55 countries together accounted for less than 13 percent, showing how strongly global metallurgical coal consumption is concentrated among a small group of major consumers. The ten largest consumers accounted for about 93 percent of the reported world total in 2024, leaving less than 7 percent for the other 50 countries. In Asia, China and India dominate consumption, followed by Japan and South Korea. Russia was the largest reported consumer in Europe, while the United States was the largest reported consumer in North America. This distribution reflects the close relationship between metallurgical coal consumption and steel production. Analysis: Indonesia saw the largest increase, rising from 13.549 to 16.989 Mmt (up 3.44 Mmt, about 25.4 percent). The United States (+2.581 Mmt) and Colombia (+2.408 Mmt) also recorded notable increases. The sharpest decline among the major consumers was India, where consumption fell from 120.886 to 113.178 Mmt (down 7.708 Mmt, about 6.4 percent). Overall, the reported world total fell by 5.0 Mmt, or about 0.5 percent, to 1,019.7 Mmt. These year-to-year changes show how shifts in individual major consumers can influence the global total. The reported world total was 1,014.7 Mmt in 2019 and 1,019.7 Mmt in 2024, with a low of 984.7 Mmt during the period. China's consumption increased from 625.4 to 639.5 Mmt, while India's rose from 100.1 to 113.2 Mmt. Over the same period, other major consumers followed different paths, showing that the global market remained highly concentrated even as individual countries experienced increases and declines. Metallurgical coal is closely linked to steel production because it is converted into coke for use in blast furnaces. Unlike thermal coal, which is primarily used for electricity generation, its demand is driven mainly by the steel industry. The high concentration of consumption means that changes in a small number of major steel-producing economies can have a significant effect on the global market. The EIA reports metallurgical coal separately from other coal types because its uses and markets differ. The statistics are based on the U.S. Energy Information Administration's (EIA) International Energy Statistics. Values represent annual metallurgical coal consumption 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 metallurgical coal consumption only and does not include other coal types, which are reported separately in the source.
Metallurgical Coal Consumption by Country
1
639.5
2
113.18
3
71.61
4
37.87
5
23.81
6
16.99
7
14.01
8
11.1
9
10.45
10
10.12
11
7.67
12
6.47
13
6.14
14
5.97
15
3.97
16
3.84
17
3.45
18
3.41
19
2.69
20
2.68
21
2.6
22
2.28
23
2.11
24
1.87
25
1.75
26
1.74
27
1.72
28
1.68
29
1.6
30
1.4
31
1.25
32
1.1
33
0.84
34
0.72
35
0.57
36
0.37
37
0.28
38
0.27
39
0.27
40
0.13
41
0.11
42
0.07
43
0.02
44
0.01
45
0
46
0
47
0
48
0
49
0
50
0
51
0
52
0
53
0
54
0
55
0
56
0
57
0
58
0
59
0
60
0
Who Leads Metallurgical Coal Consumption?
Where Is Metallurgical Coal Concentrated?
What Changed Most Recently? (2023-2024)
How Has Metallurgical Coal Evolved Since 2019?
Metallurgical Coal in Context
Metallurgical Coal Consumption by Country
#
1
625.39
625.47
607.66
611.56
640.5
639.5
2
100.05
91.73
106.88
115.47
120.89
113.18
3
73.16
61.46
67.81
81.8
69.56
71.61
4
43.06
42.29
42.91
42.77
39.16
37.87
5
21.84
21.01
21.33
22.2
23.92
23.81
6
4.81
6.35
9.72
10.19
13.55
16.99
7
16.3
13.08
15.91
14.52
11.43
14.01
8
11.23
10.23
11.61
11.46
11.35
11.1
9
12.47
11.35
13.06
11.88
11.42
10.45
10
10.18
9.21
10.57
10.08
9.59
10.12
11
7.1
7.89
4.66
4.51
5.99
7.67
12
6.62
6.69
7.92
7.17
4.06
6.47
13
6.35
6.6
6.03
5.78
5.19
6.14
14
6.28
5.9
6.54
6.06
5.94
5.97
15
18.13
15.69
16.82
4.71
4.3
3.97
16
4.26
3.92
4.06
3.96
3.46
3.84
17
1.03
1.04
2.4
1.98
2.43
3.45
18
3.5
2.85
3.18
3.29
3.22
3.41
19
3.45
3.13
2.77
2.58
2.88
2.69
20
4.54
3.14
2.18
2.23
3.04
2.68
21
3.89
4.13
4.16
2.83
3.1
2.6
22
2.43
2.11
2.72
2.35
2.46
2.28
23
2.17
3.09
2.28
2.58
3.06
2.11
24
3.03
3.07
3.43
3.33
2.37
1.87
25
1.48
1.48
1.4
1.54
1.77
1.75
26
1.29
0.97
0.91
1.72
1.71
1.74
27
1.63
1.48
1.7
1.73
1.71
1.72
28
1.05
0.68
1.42
1.83
1.69
1.68
29
2.12
1.67
1.7
1.95
1.87
1.6
30
1.51
1.42
1.27
1.37
1.36
1.4
31
0.23
0.24
0.29
2.45
0.87
1.25
32
1.15
1.08
1.17
1.17
1.15
1.1
33
0.72
0.79
0.98
1.15
1.13
0.84
34
1.13
1.02
1.35
1.13
0.96
0.72
35
3.57
4.39
1.88
2.31
1.72
0.57
36
2.94
2.78
2.6
2.1
1.41
0.37
37
0.54
0.51
0.64
0.64
0.47
0.28
38
1.49
2.31
2.15
2.55
2.69
0.27
39
0.49
0.61
0.62
0.58
0.3
0.27
40
0.07
0.04
0.09
0.06
0.13
0.13
41
1.03
1.14
1.07
0.73
0.31
0.11
42
0.55
0.07
0.36
0.36
0.11
0.07
43
0.26
0.48
0.42
0.32
0.05
0.02
44
0.02
0.02
0.03
0.02
0
0.01
45
0
0
0
0
0.01
0
46
0
0
0
0
0
0
47
0
0
0
0
0.45
0
48
0
0
0
0
0
0
49
0.01
0.04
0.04
0.03
0
0
50
0
0
0
0
0
0
51
0.15
0.13
0.08
0.05
0
0
52
0
0
0
0
0
0
53
0
0
0
0
0
0
54
0
0
0
0
0
0
55
0
0
0
0
0
0
56
0
0
0
0
0
0
57
0
0
0
0
0
0
58
0.02
0.02
0.06
0
0
0
59
0
0
0
0
0
0
60
0.03
0
0
0
0
0
Methodology
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is metallurgical coal consumed?
It is consumed mainly at steel mills and coke plants, where it is converted into coke for steelmaking. Consumption therefore tends to be concentrated in countries with large steel industries.
Why does metallurgical coal consumption differ from production?
A country can consume metallurgical coal that it does not produce domestically by importing it. Steel-producing countries such as Japan and South Korea rely heavily on imports, while major producing countries may export part of their output.
Why do some countries report zero metallurgical coal consumption?
Zero indicates that the source reports no metallurgical coal consumption for that year, while an empty cell indicates that no value was reported.
Data Disclaimer: Projected data (future years) are estimates based on mathematical models. Actual values may differ. Learn about our methodology →
Sources
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Updated: 03.09.2026https://www.eia.gov/international/data/world/coal-and-coke
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