Which Countries Buy The Most US Coal?
Coal remains a major U.S. export, even as the domestic energy mix shifts toward natural gas and renewables. In 2024, America exported nearly 100 million tonnes of coal to countries around the world, with a concentration of buyers in Asia.
This visualization, via Visual Capitalist’s Marcus Lu, breaks down the top destinations for U.S. coal exports last year. The data for this graphic comes from theย U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). It shows 2024 coal export volumes by destination, measured in millions of tonnes.
Asia: The Rising Demand Hub
India led the pack with 23.4% of all U.S. coal exports, followed by China (11.5%) and Japan (8.4%). Combined, these three Asian countries accounted for nearly 43% of all American coal exports.
| Rank | Destination | 2024 (million tonnes) | % of Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ๐ฎ๐ณ India | 22.9 | 23.4 |
| 2 | ๐จ๐ณ China | 11.3 | 11.5 |
| 3 | ๐ฏ๐ต Japan | 8.2 | 8.4 |
| 4 | ๐ง๐ท Brazil | 7.6 | 7.8 |
| 5 | ๐ณ๐ฑ Netherlands | 7.2 | 7.4 |
| 6 | ๐ฒ๐ฆ Morocco | 5.4 | 5.6 |
| 7 | ๐ฐ๐ท South Korea | 4.3 | 4.4 |
| 8 | ๐ช๐ฌ Egypt | 4.2 | 4.3 |
| 9 | ๐จ๐ฆ Canada | 3.8 | 3.9 |
| 10 | ๐น๐ท Turkey | 2.5 | 2.6 |
| 11 | ๐ฎ๐ฉ Indonesia | 2.1 | 2.2 |
| 12 | ๐ฉ๐ช Germany | 1.9 | 2.0 |
| 13 | ๐ฎ๐น Italy | 1.7 | 1.7 |
| 14 | ๐ต๐ฑ Poland | 1.5 | 1.5 |
| 15 | ๐ฉ๐ด Dominican Republic | 1.3 | 1.3 |
| 16 | ๐ฆ๐น Austria | 1.1 | 1.2 |
| 17 | ๐ซ๐ท France | 1.1 | 1.1 |
| 18 | ๐ธ๐ฌ Singapore | 1.0 | 1.1 |
| 19 | ๐ช๐ธ Spain | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| 20 | ๐ง๐ช Belgium | 0.9 | 1.0 |
| 21 | ๐ญ๐ท Croatia | 0.9 | 0.9 |
| 22 | ๐ฆ๐ท Argentina | 0.7 | 0.8 |
| 23 | ๐ต๐ฐ Pakistan | 0.7 | 0.7 |
| 24 | ๐ซ๐ฎ Finland | 0.6 | 0.7 |
| 25 | ๐ธ๐ช Sweden | 0.6 | 0.6 |
| 26 | ๐บ๐ฆ Ukraine | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| 27 | ๐ฒ๐พ Malaysia | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| 28 | ๐จ๐ฑ Chile | 0.3 | 0.3 |
| 29 | ๐ฟ๐ฆ South Africa | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| 30 | ๐น๐ญ Thailand | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| 31 | ๐ฆ๐ช UAE | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| 32 | ๐ฌ๐ง UK | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| 33 | ๐ฌ๐น Guatemala | 0.1 | 0.2 |
| 34 | ๐ป๐ณ Vietnam | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| 35 | ๐ท๐ด Romania | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| 36 | ๐น๐ฌ Togo | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| 37 | ๐ณ๐ด Norway | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| 38 | ๐ญ๐ณ Honduras | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| 39 | ๐จ๐ญ Switzerland | 0.1 | 0.1 |
Since 2017, Asia has eclipsed Europe as the leading destination for U.S. coal.
In 2024, India alone purchased 22.9 million tonnes. Indiaโs high demand for U.S. coal is driven by a combination of energy security needs, domestic production gaps, and infrastructure limitations. Currently, the countryย relies heavily on coal to generate electricityโover 70% of its electricity comes from coal-fired power plants.
Europeโs Waning Role
While several European countries still import American coal, their overall share has declined. The Netherlands remains a key buyer (7.4%), but other nations like Germany, Italy, and Poland account for smaller volumes. The EUโs push to phase out coal and meet climate targets has sharply reduced demand in the region.
Notably, many European buyers now import U.S. coal primarily for metallurgical (steelmaking) rather than power generation uses.
Emerging and Niche Markets
Beyond Asia and Europe, a number of countries in Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East imported smaller quantities of U.S. coal in 2024. Brazil (7.8%) and Morocco (5.6%) were notable non-Asian buyers.
If you enjoyed todayโs post, check outย What Powered the World in 2024?ย onย Voronoi, the new app from Visual Capitalist.
Tyler Durden
Mon, 09/22/2025 – 05:45
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