Share of primary energy from coal in China
China: Share of primary energy from coal was 56.9% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
56.9%
Change on year
down 2.1%
World rank
3rd
of 79 countries
All-time high
89.1%
in 1965
All-time low
56.9%
in 2025
Years of data
61
1965–2025
Share of primary energy from coal in China, 1965–2025
Source: Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2025, share of primary energy from coal in China stood at 56.9%. That is the lowest value across all 61 years on record.
That represents a change of down 2.1% on the previous year and down 16.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of primary energy from coal in China peaked at 89.1% in 1965 and was at its lowest, 56.9%, in 2025.
That places China 3rd out of 79 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 61 years of available data.
Share of primary energy from coal in China, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | 89.1% | — |
| 1966 | 87.6% | -1.7% |
| 1967 | 86.5% | -1.3% |
| 1968 | 85.3% | -1.3% |
| 1969 | 84.3% | -1.2% |
| 1970 | 83.4% | -1.1% |
| 1971 | 81.1% | -2.7% |
| 1972 | 79.6% | -1.8% |
| 1973 | 76.5% | -3.9% |
| 1974 | 73.6% | -3.8% |
| 1975 | 73.9% | +0.5% |
| 1976 | 71.9% | -2.8% |
| 1977 | 72.4% | +0.8% |
| 1978 | 72.3% | -0.2% |
| 1979 | 72.8% | +0.6% |
| 1980 | 75.1% | +3.2% |
| 1981 | 75.9% | +1.1% |
| 1982 | 77.1% | +1.5% |
| 1983 | 77.8% | +0.9% |
| 1984 | 78.7% | +1.1% |
| 1985 | 79.3% | +0.9% |
| 1986 | 79.1% | -0.3% |
| 1987 | 79.5% | +0.5% |
| 1988 | 79.6% | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 79.5% | -0.1% |
| 1990 | 79.8% | +0.3% |
| 1991 | 79.5% | -0.4% |
| 1992 | 79.0% | -0.6% |
| 1993 | 78.3% | -1.0% |
| 1994 | 78.6% | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 77.5% | -1.4% |
| 1996 | 76.8% | -0.9% |
| 1997 | 74.8% | -2.6% |
| 1998 | 74.2% | -0.9% |
| 1999 | 73.6% | -0.8% |
| 2000 | 72.2% | -1.9% |
| 2001 | 72.4% | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 72.6% | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 73.8% | +1.6% |
| 2004 | 73.7% | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 75.9% | +3.0% |
| 2006 | 76.0% | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 76.2% | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 75.3% | -1.2% |
| 2009 | 75.3% | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 73.4% | -2.5% |
| 2011 | 73.8% | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 72.4% | -1.9% |
| 2013 | 71.5% | -1.3% |
| 2014 | 69.9% | -2.2% |
| 2015 | 67.9% | -2.9% |
| 2016 | 65.9% | -2.9% |
| 2017 | 64.4% | -2.4% |
| 2018 | 62.8% | -2.4% |
| 2019 | 61.9% | -1.5% |
| 2020 | 61.2% | -1.1% |
| 2021 | 60.4% | -1.3% |
| 2022 | 60.2% | -0.4% |
| 2023 | 59.2% | -1.6% |
| 2024 | 58.1% | -1.9% |
| 2025 | 56.9% | -2.1% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 56.9% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 11.9%, 4.8× the median. (23 countries reporting)
- China's 56.9% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 24.6%, 2.3× the median. (12 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 86.6% | 84.3% | 89.1% | 5 |
| 1970s | 75.8% | 71.9% | 83.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 78.2% | 75.1% | 79.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 77.2% | 73.6% | 79.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 74.3% | 72.2% | 76.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 68.4% | 61.9% | 73.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 59.3% | 56.9% | 61.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near China
- 1 South Africa 72.4% compare
- 2 India 59.0% compare
- 4 Vietnam 54.7% compare
- 5 Estonia 51.0% compare
- 6 Kazakhstan 48.0% compare
More energy & mining data for China
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate 2.15 % change on previous year (2025)
- Coal consumption, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal consumption, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal production, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal production, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Fuel imports 20.4% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of primary energy from coal in China?
- Share of primary energy from coal in China was 56.9% in 2025, according to Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of primary energy from coal recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 89.1% in 1965.
- What is the lowest share of primary energy from coal recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 56.9% in 2025.
- How does China rank for share of primary energy from coal?
- China ranks 3rd out of 79 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of primary energy from coal rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of primary energy from coal. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Measured as a percentage of total energy supply.