PUBLISHER: The Business Research Company | PRODUCT CODE: 1809588
PUBLISHER: The Business Research Company | PRODUCT CODE: 1809588
Coal is a combustible sedimentary rock that is either black or brownish-black, rich in carbon and hydrocarbons, and occurs in layers known as coal seams. It serves as a major energy source and has been utilized for centuries in numerous industrial processes.
The primary coal types are bituminous coal and sub-bituminous coal. Sub-bituminous coal, displaying shades of grey-black or dark brown, exhibits variable hardness between hard and soft, representing an intermediate stage between low-quality lignite and high-quality bituminous coal. With a carbon content ranging from 70-76%, sub-bituminous coal finds application in power plants for steam generation, contributing to electricity production. Extraction technologies encompass surface mining and underground mining, while coal caters to diverse end-user industries such as electricity, steel, cement, and others.
Note that the outlook for this market is being affected by rapid changes in trade relations and tariffs globally. The report will be updated prior to delivery to reflect the latest status, including revised forecasts and quantified impact analysis. The report's Recommendations and Conclusions sections will be updated to give strategies for entities dealing with the fast-moving international environment.
The rapid escalation of U.S. tariffs and the ensuing trade tensions in spring 2025 are heavily affecting the mining sector, especially in areas such as equipment acquisition, export flows, and supply chain stability. Increased tariffs on imported heavy machinery, drilling tools, and specialized parts have driven up both capital and operational expenditures, leading to delays in project development and reduced production efficiency. Simultaneously, retaliatory tariffs from major trading partners have diminished global demand for U.S. sourced minerals particularly critical resources like lithium, copper, and rare earth elements intensifying revenue challenges. These impacts are hitting mid-sized and niche mining companies the hardest due to their reliance on international markets. In response, the industry is focusing on building domestic equipment supply chains, scaling up mineral recycling programs, and lobbying for tariff relief to regain competitiveness and safeguard long-term resource availability.
The coal market research report is one of a series of new reports from The Business Research Company that provides coal market statistics, including coal industry global market size, regional shares, competitors with a coal market share, detailed coal market segments, market trends, and opportunities, and any further data you may need to thrive in the coal industry. This coal market research report delivers a complete perspective of everything you need, with an in-depth analysis of the current and future scenario of the industry.
The coal market size has grown marginally in recent years. It will grow from $708.73 billion in 2024 to $717.91 billion in 2025 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 1.3%. The growth in the historic period can be attributed to growth in coal power generation, large coal reserves globally, and technological advances in power generation.
The coal market size is expected to see steady growth in the next few years. It will grow to $782.23 billion in 2029 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.2%. The growth in the forecast period can be attributed to continued reliance on coal from developing economies, government policies, emerging markets growth, and implementing new policies to encourage the coal sector. Major trends in the forecast period include innovative technologies to prevent mining accidents, investing in autonomous technology for efficient and safe mining operations, using 3d mine visualizers to identify difficult terrains, investing in drones for efficient and safe mining operations, investing in big data analytics to improve performance, adopting the x-ray diffraction process to enable cost savings, adopting open pit mining methods to extract coal in a safer, and more feasible and cost-effective way, adopting methane control technology to improve the safety of coal mines, adopting sensor-based sorting technology for efficient extraction of high-grade coal, adopting hele coal technologies to increase the efficiencies of coal mining plants, supplying coal to CTL plants, using clean coal technologies to mitigate the effect of pollutant emissions and using underground coal gasification process to produce syngas.
The forecast of 2.2% growth over the next five years reflects a slight reduction of 0.1% from the previous projection. This reduction is primarily due to the impact of tariffs between the US and other countries. Trade restrictions on coal can shift supply chains, impacting both thermal power generation and metallurgical coal-dependent industries. The effect will also be felt more widely due to reciprocal tariffs and the negative effect on the global economy and trade due to increased trade tensions and restrictions.
The increasing need for electricity is anticipated to be a driving force behind the growth of the coal market. Electricity, a vital energy source derived from the movement of charged particles, primarily electrons, through conductors, is crucial for powering various industries and daily activities. With escalating electricity consumption, the demand for energy sources to meet these needs rises. Coal serves as a significant contributor to fulfilling the escalating demand for electricity generation, particularly in developing nations experiencing expanding energy requirements. For instance, the International Energy Agency's 2023 electricity market report projected a surge in global electricity demand to reach 29,281 terawatt-hours by 2025, up from 26,779 terawatt-hours in 2022. This surge underscores the pivotal role of rising electricity demand in driving the coal market.
