Coal reserves in Australia
Australia: Coal reserves was 149.47 billion tonnes in 2023. ▲ Rising
Coal reserves in Australia, 2008–2023
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
In 2023, coal reserves in Australia stood at 149.47 billion tonnes.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 40.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, coal reserves in Australia peaked at 150.23 billion tonnes in 2020 and was at its lowest, 76.90 billion tonnes, in 2008.
Australia ranks 4th of 216 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 16 years of available data.
Coal reserves in Australia, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 76.90 billion tonnes | — |
| 2009 | 80.90 billion tonnes | +5.2% |
| 2010 | 80.90 billion tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 101.76 billion tonnes | +25.8% |
| 2012 | 105.25 billion tonnes | +3.4% |
| 2013 | 106.23 billion tonnes | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 106.26 billion tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 144.82 billion tonnes | +36.3% |
| 2016 | 144.82 billion tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 144.82 billion tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 149.08 billion tonnes | +2.9% |
| 2019 | 149.08 billion tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 150.23 billion tonnes | +0.8% |
| 2021 | 150.23 billion tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 149.47 billion tonnes | -0.5% |
| 2023 | 149.47 billion tonnes | +0.0% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Coal reserves in Australia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | +36.3% | 106.26 billion tonnes | 144.82 billion tonnes |
| 2011 | +25.8% | 80.90 billion tonnes | 101.76 billion tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 78.90 billion tonnes | 76.90 billion tonnes | 80.90 billion tonnes | 2 |
| 2010s | 123.30 billion tonnes | 80.90 billion tonnes | 149.08 billion tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 149.85 billion tonnes | 149.47 billion tonnes | 150.23 billion tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More energy & mining data for Australia
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate -0.4235 % 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 0.0001 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal production, per capita 0.0001 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 11.7% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is coal reserves in Australia?
- Coal reserves in Australia was 149.47 billion tonnes in 2023, according to U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest coal reserves recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 150.23 billion tonnes in 2020.
- What is the lowest coal reserves recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 76.90 billion tonnes in 2008.
- How does Australia rank for coal reserves?
- Australia ranks 4th out of 216 countries with data for 2023.
- Is coal reserves rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 40.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Coal reserves. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 16 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
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.