China vs India: Annual CO₂ emissions from cement
China
617.75 million tonnes
in 2024
India
185.97 million tonnes
in 2024
China rank
1st
India rank
2nd
Annual CO₂ emissions from cement over time
- China
- India
How they compare
China currently reports 617.75 million tonnes against 185.97 million tonnes in India, a difference of 431.78 million tonnes.
That makes China's figure about 3.3 times India's.
The two have swapped places 9 times across 97 shared years of data; in 1928 it was India ahead.
China ranks 1st and India ranks 2nd of 211 countries.
Across the 11 decades both report, China averaged higher in 7 and India in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | India | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 58,146 tonnes | 290,696 tonnes | 232,549 tonnes | India |
| 1930s | 171,694 tonnes | 313,951 tonnes | 142,257 tonnes | India |
| 1940s | 318,827 tonnes | 912,989 tonnes | 594,163 tonnes | India |
| 1950s | 2.27 million tonnes | 2.36 million tonnes | 83,666 tonnes | India |
| 1960s | 5.41 million tonnes | 5.14 million tonnes | 272,205 tonnes | China |
| 1970s | 18.69 million tonnes | 7.44 million tonnes | 11.25 million tonnes | China |
| 1980s | 56.41 million tonnes | 13.55 million tonnes | 42.86 million tonnes | China |
| 1990s | 160.75 million tonnes | 31.34 million tonnes | 129.41 million tonnes | China |
| 2000s | 396.44 million tonnes | 59.57 million tonnes | 336.87 million tonnes | China |
| 2010s | 725.40 million tonnes | 114.57 million tonnes | 610.83 million tonnes | China |
| 2020s | 729.88 million tonnes | 159.90 million tonnes | 569.99 million tonnes | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher annual co₂ emissions from cement, China or India?
- China, at 617.75 million tonnes against 185.97 million tonnes in India as of 2024.
- What is the difference in annual co₂ emissions from cement between China and India?
- 431.78 million tonnes, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and India?
- 97 years are reported by both, from 1928 to 2024.
- How do China and India rank globally for annual co₂ emissions from cement?
- China ranks 1st and India ranks 2nd of 211 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Annual CO₂ emissions from cement. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Annual emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from cement, measured in tonnes.