China vs United States: CO₂ emissions by fuel or industry type
China
186.46 million tonnes
in 2024
United States
135.34 million tonnes
in 2024
China rank
1st
United States rank
2nd
CO₂ emissions by fuel or industry type over time
- China
- United States
How they compare
China currently reports 186.46 million tonnes against 135.34 million tonnes in United States, a difference of 51.12 million tonnes.
That makes China's figure about 1.4 times United States's.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 65 shared years of data; in 1960 it was China ahead.
China ranks 1st and United States ranks 2nd of 46 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, China averaged higher in 5 and United States in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 23.41 million tonnes | 10.79 million tonnes | 12.62 million tonnes | China |
| 1970s | 35.63 million tonnes | 13.52 million tonnes | 22.11 million tonnes | China |
| 1980s | 49.73 million tonnes | 10.83 million tonnes | 38.89 million tonnes | China |
| 1990s | 83.86 million tonnes | 139.15 million tonnes | 55.30 million tonnes | United States |
| 2000s | 104.10 million tonnes | 149.30 million tonnes | 45.20 million tonnes | United States |
| 2010s | 162.05 million tonnes | 133.50 million tonnes | 28.55 million tonnes | China |
| 2020s | 185.91 million tonnes | 133.37 million tonnes | 52.54 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 United States?
- China, at 186.46 million tonnes against 135.34 million tonnes in United States as of 2024.
- What is the difference in co₂ emissions by fuel or industry type between China and United States?
- 51.12 million tonnes, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and United States?
- 65 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2024.
- How do China and United States rank globally for co₂ emissions by fuel or industry type?
- China ranks 1st and United States ranks 2nd 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.