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Coal crystals (Pixabay)Global purchases of imported coal totaled US$180.6 billion in 2024.
That dollar cost for worldwide coal imports reflects an 87.9% acceleration since 2020 when imported coal cost $96.1 billion but an -18.9% decline from 2023 when globally imported coal amounted to $222.6 billion in international spending.
The top 5 importers of coal are mainland China, India, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. Collectively, that cohort of leading coal importers bought well over two-thirds (71%) of the worldwide coal total.
From a continental perspective, Asian countries consumed the highest dollar worth of imported coal in 2024 with purchases amounting to $156.2 billion or over four-fifths (86.5%) of the worldwide total. In second place were importers based in Europe at 8.9%.
Smaller percentages were sold to buyers in Latin America (2.6%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean, Africa (1.3%), North America (0.7%), then Oceania (0.05%) led by New Caledonia, Australia and New Zealand.
For research purposes, the 4-digit Harmonized Tariff System code prefix is 2701 for coal and similar solid fuels made from coal. About two-thirds (66.4%) of worldwide imported coal contains bitumen, while less than one percent (0.06%) was coal briquettes or similar solid fuels.
Below are the 15 countries that imported the highest dollar value worth of coal during 2024.
- mainland China: US$40.5 billion (22.4% of total imported coal)
- India: $32 billion (17.7%)
- Japan: $29.9 billion (16.6%)
- South Korea: $16.4 billion (9.1%)
- Taiwan: $9.3 billion (5.2%)
- Germany: $5.1 billion (2.8%)
- Türkiye: $5.01 billion (2.8%)
- Vietnam: $5 billion (2.8%)
- Malaysia: $4.5 billion (2.5%)
- Indonesia: $3.6 billion (2%)
- Philippines: $3.3 billion (1.8%)
- Brazil: $3.1 billion (1.7%)
- Netherlands: $1.70 billion (0.9%)
- Thailand: $1.65 billion (0.9%)
- Poland: $1.3 billion (0.7%)
By value, the listed 15 countries purchased 90% of all spending on coal imported in 2024.
Among the above countries, the lone growth market for coal from 2023 to 2024 was Indonesia which recorded a 6.3% year-over-year gain.
Those countries that posted declines in their imported coal purchases were led by: Poland (down -64.5% from 2023), Netherlands (down -31.1%), Japan (down -28.5%) and Germany (down -28%).
You can change the presentation order by clicking the triangle icon at the top of any of the columns below. The right-most column highlights the percentage change in value from 2023 to 2024
An entry of 0% in that column means that no value for 2023 was available.
| 1. | mainland China | $40,534,510,000 | -2% |
| 2. | India | $32,017,159,000 | -13.7% |
| 3. | Japan | $29,931,672,000 | -28.5% |
| 4. | South Korea | $16,408,398,000 | -18.3% |
| 5. | Taiwan | $9,331,232,000 | -20.6% |
| 6. | Germany | $5,121,676,000 | -28% |
| 7. | Türkiye | $5,008,615,000 | -9.4% |
| 8. | Vietnam | $5,001,626,000 | -27.9% |
| 9. | Malaysia | $4,491,474,000 | -13.7% |
| 10. | Indonesia | $3,624,763,000 | +6.3% |
| 11. | Philippines | $3,283,108,000 | -19.5% |
| 12. | Brazil | $3,127,855,000 | -22.4% |
| 13. | Netherlands | $1,698,420,000 | -31.1% |
| 14. | Thailand | $1,651,258,000 | -5.6% |
| 15. | Poland | $1,268,512,000 | -64.5% |
| 16. | France | $1,199,457,000 | -34.3% |
| 17. | Bangladesh | $1,131,773,000 | -4.7% |
| 18. | Belgium | $907,701,000 | -24.8% |
| 19. | Italy | $859,163,000 | -57.6% |
| 20. | Canada | $801,591,000 | -26.7% |
| 21. | Spain | $800,823,000 | -47.3% |
| 22. | Chile | $743,032,000 | -37.7% |
