China vs United States: Change air pollutant emissions

China
131.31 million
in 2022
United States
21.97 million
in 2022
China rank
1st
United States rank
4th

Change air pollutant emissions over time

  • China
  • United States
050.0M100.0M150.0M200.0M175018862022

How they compare

China currently reports 131.31 million against 21.97 million in United States, a difference of 109.33 million.

That makes China's figure about 6.0 times United States's.

The two have swapped places 2 times across 273 shared years of data; in 1750 it was China ahead.

China ranks 1st and United States ranks 4th of 220 countries.

Across the 28 decades both report, China averaged higher in 16 and United States in 12.

Head to head by decade

Decade China United States Difference Ahead
1750s 17.82 million 2.00 million 15.82 million China
1760s 18.20 million 2.35 million 15.85 million China
1770s 20.42 million 2.78 million 17.64 million China
1780s 23.47 million 3.31 million 20.16 million China
1790s 23.46 million 4.18 million 19.28 million China
1800s 24.04 million 5.56 million 18.48 million China
1810s 25.49 million 7.39 million 18.10 million China
1820s 26.09 million 9.77 million 16.32 million China
1830s 27.05 million 12.76 million 14.28 million China
1840s 27.03 million 16.50 million 10.53 million China
1850s 25.97 million 21.02 million 4.95 million China
1860s 24.16 million 25.51 million 1.34 million United States
1870s 23.78 million 28.48 million 4.70 million United States
1880s 24.49 million 30.70 million 6.21 million United States
1890s 25.49 million 33.64 million 8.15 million United States
1900s 26.91 million 39.59 million 12.68 million United States
1910s 29.40 million 50.20 million 20.80 million United States
1920s 32.00 million 66.65 million 34.65 million United States
1930s 33.96 million 63.70 million 29.74 million United States
1940s 36.22 million 87.60 million 51.38 million United States
1950s 48.69 million 112.57 million 63.87 million United States
1960s 73.57 million 139.14 million 65.56 million United States
1970s 111.45 million 167.12 million 55.66 million United States
1980s 149.91 million 140.07 million 9.84 million China
1990s 191.22 million 100.27 million 90.95 million China
2000s 203.18 million 61.75 million 141.43 million China
2010s 174.11 million 32.90 million 141.21 million China
2020s 134.11 million 21.94 million 112.18 million China

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher change air pollutant emissions, China or United States?
China, at 131.31 million against 21.97 million in United States as of 2022.
What is the difference in change air pollutant emissions between China and United States?
109.33 million, with China ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for China and United States?
273 years are reported by both, from 1750 to 2022.
How do China and United States rank globally for change air pollutant emissions?
China ranks 1st and United States ranks 4th of 220 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Our World in Data, published as Change air pollutant emissions. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
Change air pollutant emissions
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
220 places, 60,060 data points, 1750–2022
Last refreshed