For the second year in a row, global coal production increased (+1.9%), led by China

China strengthened its position as the world’s largest producer of coal and lignite (45% of the world production). In 2018 the country approved more than CNY 45bn (US$6.7bn) of new coal mining projects. Recent domestic gas shortages weakened government motivations to switch from coal to gas used for space heating and maintained an appetite for coal. China coal and lignite production accounted for 70% of the global rise.
Increased coal imports in China (up 4% on 2018, the highest growth in four years) supported a strong international coal market enabling production growth in Australia, Indonesia and Russia, three of its main coal suppliers.
India saw a large increase in production (+5.3% in 2018), driven by domestic demand and government ambitions to lessen the reliance on imports. Coal production fell in the United States on 39-year low domestic coal consumption, despite increased exports, and continued to decline in the European Union as member states increasingly commit to rid coal from the economy.