China vs Iceland: CO₂ emissions per capita
China
8.66 tonnes per person
in 2024
Iceland
9.67 tonnes per person
in 2024
China rank
30th
Iceland rank
27th
CO₂ emissions per capita over time
- China
- Iceland
How they compare
Iceland currently reports 9.67 tonnes per person against 8.66 tonnes per person in China, a difference of 1.01 tonnes per person.
That makes Iceland's figure about 1.1 times China's.
Across all 87 years both countries report, Iceland has been ahead every year.
China ranks 30th and Iceland ranks 27th of 213 countries.
Iceland has averaged higher in every one of the 10 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | Iceland | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 0.1462 tonnes per person | 0.1736 tonnes per person | 0.0275 tonnes per person | Iceland |
| 1940s | 0.1494 tonnes per person | 3.97 tonnes per person | 3.83 tonnes per person | Iceland |
| 1950s | 0.4049 tonnes per person | 5.72 tonnes per person | 5.32 tonnes per person | Iceland |
| 1960s | 0.7531 tonnes per person | 6.98 tonnes per person | 6.23 tonnes per person | Iceland |
| 1970s | 1.26 tonnes per person | 7.84 tonnes per person | 6.58 tonnes per person | Iceland |
| 1980s | 1.82 tonnes per person | 7.3 tonnes per person | 5.48 tonnes per person | Iceland |
| 1990s | 2.56 tonnes per person | 9.15 tonnes per person | 6.59 tonnes per person | Iceland |
| 2000s | 4.29 tonnes per person | 10.72 tonnes per person | 6.43 tonnes per person | Iceland |
| 2010s | 7.08 tonnes per person | 10.64 tonnes per person | 3.56 tonnes per person | Iceland |
| 2020s | 8.2 tonnes per person | 9.33 tonnes per person | 1.13 tonnes per person | Iceland |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher co₂ emissions per capita, China or Iceland?
- Iceland, at 9.67 tonnes per person against 8.66 tonnes per person in China as of 2024.
- What is the difference in co₂ emissions per capita between China and Iceland?
- 1.01 tonnes per person, with Iceland ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and Iceland?
- 87 years are reported by both, from 1936 to 2024.
- How do China and Iceland rank globally for co₂ emissions per capita?
- China ranks 30th and Iceland ranks 27th of 213 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Global Carbon Budget (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as CO₂ emissions per capita. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from burning fossil fuels and industrial processes. This includes emissions from transport, electricity generation, and heating, but not land-use change.