The world’s top exporters of coal ranked by total shipment weight are Australia, Indonesia, Russia, United States of America, South Africa, and Colombia. Collectively, those 6 leading coal suppliers sold 1.122 billion tons of coal during 2021 or a dominant 89.9% of the global total.
This analysis will investigate whether higher volumes of coal exports correspond with lower average unit prices due to economies of scale.
Top Coal Export Countries by Shipment Weight
The top 50 exporters of coal as measured by tonnage are listed in the database below. As measured by weight, these key suppliers of coal on international markets accounted for 99.998% of globally exported coal in 2021.
| Coal Exporter | Tons | 2020-1 | 2017-21 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Australia | 366,536,823 | -0.03% | -0.3% |
| 2 | Indonesia | 345,453,158 | +1.1% | +8.3% |
| 3 | Russia | 210,695,339 | +6.5% | +16.1% |
| 4 | United States | 77,276,465 | +23.4% | -12.1% |
| 5 | South Africa | 66,252,292 | -11.6% | -20.7% |
| 6 | Colombia | 55,600,455 | -18% | -45.9% |
| 7 | Canada | 31,737,165 | -12.1% | +2.4% |
| 8 | Kazakhstan | 25,454,024 | +13.7% | -6.2% |
| 9 | Mongolia | 15,081,217 | -47.2% | -54.3% |
| 10 | Mozambique | 14,222,845 | +18.1% | +210.6% |
| 11 | Philippines | 10,592,949 | +44% | +53% |
| 12 | Poland | 6,516,619 | +39.6% | -7.9% |
| 13 | Netherlands | 6,157,788 | +18.7% | -19.2% |
| 14 | Mainland China | 2,385,937 | -25.1% | -70.8% |
| 15 | Vietnam | 2,114,947 | +137.3% | +2.9% |
| 16 | Belgium | 1,847,514 | +16% | +1% |
| 17 | Czech Republic | 1,405,665 | +81.5% | -39.5% |
| 18 | Afghanistan | 1,270,843 | +146.2% | +25.3% |
| 19 | Germany | 923,012 | +56.1% | +311.2% |
| 20 | India | 881,347 | -6.4% | -16.4% |
| 21 | Peru | 822,789 | +226.1% | +132.7% |
| 22 | Botswana | 734,351 | +104.3% | +269.8% |
| 23 | UAE | 533,712 | 0% | +37,860% |
| 24 | France | 533,067 | +131.6% | +729.1% |
| 25 | Kyrgyzstan | 511,663 | -13% | +146.1% |
| 26 | Venezuela, | 394,361 | -42.3% | 0% |
| 27 | Laos | 344,879 | -46.1% | +214.4% |
| 28 | Bangladesh | 301,894 | +22,548% | +511,585% |
| 29 | Eswatini | 179,251 | +9.6% | -12.8% |
| 30 | Thailand | 151,957 | +140.6% | +229.9% |
| 31 | Iran | 146,110 | 0% | +95% |
| 32 | Malaysia | 144,624 | +576.1% | -85.9% |
| 33 | Ireland | 143,277 | -7% | +66.5% |
| 34 | Zimbabwe | 142,639 | -25.1% | +185.6% |
| 35 | Zambia | 97,607 | +149.6% | 102.51 |
| 36 | New Zealand | 89,005 | -48.8% | 0% |
| 37 | Turkey | 83,573 | +52.7% | -16.4% |
| 38 | Lithuania | 72,238 | -2.8% | -4.2% |
| 39 | Slovakia | 66,816 | +20% | -40.3% |
| 40 | Nigeria | 61,982 | 0% | 0% |
| 41 | Egypt | 59,442 | -9% | -55.1% |
| 42 | Italy | 45,087 | +66.1% | -26.4% |
| 43 | Croatia | 40,552 | +89.5% | +16.2% |
| 44 | Greece | 38,432 | +472.8% | +290.2% |
| 45 | Tajikistan | 33,858 | +620.1% | +627.5% |
| 46 | Latvia | 9,870 | +218.1% | +42.4% |
| 47 | Bosnia/Herzegovina | 7,564 | 0% | +189,000% |
| 48 | Japan | 5,683 | +115.3% | +87.6% |
| 49 | Georgia | 4,522 | +722.2% | +113.5% |
| 50 | Serbia | 2,883 | +31.9% | +38.5% |
Among these top 50 coal exporters, the fastest growing suppliers from 2020 to 2021 are Bangladesh (up 22,548%), Georgia (up 722.2%), Tajikistan (up 620.1%), Malaysia (up 576.1%), Greece (up 472.8%), Peru (up 226.1%), Latvia (up 218.1%) and Zambia (up 149.6%).