| 23. | Pakistan | $668,568,000 | -18.6% |
| 24. | Slovakia | $643,898,000 | -25.4% |
| 25. | Morocco | $621,337,000 | -55.1% |
| 26. | Egypt | $611,532,000 | +4.2% |
| 27. | Israel | $589,977,000 | -23.7% |
| 28. | Czech Republic | $575,316,000 | -42.5% |
| 29. | Cambodia | $572,699,000 | +2.6% |
| 30. | Sweden | $506,078,000 | -10% |
| 31. | Hong Kong | $499,676,000 | -38% |
| 32. | Finland | $429,580,000 | -5.1% |
| 33. | Austria | $424,117,000 | -39.9% |
| 34. | Ukraine | $402,035,000 | +116.9% |
| 35. | South Africa | $379,033,000 | -27.3% |
| 36. | United States | $367,069,000 | -38.1% |
| 37. | Sri Lanka | $316,424,000 | -32% |
| 38. | Dominican Republic | $298,617,000 | -24.1% |
| 39. | United Kingdom | $288,698,000 | -55.3% |
| 40. | United Arab Emirates | $279,583,000 | -32.3% |
| 41. | Guatemala | $234,832,000 | +2.6% |
| 42. | Argentina | $225,210,000 | -27% |
| 43. | Bosnia/Herzegovina | $208,332,000 | -36.9% |
| 44. | Norway | $171,809,000 | -27.2% |
| 45. | Senegal | $162,486,000 | -28.4% |
| 46. | Russia | $154,920,000 | +5.7% |
| 47. | Kenya | $147,069,000 | +14.1% |
| 48. | Uzbekistan | $146,390,000 | +60.3% |
| 49. | Kazakhstan | $146,079,000 | +52% |
| 50. | Nepal | $130,007,000 | -1.9% |
| 51. | Brunei Darussalam | $113,073,000 | -16.3% |
| 52. | Mauritius | $94,472,000 | -0.3% |
| 53. | Ireland | $67,794,000 | -64.6% |
| 54. | Oman | $63,120,000 | +25.7% |
| 55. | Iceland | $59,588,000 | +5.7% |
| 56. | Hungary | $53,818,000 | -49.2% |
| 57. | New Caledonia | $52,191,000 | -64.2% |
| 58. | Saudi Arabia | $51,485,000 | -12.9% |
| 59. | Romania | $50,655,000 | -29% |
| 60. | Madagascar | $50,402,000 | -23.1% |
| 61. | Singapore | $43,868,000 | -44.3% |
| 62. | Democratic Republic Congo | $43,371,000 | -67.6% |
| 63. | Bulgaria | $42,916,000 | -57.7% |
| 64. | Kuwait | $41,349,000 | +96.7% |
| 65. | Croatia | $39,558,000 | -59.9% |
| 66. | Yemen | $38,722,000 | +132.8% |
| 67. | Serbia | $36,404,000 | -39.7% |
| 68. | Peru | $34,393,000 | -35.3% |
| 69. | Lithuania | $28,863,000 | +16.7% |
| 70. | Togo | $28,769,000 | +2% |
| 71. | Niger | $26,135,000 | +53.8% |
| 72. | Australia | $24,556,000 | -37.2% |
| 73. | Mozambique | $22,908,000 | -11.4% |
| 74. | Zambia | $22,847,000 | +9.3% |
| 75. | Djibouti | $21,068,000 | +16106% |
| 76. | Kyrgyzstan | $19,867,000 | -59.4% |
| 77. | Mexico | $19,291,000 | +29.9% |
| 78. | Benin | $17,959,000 | -27.8% |
| 79. | Greece | $14,212,000 | -13.6% |
| 80. | Georgia | $13,621,000 | -43% |
| 81. | Moldova | $13,561,000 | -25.9% |
| 82. | Sierra Leone | $12,864,000 | 0% |
| 83. | Congo | $12,762,000 | +961.7% |
| 84. | North Macedonia | $12,508,000 | -54.9% |
| 85. | Myanmar | $11,784,000 | -8.9% |
| 86. | New Zealand | $11,109,000 | +72.7% |
| 87. | Uganda | $9,639,000 | -41.5% |
| 88. | Laos | $9,420,000 | -75.7% |
| 89. | Eswatini | $9,064,000 | -44.2% |
| 90. | Denmark | $8,291,000 | -57.5% |
| 91. | Latvia | $7,627,000 | -23.2% |
| 92. | Bhutan | $7,413,000 | -23% |
| 93. | Malawi | $7,049,000 | +63.1% |
| 94. | Bahrain | $6,843,000 | -62.1% |
| 95. | Switzerland | $5,849,000 | -37.8% |
| 96. | Luxembourg | $5,788,000 | -48.1% |
| 97. | Colombia | $4,752,000 | -34.1% |
| 98. | Namibia | $4,679,000 | -40.5% |
| 99. | Slovenia | $4,209,000 | +11.4% |
| 100. | Azerbaijan | $3,924,000 | +95.6% |
Enlarging the scope to the top 100 coal buyers from international markets, the fastest-growing spenders on imported coal from 2023 to 2024 were Djibouti (up 16,106%), Congo (up 961.7%), Yemen (up 132.8%), Ukraine (up 116.9%), Kuwait (up 96.7%) then Azerbaijan (up 95.6%).
