Mongolia–China coal trade
Does the coal that leaves Mongolia arrive in China?
Mongolia sends almost all of its coal to China, and both countries' customs count the same shipments. If coal crossed the border without being recorded in Mongolia, China's figures would be higher than Mongolia's.
From 2013 to 2022, China recorded 2.01 Mt more coal arriving from Mongolia than Mongolia recorded leaving. That is 0.9% of the 232 Mt shipped, across the 9 years in which both countries' customs figures can be compared.
The amounts alleged during the 2022 coal-theft scandal were much larger: 6.4 to 6.9 million tonnes. A small customs gap does not rule out theft. Coal that neither customs service recorded, or coal sold below its value, would not show up as a gap here.
Net customs gap, 2013–2022
+2.01 Mt
China minus Mongolia, 9 comparable years
Largest gap alleged
6.9 Mt
Parliamentary committee, 2008–2022
Latest full year, 2025
−636 kt
Mongolia 89.6 Mt, China 89.0 Mt
Coal shipped from Mongolia to China, as recorded by each side
Million tonnes per year, coal and lignite. Hatched years cannot be compared; dashed lines are estimated from Mongolia's total exports.
- Mongolia reported (exports to China)
- Estimated from Mongolia's total exports
- China reported (imports from Mongolia)
- From a news report citing China customs
- Not comparable: China's weight is a UN Comtrade estimate
Data table
| 2005 | 2,217,628 | 2,538,558 | 320,930 | +14.5% | 12 | 12 | Comparable | |
| 2006 | 2,354,870 | 2,352,233 | -2,637 | −0.1% | 19 | 18 | Comparable | China's import price per tonne is lower than Mongolia's export price |
| 2007 | 3,248,326 | 3,269,489 | 21,162 | +0.7% | 36 | 31 | Comparable | China's import price per tonne is lower than Mongolia's export price |
| 2008 | 4,144,150 | 4,128,585 | -15,565 | −0.4% | 44 | 59 | Approximate | Mongolia's figure is its total coal exports to all countries, multiplied by China's share of those exports |
| 2009 | 7,070,291 | 6,016,537 | -1,053,754 | −14.9% | 43 | 53 | Approximate | Mongolia's figure is its total coal exports to all countries, multiplied by China's share of those exports |
| 2010 | 16,625,303 | 16,663,220 | 37,917 | +0.2% | 53 | 61 | Approximate | Mongolia's figure is its total coal exports to all countries, multiplied by China's share of those exports |
| 2011 | 21,167,576 | 20,291,584 | -875,992 | −4.1% | 107 | 79 | Approximate | China's import price per tonne is lower than Mongolia's export price · Mongolia's figure is its total coal exports to all countries, multiplied by China's share of those exports |
| 2012 | 20,789,302 | 22,132,938 | 1,343,637 | +6.5% | 91 | 77 | Approximate | China's import price per tonne is lower than Mongolia's export price · Mongolia's figure is its total coal exports to all countries, multiplied by China's share of those exports |
| 2013 | 18,372,505 | 17,494,669 | -877,836 | −4.8% | 61 | 68 | Comparable | |
| 2014 | 19,478,996 | 19,269,102 | -209,894 | −1.1% | 44 | 49 | Comparable | |
| 2015 | 14,012,018 | 14,388,526 | 376,508 | +2.7% | 38 | 37 | Comparable | |
| 2016 | 25,414,032 | 12,204,936 (UN Comtrade estimate, not used) | — | — | 37 | — | One side only | China's weight for this period is an estimate made by UN Comtrade, not a figure reported by China, and it is far too low |
| 2017 | 32,700,134 | 33,987,722 | 1,287,588 | +3.9% | 67 | 65 | Comparable | |
| 2018 | 35,867,165 | 36,241,900 | 374,735 | +1.0% | 77 | 78 | Comparable | |
| 2019 | 35,934,860 | 36,206,382 | 271,522 | +0.8% | 84 | 85 | Comparable | |
| 2020 | 27,299,881 | 28,546,861 | 1,246,980 | +4.6% | 74 | 70 | Comparable | |
| 2021 | 18,157,420 | 16,443,336 | -1,714,085 | −9.4% | 136 | 122 | Comparable | China's import price per tonne is lower than Mongolia's export price · Mongolia's two official figures disagree by more than 8% this year: its UN Comtrade submission and its statistics office total |
| 2022 | 29,889,223 | 31,143,168 | 1,253,945 | +4.2% | 202 | 162 | Comparable | China's import price per tonne is lower than Mongolia's export price |
| 2023 | 69,285,449 | 69,973,900 | 688,451 | +1.0% | 128 | — | Approximate | China's figure was entered by hand from a news report citing China customs |
| 2024 | 83,366,147 | 82,910,681 | -455,466 | −0.6% | 104 | 101 | Approximate | Mongolia's figure is its total coal exports to all countries, multiplied by China's share of those exports |
| 2025 | 89,600,049 | 88,964,153 | -635,896 | −0.7% | 64 | 62 | Approximate | Mongolia's figure is its total coal exports to all countries, multiplied by China's share of those exports |
Explore
Year by year Every year since 2005, with the source of each number. Month by month Monthly figures, year-to-date totals and rolling 12-month gaps. Prices Price per tonne on each side, and the years when they do not add up. Production Coal mined, sold and exported, from two Mongolian agencies. Allegations What was alleged, by whom, and what the customs data can and cannot show. Methodology How the comparison works, and what it cannot detect. Data Download everything, read the data dictionary, see every revision.
Sources and how current they are
| Source | Latest period | Retrieved | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| UN Comtrade: Mongolia-reported exports | Dec 2021 | 2026-10-16 | Behind schedule |
| UN Comtrade: China-reported imports | Dec 2024 | 2026-10-16 | Behind schedule |
| NSO Mongolia: exports by main commodity, monthly | Sep 2026 | 2026-10-16 | Current |
| NSO Mongolia: exports by main commodity, annual | 2025 | 2026-10-16 | Current |
| NSO Mongolia: production of major commodities, monthly | Aug 2026 | 2026-10-16 | Current |
| NSO Mongolia: balance of coal, annual | 2025 | 2026-10-16 | Current |
| China customs (GACC) releases, entered by hand | Aug 2026 | 2026-10-16 | Entered by hand |
| Ministry of Mining: monthly statistical reports | Aug 2026 | 2026-10-16 | Current |