South Africa Has the Highest Share of Coal Power, 81.4% in 2025
Among the 58 countries that generated at least 10 TWh of electricity in 2025, South Africa got the largest share of it from coal: 81.4%. It is followed by India (70.9%), Indonesia (69.4%) and Serbia (65.3%). The world average for coal was 33.2% in 2025.
Top 20, 2025
Highest share of each fuel| Country | Share from coal | Generation |
|---|---|---|
| 1. 🇿🇦 South Africa | 81.4% | 198 TWh of 243 TWh |
| 2. 🇮🇳 India | 70.9% | 1,474 TWh of 2,080 TWh |
| 3. 🇮🇩 Indonesia | 69.4% | 366 TWh of 528 TWh |
| 4. 🇷🇸 Serbia | 65.3% | 23.7 TWh of 36.2 TWh |
| 5. 🇲🇦 Morocco | 62.4% | 27.5 TWh of 44.2 TWh |
| 6. 🇵🇭 Philippines | 58.7% | 72.2 TWh of 123 TWh |
| 7. 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan | 58.3% | 72.5 TWh of 124 TWh |
| 8. 🇰🇭 Cambodia | 56.6% | 10.1 TWh of 17.8 TWh |
| 9. 🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina | 55.8% | 8.11 TWh of 14.5 TWh |
| 10. 🇨🇳 China | 54.8% | 5,756 TWh of 10,506 TWh |
| 11. 🇵🇱 Poland | 50.6% | 87.3 TWh of 173 TWh |
| 12. 🇻🇳 Vietnam | 47.8% | 157 TWh of 329 TWh |
| 13. 🇲🇾 Malaysia | 44.9% | 94.4 TWh of 210 TWh |
| 14. 🇦🇺 Australia | 42.9% | 123 TWh of 286 TWh |
| 15. 🇹🇼 Taiwan | 36.1% | 104 TWh of 289 TWh |
| 16. 🇨🇿 Czechia | 35.2% | 26.6 TWh of 75.5 TWh |
| 17. 🇹🇷 Turkey | 34.3% | 121 TWh of 354 TWh |
| 18. 🇯🇵 Japan | 31.8% | 327 TWh of 1,027 TWh |
| 19. 🇰🇷 South Korea | 31.1% | 195 TWh of 628 TWh |
| 20. 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | 30.9% | 5.46 TWh of 17.7 TWh |
Countries that generated at least 10 TWh in 2025, 82 in this data. Smaller grids are left out so a tiny system does not top every list.
How the Leaders Got Here
2010 to 2025| Year | South Africa | India | Indonesia | Serbia | Morocco |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 93.8% | 68.7% | 38.6% | 66.9% | 45.2% |
| 2011 | 93.1% | 67.9% | 42.3% | 75.5% | 46.3% |
| 2012 | 93.0% | 72.3% | 48.9% | 72.7% | 42.9% |
| 2013 | 91.2% | 74.3% | 49.4% | 73.1% | 45.1% |
| 2014 | 90.2% | 75.5% | 50.3% | 66.2% | 56.8% |
| 2015 | 90.9% | 76.8% | 51.2% | 72.3% | 57.2% |
| 2016 | 90.8% | 77.0% | 52.6% | 70.6% | 55.0% |
| 2017 | 89.6% | 76.3% | 55.7% | 72.6% | 55.0% |
| 2018 | 90.1% | 76.3% | 56.4% | 68.2% | 61.5% |
| 2019 | 89.0% | 74.9% | 59.1% | 69.4% | 66.6% |
| 2020 | 88.9% | 73.2% | 62.0% | 71.2% | 70.1% |
| 2021 | 85.9% | 74.9% | 61.4% | 63.5% | 68.5% |
| 2022 | 84.4% | 74.6% | 61.6% | 67.4% | 70.0% |
| 2023 | 82.6% | 75.4% | 61.8% | 59.9% | 63.9% |
| 2024 | 83.6% | 74.6% | 61.5% | 62.9% | 61.7% |
| 2025 | 81.4% | 70.9% | 69.4% | 65.3% | 62.4% |
Key Facts
- South Africa generated 81.4% of its electricity from coal in 2025, the highest share of any country generating at least 10 TWh (198 TWh of 243 TWh).
- India was second with 70.9% in 2025.
- 32 of the 82 countries generating at least 10 TWh drew at least 10% of their electricity from coal in 2025.
- Coal supplied 33.2% of world electricity in 2025.
- In absolute terms, China generated the most coal electricity in 2025: 5,756 TWh.
Questions About This Ranking
Which country gets the most electricity from coal?
South Africa, at 81.4% of its electricity in 2025, among countries generating at least 10 TWh. Second is India (70.9%). Figures are Ember annual statistics.
Which country generates the most coal electricity?
China generated the most coal electricity in 2025: 5,756 TWh, which is 54.8% of its own generation. Share and total are different rankings.
Source: Ember (ember-energy.org), licensed under CC BY 4.0. Data as of 2025. Annual statistics from Ember.
Related
Cite this page
World Power Monitor. (2025). Highest Coal Share of Electricity by Country, 2025. https://worldpowermonitor.com/records/highest-coal-share/
World Power Monitor. Highest Coal Share of Electricity by Country, 2025. Data as of 2025. Data from Ember. https://worldpowermonitor.com/records/highest-coal-share/
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title = {{Highest Coal Share of Electricity by Country, 2025}},
author = {{World Power Monitor}},
year = {2025},
note = {Data as of 2025. Data from Ember.},
url = {https://worldpowermonitor.com/records/highest-coal-share/}
} Permalink: https://worldpowermonitor.com/records/highest-coal-share/
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