Top 20 Coal Importing Countries in the World

4. South Korea

Coal Imports in 2022: 133,347.98 thousand short tons

IEA reports that coal currently accounts for more than 40 percent of South Korea’s electricity generation, but under Seoul’s current energy plans coal’s percentage of electricity generation should fall to slightly below 15 percent in 2036. For this, South Korea plans on retiring over 20 coal-fired power plants over the next decade and replacing their production with increased nuclear power and renewable energy, according to IEA.