Australia vs India: Coal reserves
Australia
149.47 billion tonnes
in 2023
India
127.73 billion tonnes
in 2023
Australia rank
4th
India rank
5th
Coal reserves over time
- Australia
- India
How they compare
Australia currently reports 149.47 billion tonnes against 127.73 billion tonnes in India, a difference of 21.75 billion tonnes.
That makes Australia's figure about 1.2 times India's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 16 shared years of data; in 2008 it was India ahead.
Australia ranks 4th and India ranks 5th of 216 countries.
Australia has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Australia | India | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 78.90 billion tonnes | 78.81 billion tonnes | 91.00 million tonnes | Australia |
| 2010s | 123.30 billion tonnes | 92.89 billion tonnes | 30.41 billion tonnes | Australia |
| 2020s | 149.85 billion tonnes | 119.39 billion tonnes | 30.46 billion tonnes | Australia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher coal reserves, Australia or India?
- Australia, at 149.47 billion tonnes against 127.73 billion tonnes in India as of 2023.
- What is the difference in coal reserves between Australia and India?
- 21.75 billion tonnes, with Australia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and India?
- 16 years are reported by both, from 2008 to 2023.
- How do Australia and India rank globally for coal reserves?
- Australia ranks 4th and India ranks 5th of 216 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Coal reserves. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Proved reserves, measured in tonnes, are generally those quantities that can be recovered in the future from known reservoirs under existing economic and operating conditions, according to geological and engineering information.