China vs United States: Annual CO₂ emissions from coal
China
8.89 billion tonnes
in 2024
United States
732.89 million tonnes
in 2024
China rank
1st
United States rank
3rd
Annual CO₂ emissions from coal over time
- China
- United States
How they compare
China currently reports 8.89 billion tonnes against 732.89 million tonnes in United States, a difference of 8.15 billion tonnes.
That makes China's figure about 12.1 times United States's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 118 shared years of data; in 1907 it was United States ahead.
China ranks 1st and United States ranks 3rd of 179 countries.
Across the 13 decades both report, China averaged higher in 4 and United States in 9.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 22.29 million tonnes | 1.05 billion tonnes | 1.02 billion tonnes | United States |
| 1910s | 27.80 million tonnes | 1.29 billion tonnes | 1.26 billion tonnes | United States |
| 1920s | 44.55 million tonnes | 1.35 billion tonnes | 1.30 billion tonnes | United States |
| 1930s | 61.67 million tonnes | 1.02 billion tonnes | 953.36 million tonnes | United States |
| 1940s | 76.61 million tonnes | 1.36 billion tonnes | 1.28 billion tonnes | United States |
| 1950s | 242.47 million tonnes | 1.04 billion tonnes | 801.57 million tonnes | United States |
| 1960s | 469.08 million tonnes | 1.04 billion tonnes | 575.56 million tonnes | United States |
| 1970s | 881.35 million tonnes | 1.22 billion tonnes | 340.46 million tonnes | United States |
| 1980s | 1.51 billion tonnes | 1.56 billion tonnes | 54.89 million tonnes | United States |
| 1990s | 2.36 billion tonnes | 1.89 billion tonnes | 473.43 million tonnes | China |
| 2000s | 4.21 billion tonnes | 2.08 billion tonnes | 2.13 billion tonnes | China |
| 2010s | 7.26 billion tonnes | 1.51 billion tonnes | 5.75 billion tonnes | China |
| 2020s | 8.36 billion tonnes | 848.25 million tonnes | 7.51 billion tonnes | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher annual co₂ emissions from coal, China or United States?
- China, at 8.89 billion tonnes against 732.89 million tonnes in United States as of 2024.
- What is the difference in annual co₂ emissions from coal between China and United States?
- 8.15 billion tonnes, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and United States?
- 118 years are reported by both, from 1907 to 2024.
- How do China and United States rank globally for annual co₂ emissions from coal?
- China ranks 1st and United States ranks 3rd of 179 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 coal. 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 coal, measured in tonnes.