Posting the severest declines in tons of exported coal from year to year were Laos (down -95.7%), Malaysia (down -76.8%), Tajikistan (down -74.2%), Peru (down -59.9%), Mozambique (down -55.8%), Greece (down -54.3%), China (down -47.1%) and the Czech Republic (down -46%).
Searchable List of Average Unit Prices for Exported Coal
In 2021, the world’s average unit price for exported coal equals US$98 per ton.
The automated table below enables you to compare the average unit prices for exported coal applicable to 50 of the world’s biggest exporters of coal by weight. Average prices shown are in US dollars.
You can change the presentation order by clicking the triangle icon at the top of any of the columns in the data table. The right-most columns highlight the change in unit price for each supplier’s globally exported coal in 2021 compared to 2020 or 5 years earlier in 2017. (A value of 0% in those column means data for that year was unavailable.)
| Coal Exporter | Avg Price | 2020-1 | 2017-21 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Australia | $120 | +34.8% | +9.1% |
| 2 | Indonesia | $77 | +79.1% | +37.5% |
| 3 | Russia | $83 | +31.7% | +10.7% |
| 4 | United States | $126 | +29.9% | +12.5% |
| 5 | South Africa | $92 | +76.9% | +33.3% |
| 6 | Canada | $191 | +103.2% | +13.7% |
| 7 | Colombia | $79 | +51.9% | +19.7% |
| 8 | Mongolia | $123 | +66.2% | +80.9% |
| 9 | Mozambique | $76 | +55.1% | +90% |
| 10 | Kazakhstan | $36 | +140.0% | +125% |
| 11 | Netherlands | $143 | +70.2% | +50.5% |
| 12 | Poland | $127 | +16.5% | +10.4% |
| 13 | Philippines | $56 | +80.6% | +14.3% |
| 14 | Mainland China | $176 | +28.5% | +30.4% |
| 15 | Vietnam | $149 | +14.6% | +25.2% |
| 16 | Belgium | $152 | +43.4% | +17.8% |
| 17 | Czech Republic | $166 | +46.9% | +16.9% |
| 18 | Germany | $136 | +17.2% | -34.9% |
| 19 | France | $234 | +131.7% | +77.3% |
| 20 | Afghanistan | $88 | +4.8% | +104.7% |
| 21 | India | $111 | +52.1% | +33.7% |
| 22 | Spain | $87 | 0.0% | -38.7% |
| 23 | UAE | $145 | 0.0% | -70.7% |
| 24 | Peru | $74 | -2.6% | +2.8% |
| 25 | Venezuela | $107 | +5.9% | 0% |
| 26 | Ireland | $283 | +7.6% | +15% |
| 27 | Denmark | $47 | 0.0% | -87.9% |
| 28 | Italy | $643 | +143.6% | +309.6% |
| 29 | Botswana | $36 | -18.2% | +5.9% |
| 30 | Eswatini | $136 | +12.4% | +30.8% |
| 31 | Thailand | $139 | -10.3% | -24.5% |
| 32 | Egypt | $273 | +24.1% | +25.2% |
| 33 | Slovakia | $239 | +30.6% | +49.4% |
| 34 | Kyrgyzstan | $30 | +15.4% | +20% |
| 35 | Iran | $98 | 0.0% | +263% |
| 36 | Tanzania | $51 | 0.0% | +21.4% |
| 37 | Turkey | $154 | +29.4% | +40% |
| 38 | Laos | $33 | -21.4% | -55.4% |
| 39 | Malaysia | $75 | -38.5% | +31.6% |
| 40 | New Zealand | $115 | +18.6% | 0% |
| 41 | Zambia | $101 | -36.9% | +74.1% |
| 42 | Zimbabwe | $63 | +142.3% | +50% |
| 43 | Lithuania | $124 | +30.5% | +13.8% |
| 44 | Croatia | $205 | +26.5% | +8.5% |
| 45 | Greece | $138 | +15.0% | -19.8% |
| 46 | Finland | $252 | 0% | +39.2% |
| 47 | Nigeria | $68 | 0.0% | 0% |
| 48 | Japan | $361 | +1.1% | -0.6% |
| 49 | Latvia | $166 | 0.0% | +46.9% |
| 50 | Slovenia | $276 | +7.8% | +7% |
The lowest average unit prices for exported coal per ton belong to international suppliers in Kyrgyzstan (US$30 per ton), Laos ($33), Kazakhstan ($36), Botswana (also $36), Denmark ($47), Tanzania ($51) then the Philippines ($56).
