Coal demand falls by over 50% from 2007 peak, dropping from 1,705 Mtce to 833 Mtce in 2024

Key takeaways

  • Coal demand peaked in 2007 at 1,705.1 Mtce, after a steady rise from 1,123.2 Mtce in 1974, marking a 52% increase over three decades.
  • A dramatic drop followed post 2007, with demand falling by 44.8% to 941.3 Mtce by 2020, a loss of over 763 Mtce in just 13 years.
  • Between 2020 and 2024, the decline continued, albeit more gradually, reaching 832.7 Mtce, indicating a consistent downward trend.
  • Coal consumption in 2024 is the lowest in five decades, even lower than 1974 levels, reflecting a major shift in global energy use.

Coal, once the backbone of industrial energy, has seen its global demand slide into a prolonged decline. After reaching a historic high of 1,705.1 Mtce in 2007, usage has plummeted by more than 870 Mtce in less than two decades, a drop that mirrors rising environmental policies, technological shifts, and a pivot to cleaner alternatives.

By 2024, global demand for coal sits at just 832.7 Mtce, falling below even its 1974 level. This reversal represents not just a market contraction, but a structural change in the world’s energy priorities. The coal era is not just fading; it is being systematically replaced.

Source:

International Energy Agency

Period:

1974 - 2024
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