Coal use dropped in China and India in 2025. It rose in USA, hiking energy costs.
Coal experienced a historic decline in China and India, the world’s two most populous countries, in 2025, marking the first time in 52 years that both countries have seen a decline in coal generation at the same time.
Meanwhile, the world’s largest historical polluter, the US, ticked up its use of the worst method of power generation, which helped to drive energy costs higher amid an affordability crisis.