33% of global electricity is generated from Coal in 2025/2026

From October 2025 to September 2026, coal generated around 10,300 TWh of electricity globally, supplying almost a third of global electricity consumption. That is about 740 TWh more than in 2016, when coal generation stood at roughly 9,600 TWh. Yet its share fell from 38.2% to 32.5%, a decline of 5.7 percentage points. This divergence shows that overall electricity consumption grew faster than coal generation: coal became less dominant, but its absolute output still increased by nearly 8% over the decade.

People's Republic of China dominates coal generation with around 5,700 TWh, more than half the global total, followed by India with around 1,400 TWh. These countries also recorded the largest five-year increases in absolute terms, adding roughly 670 TWh and 300 TWh respectively; Indonesia, Vietnam and Bangladesh also posted substantial increases. Dependence tells a different story: South Africa gets about four-fifths of its electricity from coal, while Mongolia and India obtain roughly two-thirds. Australia leads generation per person at over 4,200 kWh, with South Korea, Republic of China (Taiwan) and People's Republic of China each near 4,100 kWh. Among US states, Texas produces the most coal electricity at around 66 TWh, but West Virginia stands out for its much greater dependence—almost 87% of its electricity—and generation exceeding 27,000 kWh per person. Indiana produces around 46 TWh, supplying about two-fifths of its electricity.

Coal's continued scale carries major climate and air pollution costs. Its IPCC lifecycle carbon intensity is about 820 gCO2eq/kWh, compared with 11 gCO2eq/kWh for wind, 12 gCO2eq/kWh for nuclear, 45 gCO2eq/kWh for solar, 24 gCO2eq/kWh for hydro and 38 gCO2eq/kWh for geothermal. Coal combustion also releases pollutants that harm health, strengthening the case for replacing fossil electricity with clean generation. Over the past five years, United States achieved the largest coal reduction at around 195 TWh, followed by Germany at roughly 60 TWh and Japan at 45 TWh; South Africa and Republic of China (Taiwan) cut generation by about 37 TWh and 34 TWh. Expanding low-carbon electricity from nuclear, solar and wind can build on these reductions while supporting growing electricity demand, rather than relying on lower electricity consumption to reduce coal use.