China vs Russia: Carbon dioxide emissions by income level
China
12.29 billion tonnes
in 2024
Russia
1.78 billion tonnes
in 2024
China rank
1st
Russia rank
4th
Carbon dioxide emissions by income level over time
- China
- Russia
How they compare
China currently reports 12.29 billion tonnes against 1.78 billion tonnes in Russia, a difference of 10.51 billion tonnes.
That makes China's figure about 6.9 times Russia's.
The two have swapped places 5 times across 118 shared years of data; in 1907 it was Russia ahead.
China ranks 1st and Russia ranks 4th of 215 countries.
Across the 13 decades both report, China averaged higher in 5 and Russia in 8.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | Russia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 22.29 million tonnes | 57.91 million tonnes | 35.61 million tonnes | Russia |
| 1910s | 27.80 million tonnes | 56.76 million tonnes | 28.97 million tonnes | Russia |
| 1920s | 44.57 million tonnes | 39.98 million tonnes | 4.59 million tonnes | China |
| 1930s | 62.31 million tonnes | 180.96 million tonnes | 118.65 million tonnes | Russia |
| 1940s | 77.87 million tonnes | 255.53 million tonnes | 177.66 million tonnes | Russia |
| 1950s | 251.05 million tonnes | 615.35 million tonnes | 364.30 million tonnes | Russia |
| 1960s | 535.97 million tonnes | 1.12 billion tonnes | 586.58 million tonnes | Russia |
| 1970s | 1.15 billion tonnes | 1.78 billion tonnes | 628.73 million tonnes | Russia |
| 1980s | 1.94 billion tonnes | 2.26 billion tonnes | 323.04 million tonnes | Russia |
| 1990s | 3.11 billion tonnes | 1.81 billion tonnes | 1.30 billion tonnes | China |
| 2000s | 5.62 billion tonnes | 1.56 billion tonnes | 4.06 billion tonnes | China |
| 2010s | 9.85 billion tonnes | 1.66 billion tonnes | 8.18 billion tonnes | China |
| 2020s | 11.67 billion tonnes | 1.70 billion tonnes | 9.97 billion 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 Russia?
- China, at 12.29 billion tonnes against 1.78 billion tonnes in Russia as of 2024.
- What is the difference in carbon dioxide emissions by income level between China and Russia?
- 10.51 billion tonnes, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and Russia?
- 118 years are reported by both, from 1907 to 2024.
- How do China and Russia rank globally for carbon dioxide emissions by income level?
- China ranks 1st and Russia ranks 4th 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.