Major Coal and Related Imports into China
Mainland China’s global purchases of imported coal totaled US$40.5 billion in 2024. Below are the top 15 suppliers from which China imported the highest dollar value worth of coal during 2024. Within parenthesis is the percentage change in value for each supplying country from 2023 to 2024.
- Russia: US$10.5 billion (down -26.8% from 2023)
- Australia: $9.5 billion (up 49.8%)
- Mongolia: $8.3 billion (down -2%)
- Indonesia: $6.7 billion (down -7.8%)
- Canada: $2.2 billion (down -1.3%)
- United States: $2 billion (up 35.5%)
- Colombia: $854.9 million (up 54.2%)
- Mozambique: $177.5 million (up 3.7%)
- South Africa: $84.8 million (down -65.7%)
- Kazakhstan: $67.3 million (down -16.1%)
- New Zealand: $39.7 million (up 14.4%)
- Malaysia: $26.3 million (up 44.3%)
- Vietnam: $17.6 million (down -68.2%)
- Ukraine: $12.5 million (down -55.4%)
- Tanzania: $11.1 million (up 113.4%)
By value, the listed 15 countries shipped 99.94% of coal imported by mainland China in 2024.
Among the above countries, the fastest-growing suppliers of coal to China from 2023 to 2024 were: Tanzania (up 113.4%), Colombia (up 54.2%), Australia (up 49.8%) and Malaysia (up 44.3%).
Countries that experienced declines in the value of their coal supplied to Chinese importers included: Vietnam (down -68.2%), South Africa (down -65.7%), Ukraine (down -55.4%) and Russia (down -26.8%).
Overall, the value of China’s imported coal retreated by an average -2% from all supplying countries since 2023 when coal purchased cost $41.4 billion.
Major Coal and Related Imports into India
India’s global purchases of imported coal totaled US$32 billion in 2024. Below are the top 15 suppliers from which India imported the highest dollar value worth of coal during 2024. Within parenthesis is the percentage change in value for each supplying country from 2023 to 2024.
- Indonesia: US$8.6 billion (down -7.2% from 2023)
- Australia: $8.1 billion (down -26.2%)
- United States: $3.6 billion (down -9.7%)
- Russia: $3.4 billion (down -15%)
- South Africa: $3.1 billion (down -3.5%)
- Singapore: $2.1 billion (down -10.3%)
- Mozambique: $1.3 billion (down -6.5%)
- Canada: $635.1 million (down -21.6%)
- United Arab Emirates: $447.6 million (down 0%)
- Switzerland: $311 million (down -19.8%)
- Colombia: $215.9 million (up 1678.9%)
- Hong Kong: $100.1 million (up 421.1%)
- New Zealand: $55 million (down -18.2%)
- mainland China: $45.3 million (up 75.6%)
- Tanzania: $29.1 million (up 26.4%)
By value, the listed 15 countries shipped 99.9% of coal imported by India in 2024.
Among the above countries, the fastest-growing suppliers of coal to India from 2023 to 2024 were: Colombia (up 1,679%), Hong Kong (up 421.1%), mainland China (up 75.6%) and Tanzania (up 26.4%).
