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INFOGRAPHIC: Global coking coal imports hit by Covid-19

All the world’s major coking coal importers reduced their purchases in 2020 amid steel production cuts and lockdowns caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

July 7, 2021
By Alice Li
Asia China Global India

China, Japan, South Korea, the European Union and India imported a total of 217.76 million tonnes of coking coal last year, down by 10.1% from 2019.

The largest decline in percentage terms was found in the EU. The bloc imported 30.20 million tonnes of the steelmaking raw material, down by 34.5% from 2019.

China imported 72.28 million tonnes in 2020. In percentage terms this was down by just 3%, but amounted to a year-on-year drop of 2.21 million tonnes.

The world’s second-largest importer, Japan, purchased 51.9 million tonnes of coking coal last year, down by 8% from 2019.

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