Year-over-year change: 0.0%, trend flat
5-year change: +8.1%, trend up
United States of America
Coal recoverable reserves: 273.2 billion short tons
View MoreWorld Total1.3trillion short tons
20082023
2023
Rankings at a glance
Highest 10 · Coal recoverable reserves (2023)
Among the 87 countries with 2023 data, the United States has the highest coal recoverable reserves at 273.2 billion short tons in 2023, followed by Russia (178.8 billion short tons) and China (173.1 billion short tons). Australia (164.8 billion short tons) and India (140.8 billion short tons) close out the top 5. Next up, Germany (39.0 billion short tons) and Indonesia (38.6 billion short tons). Ukraine (37.9 billion short tons), Kyrgyzstan (31.4 billion short tons), and Poland (30.6 billion short tons) round out the top ten. The gap across the top ten is wide: the United States has 8.9× the value of Poland (30.6 billion short tons). Four of the top ten are in Europe, with three from Eastern Europe.
Rank changes
How coal recoverable reserves changed between 2018 and 2023
2018and2023
Historical trends
Key terms
- Proved reserves
- — Quantities of crude oil or natural gas that geological and engineering data demonstrate with reasonable certainty are recoverable under existing economic and operating conditions.
- Recoverable reserves
- — Coal that can be technically and economically extracted with current mining methods at current prices. Excludes inaccessible deposits.
- Billion barrels (B bbl)
- — Unit for oil reserves. One barrel equals 42 US gallons or about 159 litres.
- Trillion cubic feet (TCF)
- — Unit for natural gas reserves. One TCF is roughly 28.3 billion cubic metres.
- Million short tons (M ST)
- — Unit for coal reserves. One short ton equals 2,000 lb or 907 kg.
Frequently asked questions
- Which country has the highest coal recoverable reserves?
- The United States has the highest coal recoverable reserves among the 87 countries with 2023 data at 273.2 billion short tons as of 2023, according to U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).
- Which country has the lowest coal recoverable reserves?
- Taiwan has the lowest coal recoverable reserves among the 87 countries with 2023 data at 1.1 million short tons as of 2023, according to U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).
- What is the total coal recoverable reserves worldwide?
- The combined coal recoverable reserves across 87 countries total 1.3 trillion short tons as of 2023, according to U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).