Countries that experienced declines in the value of their coal supplied to Indian importers included: Australia (down -26.2%), Canada (down -21.6%), Switzerland (down -19.8%) and New Zealand (down -18.2%).
Overall, the value of India’s imported coal fell by an average -13.7% from all supplying countries since 2023 when coal purchased cost $37.1 billion.
Major Coal and Related Imports into Japan
Japan’s global purchases of imported coal totaled US$29.9 billion in 2024. Below are the top suppliers from which Japan imported the highest dollar value worth of coal during 2024. Within parenthesis is the percentage change in value for each supplying country from 2023 to 2024.
- Australia: US$19.7 billion (down -27.5% from 2023)
- Indonesia: $4.3 billion (down -26.9%)
- United States: $2.4 billion (down -20.2%)
- Canada: $2.3 billion (down -33.9%)
- South Africa: $452.2 million (down -37.1%)
- Colombia: $302.1 million (down -24.3%)
- Russia: $191.9 million (down -76.2%)
- New Zealand: $82.1 million (up 7%)
- Vietnam: $80.3 million (down -45.5%)
- mainland China: $74.6 million (down -38.6%)
- Kazakhstan: $46.1 million (up 1747.6%)
- Mozambique: $14.4 million (down -42.4%)
- Peru: $10.4 million (down -14.4%)
- Taiwan: $536,000 (down -21.9%)
- United Arab Emirates: $1,000 (2023 data unavailable)
By value, the listed 15 countries shipped 100% of coal imported by Japan in 2024.
Among the above countries, there was a pair of growth suppliers of coal to Japan from 2023 to 2024, namely Kazakhstan (up 1,748%) and New Zealand (up 7%).
Countries that experienced declines in the value of their coal supplied to Japanese importers included: Russia (down -76.2%), Vietnam (down -45.5%), Mozambique (down -42.4%) and mainland China (down -38.6%).
Overall, the value of Japan’s imported coal plunged by an average -28.5% from all supplying countries since 2023 when coal purchased cost $41.8 billion.
Major Coal and Related Imports into South Korea
South Korea’s global purchases of imported coal totaled US$16.4 billion in 2024. Below are the top 15 suppliers from which South Korea imported the highest dollar value worth of coal during 2024. Within parenthesis is the percentage change in value for each supplying country from 2023 to 2024.
- Australia: US$6.1 billion (down -19.8% from 2023)
- Indonesia: $2.6 billion (down -2.1%)
- Russia: $2.3 billion (down -48.4%)
- Canada: $2 billion (up 12%)
- Colombia: $1.1 billion (up 48.9%)
- South Africa: $706.9 million (down -37.5%)
- United States: $616.2 million (down -15.7%)
- Mozambique: $473.1 million (down -2.9%)
- mainland China: $194 million (up 111%)
- Peru: $88.5 million (up 44.5%)
- New Zealand: $57.9 million (down -13.4%)
- Philippines: $54 million (down -76.7%)
- United Arab Emirates: $43 million (2023 data unavailable)
- Singapore: $36.4 million (2023 data unavailable)
- Laos: $6.6 million (2023 data unavailable)
By value, the listed 15 countries shipped 99.97% of coal imported by South Korea in 2024.
Among the above countries, the growth suppliers of coal to South Korea from 2023 to 2024 were: mainland China (up 111%), Colombia (up 48.9%), Peru (up 44.5%) and Canada (up 12%).
Countries that experienced declines in the value of their coal supplied to Korean importers included: Philippines (down -76.7%), Russia (down -48.4%), South Africa (down -37.5%) and Australia (down -19.8%).
Overall, the value of South Korea’s imported coal reduced by an average -18.3% from all supplying countries since 2023 when coal purchased cost $20.1 billion.
See also Average Coal Prices Compared for Top Coal Exporters by Country, Coal Exports by Country, Japan’s Top Trading Partners and Japan’s Top 10 Imports
Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Exports – Commodities. Accessed on July 4, 2025
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on July 4, 2025
Wikipedia, Coal. Accessed on July 4, 2025
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