China vs United States: Share of global consumption-based CO₂ emissions vs. share of population
China
28.5%
in 2023
United States
14.3%
in 2023
China rank
1st
United States rank
2nd
Share of global consumption-based CO₂ emissions vs. share of population over time
- China
- United States
How they compare
China currently reports 28.5% against 14.3% in United States, a difference of 14.2%.
That makes China's figure about 2.0 times United States's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 34 shared years of data; in 1990 it was United States ahead.
China ranks 1st and United States ranks 2nd of 120 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, China averaged higher in 2 and United States in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 12.1% | 23.0% | 10.9% | United States |
| 2000s | 15.8% | 22.1% | 6.3% | United States |
| 2010s | 24.4% | 16.0% | 8.4% | China |
| 2020s | 27.9% | 14.6% | 13.3% | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of global consumption-based co₂ emissions vs. share of population, China or United States?
- China, at 28.5% against 14.3% in United States as of 2023.
- What is the difference in share of global consumption-based co₂ emissions vs. share of population between China and United States?
- 14.2%, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and United States?
- 34 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2023.
- How do China and United States rank globally for share of global consumption-based co₂ emissions vs. share of population?
- China ranks 1st and United States ranks 2nd of 120 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of global consumption-based CO₂ emissions vs. share of population. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Annual consumption-based emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂), measured as a percentage of global consumption-based emissions of CO₂ in the same year.