China vs OECD (GCP): Carbon dioxide emissions by income level
China
12.29 billion tonnes
in 2024
OECD (GCP)
11.17 billion tonnes
in 2024
China rank
1st
OECD (GCP) rank
1st
Carbon dioxide emissions by income level over time
- China
- OECD (GCP)
How they compare
China currently reports 12.29 billion tonnes against 11.17 billion tonnes in OECD (GCP), a difference of 1.12 billion tonnes.
That makes China's figure about 1.1 times OECD (GCP)'s.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 118 shared years of data; in 1907 it was OECD (GCP) ahead.
China ranks 1st and OECD (GCP) ranks 1st of 215 countries.
Across the 13 decades both report, China averaged higher in 1 and OECD (GCP) in 12.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | OECD (GCP) | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 22.29 million tonnes | 2.69 billion tonnes | 2.66 billion tonnes | OECD (GCP) |
| 1910s | 27.80 million tonnes | 3.07 billion tonnes | 3.04 billion tonnes | OECD (GCP) |
| 1920s | 44.57 million tonnes | 3.45 billion tonnes | 3.40 billion tonnes | OECD (GCP) |
| 1930s | 62.31 million tonnes | 3.31 billion tonnes | 3.25 billion tonnes | OECD (GCP) |
| 1940s | 77.87 million tonnes | 4.18 billion tonnes | 4.10 billion tonnes | OECD (GCP) |
| 1950s | 251.05 million tonnes | 5.33 billion tonnes | 5.08 billion tonnes | OECD (GCP) |
| 1960s | 535.97 million tonnes | 7.41 billion tonnes | 6.88 billion tonnes | OECD (GCP) |
| 1970s | 1.15 billion tonnes | 10.59 billion tonnes | 9.44 billion tonnes | OECD (GCP) |
| 1980s | 1.94 billion tonnes | 10.92 billion tonnes | 8.98 billion tonnes | OECD (GCP) |
| 1990s | 3.11 billion tonnes | 12.54 billion tonnes | 9.42 billion tonnes | OECD (GCP) |
| 2000s | 5.62 billion tonnes | 13.64 billion tonnes | 8.02 billion tonnes | OECD (GCP) |
| 2010s | 9.85 billion tonnes | 12.75 billion tonnes | 2.90 billion tonnes | OECD (GCP) |
| 2020s | 11.67 billion tonnes | 11.40 billion tonnes | 273.22 million tonnes | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher carbon dioxide emissions by income level, China or OECD (GCP)?
- China, at 12.29 billion tonnes against 11.17 billion tonnes in OECD (GCP) as of 2024.
- What is the difference in carbon dioxide emissions by income level between China and OECD (GCP)?
- 1.12 billion tonnes, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and OECD (GCP)?
- 118 years are reported by both, from 1907 to 2024.
- How do China and OECD (GCP) rank globally for carbon dioxide emissions by income level?
- China ranks 1st and OECD (GCP) ranks 1st of 215 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Carbon dioxide emissions by income level. 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.