Coal — Emissions in World

World: Coal — Emissions was 40,700 kt in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
40,700 kt
Change on year
up 0.8%
Rank
1st
of 23 groups
All-time high
97,792 kt
in 1991
All-time low
37,772 kt
in 2002
Years of data
34
1990–2023

Coal — Emissions in World, 1990–2023

020.0k40.0k60.0k80.0k100.0k1990200620231990: 94.3k kt1991: 97.8k kt1992: 54.3k kt1993: 50.9k kt1994: 53.9k kt1995: 58.6k kt1996: 59.2k kt1997: 57.6k kt1998: 56.6k kt1999: 53.1k kt2000: 45.0k kt2001: 44.9k kt2002: 37.8k kt2003: 42.0k kt2004: 44.6k kt2005: 48.2k kt2006: 48.8k kt2007: 50.4k kt2008: 54.2k kt2009: 54.3k kt2010: 54.5k kt2011: 55.7k kt2012: 55.9k kt2013: 58.6k kt2014: 59.5k kt2015: 61.9k kt2016: 63.5k kt2017: 65.8k kt2018: 58.6k kt2019: 53.3k kt2020: 53.9k kt2021: 42.9k kt2022: 40.4k kt2023: 40.7k kt

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in kt.

Analysis

In 2023, coal — emissions in World stood at 40,700 kt.

The figure is up 0.8% on the previous year and down 30.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, coal — emissions in World peaked at 97,792 kt in 1991 and was at its lowest, 37,772 kt, in 2002.

That places World 1st out of 23 groups with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.

Coal — Emissions in World, year by year

Annual values for Coal — Emissions (CO2) in World, 1990 to 2023.
Year kt Change
1990 94,325 kt —
1991 97,792 kt +3.7%
1992 54,277 kt -44.5%
1993 50,886 kt -6.2%
1994 53,944 kt +6.0%
1995 58,603 kt +8.6%
1996 59,186 kt +1.0%
1997 57,649 kt -2.6%
1998 56,586 kt -1.8%
1999 53,085 kt -6.2%
2000 44,967 kt -15.3%
2001 44,934 kt -0.1%
2002 37,772 kt -15.9%
2003 41,989 kt +11.2%
2004 44,591 kt +6.2%
2005 48,163 kt +8.0%
2006 48,802 kt +1.3%
2007 50,393 kt +3.3%
2008 54,222 kt +7.6%
2009 54,301 kt +0.1%
2010 54,487 kt +0.3%
2011 55,683 kt +2.2%
2012 55,866 kt +0.3%
2013 58,630 kt +4.9%
2014 59,541 kt +1.6%
2015 61,946 kt +4.0%
2016 63,485 kt +2.5%
2017 65,803 kt +3.7%
2018 58,639 kt -10.9%
2019 53,322 kt -9.1%
2020 53,924 kt +1.1%
2021 42,944 kt -20.4%
2022 40,389 kt -5.9%
2023 40,700 kt +0.8%

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Coal — Emissions in World 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.

YearChange FromTo
1992 -44.5% 97,792 kt 54,277 kt

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 63,633 kt 50,886 kt 97,792 kt 10
2000s 47,013 kt 37,772 kt 54,301 kt 10
2010s 58,740 kt 53,322 kt 65,803 kt 10
2020s 44,489 kt 40,389 kt 53,924 kt 4

Countries ranked near World

  1. 1 China 32,461 kt compare
  2. 1 China, mainland 32,461 kt compare
  3. 2 Democratic People's Republic of Korea 882.49 kt compare
  4. 3 Viet Nam 67.41 kt compare
  5. 3 OECD 3,984 kt compare
  6. 4 Poland 3,747 kt compare
  7. 4 Republic of Moldova 10.49 kt compare

See the full ranking of 63 places →

More climate change data for World

All data for World →

Frequently asked questions

What is coal — emissions in World?
Coal — emissions in World was 40,700 kt in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest coal — emissions recorded in World?
The highest recorded value was 97,792 kt in 1991.
What is the lowest coal — emissions recorded in World?
The lowest recorded value was 37,772 kt in 2002.
How does World rank for coal — emissions?
World ranks 1st out of 23 groups with data for 2023.
Is coal — emissions rising or falling in World?
Over the last ten years it is down 30.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this World data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Coal — Emissions (CO2). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Coal — Emissions in World. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 27 September 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/coal-emissions-co2/world/

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About this data

Indicator
Coal — Emissions (CO2)
Unit
kt
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
63 places, 1,553 data points, 1990–2023
Last refreshed

The FAOSTAT domain on Emissions from Energy use in agriculture contains data on energy used in agriculture (including forestry, aquaculture and fisheries), for instance to operate machinery, irrigate, heat stables, operate aquaculture ponds and fishing vessels, and related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. It also includes on-farm use of, and related GHG emissions from, electricity and heat generated off-farm. Data are available by country and regional groups with global coverage and are updated annually.