Australia vs China: Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity
Australia
525.18 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour
in 2025
China
525.34 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour
in 2025
Australia rank
89th
China rank
88th
Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity over time
- Australia
- China
How they compare
China currently reports 525.34 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour against 525.18 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour in Australia, a difference of 0.16 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 26 shared years of data; in 2000 it was Australia ahead.
Australia ranks 89th and China ranks 88th of 213 countries.
Australia has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Australia | China | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 793.88 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 774.33 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 19.56 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | Australia |
| 2010s | 725.22 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 684.51 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 40.71 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | Australia |
| 2020s | 576.97 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 575.98 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 0.9883 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | Australia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity, Australia or China?
- China, at 525.34 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour against 525.18 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour in Australia as of 2025.
- What is the difference in lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity between Australia and China?
- 0.16 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and China?
- 26 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2025.
- How do Australia and China rank globally for lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity?
- Australia ranks 89th and China ranks 88th of 213 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Ember (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Greenhouse gases emitted per unit of generated electricity, measured in grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour.