Visualizing the Scale of Global Fossil Fuel Production – Visual Capitalist

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The Scale of Global Fossil Fuel Production

Fossil fuels have been our predominant source of energy for over a century, and the world still extracts and consumes a colossal amount of coal, oil, and gas every year.

This infographic visualizes the volume of global fossil fuel production in 2021 using data from BP’s Statistical Review of World Energy.

The Facts on Fossil Fuels

In 2021, the world produced around 8 billion tonnes of coal, 4 billion tonnes of oil, and over 4 trillion cubic meters of natural gas.

Most of the coal is used to generate electricity for our homes and offices and has a key role in steel production. Similarly, natural gas is a large source of electricity and heat for industries and buildings. Oil is primarily used by the transportation sector, in addition to petrochemical manufacturing, heating, and other end uses.

Here’s a full breakdown of coal, oil, and gas production by country in 2021.

Coal Production

If all the coal produced in 2021 were arranged in a cube, it would measure 2,141 meters (2.1km) on each side—more than 2.5 times the height of the world’s tallest building.

China produced 50% or more than four billion tonnes of the world’s coal in 2021. It’s also the largest consumer of coal, accounting for 54% of coal consumption in 2021.

Rank
Country
2021 Coal Production
(million tonnes)
% of Total
#1
 China
4,126.0
50%
#2
 India
811.3
10%
#3
 Indonesia
614.0
8%
#4
 U.S.
524.4
6%
#5
 Australia
478.6
6%
#6
 Russia
433.7
5%
#7
 South Africa
234.5
3%
#8
 Germany
126.0
2%
#9
 Kazakhstan
115.7
1%
#10
 Poland
107.6
1%
 Other
600.9
7%
Total
8,172.6
100%

India is both the second largest producer and consumer of coal. Meanwhile, Indonesia is the world’s largest coal exporter, followed by Australia.

In the West, U.S. coal production was down 47% as compared to 2011 levels, and the descent is likely to continue with the clean energy transition.

Oil Production

In 2021, the United States, Russia, and Saudi Arabia were the three largest crude oil producers, respectively.

Rank
Country
2021 Oil Production
(million tonnes)
% of Total
#1
 U.S.
711.1
17%
#2
 Russia
536.4
13%
#3
 Saudi Arabia
515.0
12%
#4
 Canada
267.1
6%
#5
 Iraq
200.8
5%
#6
 China
198.9
5%
#7
 Iran
167.7
4%
#8
 UAE
164.4
4%
#9
 Brazil
156.8
4%
#10
 Kuwait
131.1
3%
 Other
1172.0
28%
Total
4221.4
100%

OPEC countries, including Saudi Arabia, made up the largest share of production at 35% or 1.5 billion tonnes of oil.

U.S. oil production has seen significant growth since 2010. In 2021, the U.S. extracted 711 million tonnes of oil, more than double the 333 million tonnes produced in 2010.

Natural Gas Production

The world produced 4,036 billion cubic meters of natural gas in 2021. The above graphic converts that into an equivalent of seven billion cubic meters of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to visualize it on the same scale as oil and gas.

Here are the top 10 producers of natural gas in 2021:

Rank
Country
2021 Natural Gas Production
(billion m3)
% of Total
#1
 U.S.
934.2
23%
#2
 Russia
701.7
17%
#3
 Iran
256.7
6%
#4
 China
209.2
5%
#5
 Qatar
177.0
4%
#6
 Canada
172.3
4%
#7
 Australia
147.2
4%
#8
 Saudi Arabia
117.3
3%
#9
 Norway
114.3
3%
#10
 Algeria
100.8
2%
 Other
1106.3
27%
Total
4,036.9
100%

The U.S. was the largest producer, with Texas and Pennsylvania accounting for 47% of its gas production. The U.S. electric power and industrial sectors account for around one-third of domestic natural gas consumption.

Russia, the next-largest producer, was the biggest exporter of gas in 2021. It exported an estimated 210 billion cubic meters of natural gas via pipelines to Europe and China. Around 80% of Russian natural gas comes from operations in the Arctic region.