China vs Japan: Total coal capacity by plant status (MW) - Operating

China
1.04 million
in 2020
Japan
47,872
in 2020
China rank
1st
Japan rank
4th

Total coal capacity by plant status (MW) - Operating over time

  • China
  • Japan
0200.0k400.0k600.0k800.0k1.0M201420172020

How they compare

China currently reports 1.04 million against 47,872 in Japan, a difference of 995,078.

That makes China's figure about 21.8 times Japan's.

Across all 7 years both countries report, China has been ahead every year.

China ranks 1st and Japan ranks 4th of 75 countries.

China has averaged higher in every one of the 2 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade China Japan Difference Ahead
2010s 926,300 45,537 880,763 China
2020s 1.04 million 47,872 995,078 China

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher total coal capacity by plant status (mw) - operating, China or Japan?
China, at 1.04 million against 47,872 in Japan as of 2020.
What is the difference in total coal capacity by plant status (mw) - operating between China and Japan?
995,078, with China ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for China and Japan?
7 years are reported by both, from 2014 to 2020.
How do China and Japan rank globally for total coal capacity by plant status (mw) - operating?
China ranks 1st and Japan ranks 4th of 75 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Global Coal Plant Tracker, Global Energy Monitor. Available at: https://globalenergymonitor.org/projects/global-coal-plant-tracker/, published as Total coal capacity by plant status (MW) - Operating. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
Total coal capacity by plant status (MW) - Operating
Source
Global Coal Plant Tracker, Global Energy Monitor. Available at: https://globalenergymonitor.org/projects/global-coal-plant-tracker/
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
75 places, 521 data points, 2014–2020
Last refreshed

Total coal capacity by plant status is generated from the Global Coal Plant Tracker (GCPT). The GCPT provides information on coal-fired power units from around the world generating 30 megawatts and above. The GCPT catalogues every operating coal-fired generating unit, every new unit proposed since 2010, and every unit retired since 2000. Units often consist of a boiler and turbine, and several units may make up one coal-fired power station. The map and underlying data is updated bi-annually, in January and July. Each plant included in the tracker is linked to a wiki page on GEM.wiki, which provides additional details. GCPT was accessed in July 2021 to generate this data.