The adoption of 3D mine visualizers is becoming increasingly prevalent among mining companies. These visualizers enable the creation of real-time digital models of mines, offering operators an accurate three-dimensional depiction of the mine layout. By providing a comprehensive view, 3D mine visualizers notably boost productivity within expansive mining environments. Renowned companies such as Sandvik and Komatsu are actively offering advanced 3D visualizer systems tailored for the coal mining industry, enhancing operational efficiency and precision in mine management.
Strategic investments are becoming an important trend in the coal market. Major companies in this sector are making strategic investments to diversify their portfolios and enhance their market position. For example, in October 2022, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), a government agency in the United States, announced its intention to fund a $32 million program under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This initiative supports front-end engineering design (FEED) studies aimed at extracting rare earth elements (REEs) and other critical minerals and materials (CMMs) from domestic coal-based resources. Transforming coal production waste into components for clean energy technology has the potential to generate well-paying jobs in communities that have traditionally been involved in fossil fuel and power production.
Major companies operating in the coal market include China Shenhua Energy Company Limited, China Coal Energy Co., Ltd., Coal India Limited, Yanzhou Coal Mining Company Limited, BHP, Anglo American plc, Inner Mongolia Yitai Coal Co., Ltd., Peabody Energy Corporation, PT Adaro Energy Tbk, Banpu Public Company Ltd., Whitehaven Coal, Mitsubishi Corporation and Mitsui Coal Holding, Glencore, RWE AG, UK Coal Surface Mines Limited, SUEK, Russian Coal Group, CC Kolmar, Kompania Weglowa, New World Resources, Arch Resources, Cloud Peak Energy, Murray Energy Corp, Teck Resources, Contura Energy Inc, Vale, Middle East Coal, MGT Mineral Company, Kerman Coal Company, Eastern Alborz Coal Company, Central Alborz Coal Company, Canyon Coal, Ichor Coal, Exxaro, Agropet Nigeria Limited, Eta-Zuma Group Ltd.
Asia-Pacific was the largest region in the coal market in 2024. Eastern Europe was the second largest region in the coal market. The regions covered in the coal market report are Asia-Pacific, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East, Africa
The countries covered in the coal market report are Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Bangladesh, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, Hong Kong, New Zealand, USA, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Colombia, Peru, France, Germany, UK, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Russia, Czech Republic, Poland, Romania, Ukraine, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Iran, Turkey, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria, South Africa
The coal market consists of sales of coal. It includes industries that mine coal by underground mining, strip mining, culm bank mining, and other surface mining techniques. The coal mining industry also develops coal mine sites, and improves coal, including cleaning, washing, screening, and sizing of coal. Values in this market are 'factory gate' values, that is the value of goods sold by the manufacturers or creators of the goods, whether to other entities (including downstream manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors and retailers) or directly to end customers. The value of goods in this market includes related services sold by the creators of the goods.
The market value is defined as the revenues that enterprises gain from the sale of goods and/or services within the specified market and geography through sales, grants, or donations in terms of the currency (in USD, unless otherwise specified).
The revenues for a specified geography are consumption values that are revenues generated by organizations in the specified geography within the market, irrespective of where they are produced. It does not include revenues from resales along the supply chain, either further along the supply chain or as part of other products.
Coal Global Market Report 2025 from The Business Research Company provides strategists, marketers and senior management with the critical information they need to assess the market.
This report focuses on coal market which is experiencing strong growth. The report gives a guide to the trends which will be shaping the market over the next ten years and beyond.
Where is the largest and fastest growing market for coal ? How does the market relate to the overall economy, demography and other similar markets? What forces will shape the market going forward, including technological disruption, regulatory shifts, and changing consumer preferences? The coal market global report from the Business Research Company answers all these questions and many more.
The report covers market characteristics, size and growth, segmentation, regional and country breakdowns, competitive landscape, market shares, trends and strategies for this market. It traces the market's historic and forecast market growth by geography.
The forecasts are made after considering the major factors currently impacting the market. These include the technological advancements such as AI and automation, Russia-Ukraine war, trade tariffs (government-imposed import/export duties), elevated inflation and interest rates.