Share of electricity generation from coal in United States
United States: Share of electricity generation from coal was 16.3% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Share of electricity generation from coal in United States, 1985–2025
Source: Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
United States recorded 16.3% for share of electricity generation from coal in 2025.
That represents a change of up 9.8% on the previous year and down 50.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of electricity generation from coal in United States peaked at 56.8% in 1988 and was at its lowest, 14.9%, in 2024.
That places United States 43rd out of 210 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 41 years of available data.
Share of electricity generation from coal in United States, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 56.7% | — |
| 1986 | 55.7% | -1.9% |
| 1987 | 56.8% | +2.0% |
| 1988 | 56.8% | +0.1% |
| 1989 | 54.2% | -4.6% |
| 1990 | 53.4% | -1.6% |
| 1991 | 52.7% | -1.3% |
| 1992 | 53.5% | +1.6% |
| 1993 | 53.8% | +0.5% |
| 1994 | 53.0% | -1.5% |
| 1995 | 51.9% | -2.0% |
| 1996 | 53.1% | +2.3% |
| 1997 | 53.8% | +1.2% |
| 1998 | 52.6% | -2.1% |
| 1999 | 51.8% | -1.6% |
| 2000 | 51.7% | -0.1% |
| 2001 | 51.1% | -1.2% |
| 2002 | 50.3% | -1.5% |
| 2003 | 51.0% | +1.4% |
| 2004 | 50.1% | -1.9% |
| 2005 | 49.9% | -0.3% |
| 2006 | 49.2% | -1.4% |
| 2007 | 48.7% | -1.0% |
| 2008 | 48.3% | -0.7% |
| 2009 | 44.6% | -7.8% |
| 2010 | 44.9% | +0.8% |
| 2011 | 42.4% | -5.6% |
| 2012 | 37.5% | -11.6% |
| 2013 | 39.0% | +4.0% |
| 2014 | 38.6% | -0.9% |
| 2015 | 33.1% | -14.2% |
| 2016 | 30.3% | -8.5% |
| 2017 | 29.8% | -1.8% |
| 2018 | 27.4% | -8.1% |
| 2019 | 23.2% | -15.2% |
| 2020 | 19.1% | -17.6% |
| 2021 | 21.6% | +13.0% |
| 2022 | 19.4% | -10.3% |
| 2023 | 15.9% | -18.2% |
| 2024 | 14.9% | -6.4% |
| 2025 | 16.3% | +9.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 56.1% | 54.2% | 56.8% | 5 |
| 1990s | 53.0% | 51.8% | 53.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 49.5% | 44.6% | 51.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 34.6% | 23.2% | 44.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 17.9% | 14.9% | 21.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near United States
More energy & mining data for United States
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate 1.94 % 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 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 7.5% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of electricity generation from coal in United States?
- Share of electricity generation from coal in United States was 16.3% in 2025, according to Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of electricity generation from coal recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 56.8% in 1988.
- What is the lowest share of electricity generation from coal recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.9% in 2024.
- How does United States rank for share of electricity generation from coal?
- United States ranks 43rd out of 210 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of electricity generation from coal rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 50.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of electricity generation from coal. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Measured as a percentage of total electricity produced in the country or region.