China vs United States: Co2 emissions and gdp

China
35.26 trillion
in 2025
United States
26.29 trillion
in 2025
China rank
1st
United States rank
2nd

Co2 emissions and gdp over time

  • China
  • United States
010.0T20.0T30.0T40.0T199020072025

How they compare

China currently reports 35.26 trillion against 26.29 trillion in United States, a difference of 8.96 trillion.

That makes China's figure about 1.3 times United States's.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 36 shared years of data; in 1990 it was United States ahead.

China ranks 1st and United States ranks 2nd of 198 countries.

Across the 4 decades both report, China averaged higher in 1 and United States in 3.

Head to head by decade

Decade China United States Difference Ahead
1990s 3.24 trillion 12.60 trillion 9.37 trillion United States
2000s 8.31 trillion 17.13 trillion 8.82 trillion United States
2010s 20.02 trillion 20.47 trillion 459.28 billion United States
2020s 31.29 trillion 24.58 trillion 6.72 trillion China

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher co2 emissions and gdp, China or United States?
China, at 35.26 trillion against 26.29 trillion in United States as of 2025.
What is the difference in co2 emissions and gdp between China and United States?
8.96 trillion, with China ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for China and United States?
36 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2025.
How do China and United States rank globally for co2 emissions and gdp?
China ranks 1st and United States ranks 2nd of 198 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Our World in Data, published as Co2 emissions and gdp. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
Co2 emissions and gdp
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
198 places, 6,959 data points, 1990–2025
Last refreshed