China vs India: Annual CO₂ emissions including land-use change, per square kilometre
China
1,275 tonnes per square kilometre
in 2024
India
1,077 tonnes per square kilometre
in 2024
China rank
24th
India rank
26th
Annual CO₂ emissions including land-use change, per square kilometre over time
- China
- India
How they compare
China currently reports 1,275 tonnes per square kilometre against 1,077 tonnes per square kilometre in India, a difference of 198 tonnes per square kilometre.
That makes China's figure about 1.2 times India's.
The two have swapped places 5 times across 64 shared years of data; in 1961 it was India ahead.
China ranks 24th and India ranks 26th of 192 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, China averaged higher in 6 and India in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | India | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 171.94 tonnes per square kilometre | 180.06 tonnes per square kilometre | 8.12 tonnes per square kilometre | India |
| 1970s | 264.77 tonnes per square kilometre | 169.65 tonnes per square kilometre | 95.12 tonnes per square kilometre | China |
| 1980s | 300.51 tonnes per square kilometre | 203.3 tonnes per square kilometre | 97.22 tonnes per square kilometre | China |
| 1990s | 422.48 tonnes per square kilometre | 300.5 tonnes per square kilometre | 121.97 tonnes per square kilometre | China |
| 2000s | 642.54 tonnes per square kilometre | 451.78 tonnes per square kilometre | 190.76 tonnes per square kilometre | China |
| 2010s | 1,040 tonnes per square kilometre | 783.58 tonnes per square kilometre | 256.31 tonnes per square kilometre | China |
| 2020s | 1,212 tonnes per square kilometre | 968.48 tonnes per square kilometre | 243.1 tonnes per square kilometre | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher annual co₂ emissions including land-use change, per square kilometre, China or India?
- China, at 1,275 tonnes per square kilometre against 1,077 tonnes per square kilometre in India as of 2024.
- What is the difference in annual co₂ emissions including land-use change, per square kilometre between China and India?
- 198 tonnes per square kilometre, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and India?
- 64 years are reported by both, from 1961 to 2024.
- How do China and India rank globally for annual co₂ emissions including land-use change, per square kilometre?
- China ranks 24th and India ranks 26th of 192 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Statizoid (derived), published as Annual CO₂ emissions including land-use change, per square kilometre. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Annual CO₂ emissions including land-use change divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.