Top African countries with the highest coal consumption in 2024

Like everywhere else, coal is still a valuable resource in Africa, contributing to the generation of electricity, supporting companies, and creating employment despite the worldwide trend toward renewable energy. The coal trade also makes a substantial contribution to the global market.

For many African nations, coal is a vital energy source that fosters industrial growth and energy security. Coal-fired power plants are a steady and affordable energy source for nations where access to electricity is limited.

Coal is a major source of energy in Africa, particularly in countries like South Africa, which is the largest producer and consumer of coal on the continent.

South Africa like a few other African countries relies heavily on coal for electricity generation, with around 80% of its power coming from coal-fired plants.

According to the data provided by Global Fire Power, of the top 117 countries that still consume coal, Africa has 20, highlighting the dependence on coal several African countries struggle with.

However, on average said African countries do not consume as much coal as some of the world’s most advanced economies.

With that said, below are the 10 African countries that consume the most coal, according to Global Fire Power.

In its energy section, Global Fire Power (GFP) proffers data on the production and consumption of coal given its current relevance in the energy market.

Coal is a part of the GFP index formula given its importance in energy production across the world. However, GFP notes that coal consumption in today’s world hampers a military’s ability to grow and as such counts as a negative index when formulating the index for the world’s strongest militaries.