Share of primary energy from coal in Japan
Japan: Share of primary energy from coal was 26.4% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
26.4%
Change on year
down 3.1%
World rank
14th
of 79 countries
All-time high
33.7%
in 1965
All-time low
12.8%
in 1978
Years of data
61
1965–2025
Share of primary energy from coal in Japan, 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
Japan recorded 26.4% for share of primary energy from coal in 2025.
The figure is down 3.1% on the previous year and down 1.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of primary energy from coal in Japan peaked at 33.7% in 1965 and was at its lowest, 12.8%, in 1978.
That places Japan 14th out of 79 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 61 years of available data.
Share of primary energy from coal in Japan, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | 33.7% | — |
| 1966 | 31.4% | -6.8% |
| 1967 | 30.2% | -3.9% |
| 1968 | 28.1% | -6.8% |
| 1969 | 25.6% | -9.0% |
| 1970 | 21.5% | -16.2% |
| 1971 | 18.6% | -13.1% |
| 1972 | 17.0% | -9.0% |
| 1973 | 16.1% | -4.9% |
| 1974 | 17.4% | +7.8% |
| 1975 | 16.4% | -5.5% |
| 1976 | 15.4% | -6.4% |
| 1977 | 14.5% | -5.7% |
| 1978 | 12.8% | -11.7% |
| 1979 | 13.5% | +5.2% |
| 1980 | 16.3% | +21.0% |
| 1981 | 18.6% | +13.9% |
| 1982 | 18.2% | -1.8% |
| 1983 | 17.5% | -4.3% |
| 1984 | 18.7% | +7.1% |
| 1985 | 19.1% | +2.1% |
| 1986 | 18.2% | -4.7% |
| 1987 | 17.7% | -2.7% |
| 1988 | 18.3% | +3.0% |
| 1989 | 17.7% | -3.1% |
| 1990 | 17.7% | +0.2% |
| 1991 | 17.2% | -3.2% |
| 1992 | 16.6% | -3.4% |
| 1993 | 16.7% | +0.6% |
| 1994 | 16.6% | -0.3% |
| 1995 | 16.7% | +0.8% |
| 1996 | 16.8% | +0.5% |
| 1997 | 17.0% | +0.8% |
| 1998 | 16.5% | -2.8% |
| 1999 | 17.0% | +3.4% |
| 2000 | 18.0% | +5.4% |
| 2001 | 18.6% | +3.3% |
| 2002 | 19.7% | +6.3% |
| 2003 | 20.4% | +3.5% |
| 2004 | 20.6% | +1.0% |
| 2005 | 21.1% | +2.5% |
| 2006 | 20.8% | -1.5% |
| 2007 | 22.1% | +5.9% |
| 2008 | 23.1% | +4.8% |
| 2009 | 21.1% | -8.7% |
| 2010 | 22.6% | +7.2% |
| 2011 | 22.8% | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 24.5% | +7.5% |
| 2013 | 25.8% | +5.4% |
| 2014 | 26.2% | +1.5% |
| 2015 | 26.8% | +2.4% |
| 2016 | 27.2% | +1.2% |
| 2017 | 27.4% | +0.8% |
| 2018 | 27.0% | -1.5% |
| 2019 | 27.1% | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 27.4% | +1.1% |
| 2021 | 28.2% | +3.1% |
| 2022 | 28.5% | +0.8% |
| 2023 | 27.0% | -5.2% |
| 2024 | 27.3% | +1.0% |
| 2025 | 26.4% | -3.1% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 26.4% is above the median for high income countries, which is 2.9%, 9.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Japan's 26.4% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 24.6%, 1.1× the median. (12 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 29.8% | 25.6% | 33.7% | 5 |
| 1970s | 16.3% | 12.8% | 21.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 18.0% | 16.3% | 19.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 16.9% | 16.5% | 17.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 20.6% | 18.0% | 23.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 25.7% | 22.6% | 27.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 27.5% | 26.4% | 28.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Japan
More energy & mining data for Japan
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate -0.7535 % 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 19.6% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of primary energy from coal in Japan?
- Share of primary energy from coal in Japan was 26.4% 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 Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 33.7% in 1965.
- What is the lowest share of primary energy from coal recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.8% in 1978.
- How does Japan rank for share of primary energy from coal?
- Japan ranks 14th out of 79 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of primary energy from coal rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Japan 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.