Coal’s Share Of Global Energy Supply Has Been Increasing For 50 Years, IEA Reports

The share of coal in the world’s total energy supply has continued to rise steadily in the last 50 years, according to the IEA’s 2020 World Energy Statistics report.

The share of coal of total energy supply increased between 1973 and 2018, while the share of oil shrunk by nearly 15 percentage points, as the share of energy supply from China surged at the expense of supply in developed economies, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said in its new report Key World Energy Statistics 2020 on Thursday.

Back in 1973, when total global energy supply was more than half the current supply, coal held a share of 24.5 percent of global energy supply, while oil accounted for the largest share at 46.2 percent, according to IEA’s estimates.

In 2018, the share of coal increased to 26.9 percent, while oil’s share of global energy supply dropped to 31.6 percent. The share of natural gas rose from 16 percent in 1973 to 22.8 percent in 2018, IEA’s statistics show.

In the OECD region, the share of coal and oil in supply significantly dropped between 1973 and 2018, while natural gas and nuclear increased their shares.

China’s share of total global energy supply jumped from 7 percent back in 1973 to 22.5 percent in 2018, and the Middle East also expanded its share from 0.8 percent to 5.3 percent. At the same time, the OECD share of global energy supply declined from 61.3 percent to 37.5 percent.

In recent years, China has been the driver of global coal-fired capacity, while many developed countries – including the United States and in Europe – are phasing out coal-fired plants either because of clean energy commitments or because of cheaper natural gas.

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