Consumption and production of hard coal

The latest figures on the consumption of hard coal in the European Union (EU) show a further annual decline, down to 176 million tonnes in 2019.

Inland consumption of hard coal in the EU decreased steadily during the 1990s and then stabilised at around 300 million tonnes for almost a decade. Following a sharp decline and a brief recovery between 2008 and 2011, consumption has continued to decrease. In 2019, consumption of hard coal was 55% below the level of 390 million tonnes in 1990.

The production of hard coal in the EU has also been falling year on year. In 2019, production stood at 65 million tonnes, 9% below the level in 2018 and 77% less than the 277 million tonnes in 1990.

In 1990, 13 Member States of the current EU were producing hard coal. In 2019, two Member States produced hard coal: Poland (61.6 million tonnes) and Czechia (3.4 million tonnes).

Note: The European Union (EU) includes 27 EU Member States. The United Kingdom left the European Union on 31 January 2020.