China vs Japan: CO₂ emissions by fuel or industry type
China
186.46 million tonnes
in 2024
Japan
11.36 million tonnes
in 2024
China rank
1st
Japan rank
4th
CO₂ emissions by fuel or industry type over time
- China
- Japan
How they compare
China currently reports 186.46 million tonnes against 11.36 million tonnes in Japan, a difference of 175.10 million tonnes.
That makes China's figure about 16.4 times Japan's.
Across all 35 years both countries report, China has been ahead every year.
China ranks 1st and Japan ranks 4th of 46 countries.
China has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | Japan | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 83.86 million tonnes | 16.32 million tonnes | 67.54 million tonnes | China |
| 2000s | 104.10 million tonnes | 15.66 million tonnes | 88.44 million tonnes | China |
| 2010s | 162.05 million tonnes | 14.51 million tonnes | 147.54 million tonnes | China |
| 2020s | 185.91 million tonnes | 12.01 million tonnes | 173.90 million tonnes | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher co₂ emissions by fuel or industry type, China or Japan?
- China, at 186.46 million tonnes against 11.36 million tonnes in Japan as of 2024.
- What is the difference in co₂ emissions by fuel or industry type between China and Japan?
- 175.10 million tonnes, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and Japan?
- 35 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2024.
- How do China and Japan rank globally for co₂ emissions by fuel or industry type?
- China ranks 1st and Japan ranks 4th of 46 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as CO₂ emissions by fuel or industry type. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Annual emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from other industry sources, measured in tonnes.