China vs United States of America: Annual co2 emissions per country

China
12.29 billion
in 2024
United States of America
4.90 billion
in 2024
China rank
1st
United States of America rank
2nd

Annual co2 emissions per country over time

  • China
  • United States of America
02.5B5.0B7.5B10.0B12.5B180019122024

How they compare

China currently reports 12.29 billion against 4.90 billion in United States of America, a difference of 7.38 billion.

That makes China's figure about 2.5 times United States of America's.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 118 shared years of data; in 1907 it was United States of America ahead.

China ranks 1st and United States of America ranks 2nd of 215 countries.

Across the 13 decades both report, China averaged higher in 2 and United States of America in 11.

Head to head by decade

Decade China United States of America Difference Ahead
1900s 22.29 million 1.15 billion 1.12 billion United States of America
1910s 27.80 million 1.45 billion 1.42 billion United States of America
1920s 44.57 million 1.76 billion 1.71 billion United States of America
1930s 62.31 million 1.55 billion 1.48 billion United States of America
1940s 77.87 million 2.27 billion 2.19 billion United States of America
1950s 251.05 million 2.68 billion 2.43 billion United States of America
1960s 535.97 million 3.37 billion 2.84 billion United States of America
1970s 1.15 billion 4.63 billion 3.48 billion United States of America
1980s 1.94 billion 4.60 billion 2.66 billion United States of America
1990s 3.11 billion 5.43 billion 2.32 billion United States of America
2000s 5.62 billion 5.97 billion 346.26 million United States of America
2010s 9.85 billion 5.40 billion 4.45 billion China
2020s 11.67 billion 4.92 billion 6.75 billion China

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher annual co2 emissions per country, China or United States of America?
China, at 12.29 billion against 4.90 billion in United States of America as of 2024.
What is the difference in annual co2 emissions per country between China and United States of America?
7.38 billion, with China ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for China and United States of America?
118 years are reported by both, from 1907 to 2024.
How do China and United States of America rank globally for annual co2 emissions per country?
China ranks 1st and United States of America ranks 2nd of 215 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Our World in Data, published as Annual co2 emissions per country. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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China vs United States of America: Annual co2 emissions per country. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 August 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/compare/annual-co2-emissions-per-country/china/united-states/

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About this data

Indicator
Annual co2 emissions per country
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
216 places, 23,583 data points, 1750–2024
Last refreshed