The greatest inflation rates were characteristic of the average unit prices for coal exported from Italy (up 143.6% since 2020), Zimbabwe (up 142.3%), Kazakhstan (up 140%), France (up 131.7%), Canada (up 103.2%) and the Philippines (up 80.6%).
Year over year, average unit prices per ton declined for coal shippers in Malaysia (down -38.5%), Zambia (down -36.9%), Laos (down -21.4%), Botswana (down -18.2%), Thailand (down -10.3%) and Peru (down -2.6%).
Average Unit Prices for Top 10 Coal Exporters by Weight
Below are the 10 major exporters of coal by shipment weight, showcasing each country’s corresponding average unit price per ton of globally exported coal in US dollars.
These key suppliers sold 95.8% of overall coal exports by weight in 2021, and are listed in descending rank starting with the biggest coal exporters.
- Australia: US$128 in 2021 (up 34.8% from 2020)
- Indonesia: $77 (up 79.1%)
- Russia: $83 (up 31.7%)
- United States: $126 (up 29.9%)
- South Africa: $92 (up 76.9%)
- Colombia: $79 (up 51.9%)
- Canada: $191 (up 103.2%)
- Kazakhstan: $36 (up 140%)
- Mongolia: $123 (up 66.2%)
- Mozambique: $76 (up 55.1%)
Among the top 10 coal suppliers by weight, Canada, United States of America, Mongolia and world-leading Australia charged average unit prices higher than the global average of $98 per ton for all coal exporters.
That data insight suggests that economies of scale for the world’s 10 biggest exporters of coal does not necessarily lead to the lowest average unit prices specific to coal exporting countries.
Major Coal Importing Countries by Quantity
The top 10 coal importers below accounted for about four-fifths (79.1%) of globally imported coal during 2021.
- India: 220.2 million tons (18.2% of global coal imports)
- Mainland China: 184.3 million tons (15.2%)
- Japan: 182.6 million tons (15.1%)
- South Korea: 125.6 million tons (10.4%)
- Taiwan: 68.5 million tons (5.7%%)
- Germany: 38.5 million tons (3.2%)
- Turkey: 36.5 million tons (3%)
- Vietnam: 35.6 million tons (2.9%)
- Malaysia: 35.1 million tons (also 2.9%)
- Philippines: 31.2 million tons (2.6%)
Nine of the 10 biggest importing countries by imported coal volume are in Asia—geographically close to some of the lowest-cost coal exporters. For instance, one supplier offering among the lowest unit prices per ton is Kazakhstan located in West Asia.
Other Asian countries placing near the top of the list for the cheapest unit costs among coal suppliers are Kyrgyzstan, the Philippines and Indonesia.
See also Coal Exports by Country (dollar value), Coal Imports by Country (dollar value), Crude Oil Exports by Country, Petroleum Gas Exports by Country, Best Solar & Wind Exporters Powering International Energy Sales and OPEC Countries Crude Oil Exports Sales Data
Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Exports – Commodities. Accessed on May 20, 2022
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on May 20, 2022
Wikipedia, Category: Coal companies by country. Accessed on May 20, 2022
Wikipedia, Coal. Accessed on May 20, 2022
