China vs United States: CO₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change
China
12.29 billion tonnes
in 2024
United States
4.90 billion tonnes
in 2024
China rank
1st
United States rank
2nd
CO₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change over time
- China
- United States
How they compare
China currently reports 12.29 billion tonnes against 4.90 billion tonnes in United States, a difference of 7.38 billion tonnes.
That makes China's figure about 2.5 times United States's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 118 shared years of data; in 1907 it was United States ahead.
China ranks 1st and United States ranks 2nd of 215 countries.
Across the 13 decades both report, China averaged higher in 2 and United States in 11.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 22.29 million tonnes | 1.15 billion tonnes | 1.12 billion tonnes | United States |
| 1910s | 27.80 million tonnes | 1.45 billion tonnes | 1.42 billion tonnes | United States |
| 1920s | 44.57 million tonnes | 1.76 billion tonnes | 1.71 billion tonnes | United States |
| 1930s | 62.31 million tonnes | 1.55 billion tonnes | 1.48 billion tonnes | United States |
| 1940s | 77.87 million tonnes | 2.27 billion tonnes | 2.19 billion tonnes | United States |
| 1950s | 251.05 million tonnes | 2.68 billion tonnes | 2.43 billion tonnes | United States |
| 1960s | 535.97 million tonnes | 3.37 billion tonnes | 2.84 billion tonnes | United States |
| 1970s | 1.15 billion tonnes | 4.63 billion tonnes | 3.48 billion tonnes | United States |
| 1980s | 1.94 billion tonnes | 4.60 billion tonnes | 2.66 billion tonnes | United States |
| 1990s | 3.11 billion tonnes | 5.43 billion tonnes | 2.32 billion tonnes | United States |
| 2000s | 5.62 billion tonnes | 5.97 billion tonnes | 346.26 million tonnes | United States |
| 2010s | 9.85 billion tonnes | 5.40 billion tonnes | 4.45 billion tonnes | China |
| 2020s | 11.67 billion tonnes | 4.92 billion tonnes | 6.75 billion tonnes | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher co₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change, China or United States?
- China, at 12.29 billion tonnes against 4.90 billion tonnes in United States as of 2024.
- What is the difference in co₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change between China and United States?
- 7.38 billion tonnes, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and United States?
- 118 years are reported by both, from 1907 to 2024.
- How do China and United States rank globally for co₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change?
- China ranks 1st and United States ranks 2nd of 215 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as CO₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Annual total emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂), excluding land-use change, measured in tonnes.