China vs Russia: Cumulative CO₂ emissions
China
285.09 billion tonnes
in 2024
Russia
122.81 billion tonnes
in 2024
China rank
2nd
Russia rank
3rd
Cumulative CO₂ emissions over time
- China
- Russia
How they compare
China currently reports 285.09 billion tonnes against 122.81 billion tonnes in Russia, a difference of 162.28 billion tonnes.
That makes China's figure about 2.3 times Russia's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 118 shared years of data; in 1907 it was Russia ahead.
China ranks 2nd and Russia ranks 3rd of 215 countries.
Across the 13 decades both report, China averaged higher in 3 and Russia in 10.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | Russia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 43.13 million tonnes | 873.96 million tonnes | 830.83 million tonnes | Russia |
| 1910s | 205.81 million tonnes | 1.28 billion tonnes | 1.07 billion tonnes | Russia |
| 1920s | 582.38 million tonnes | 1.67 billion tonnes | 1.09 billion tonnes | Russia |
| 1930s | 1.11 billion tonnes | 2.74 billion tonnes | 1.63 billion tonnes | Russia |
| 1940s | 1.92 billion tonnes | 5.00 billion tonnes | 3.08 billion tonnes | Russia |
| 1950s | 3.09 billion tonnes | 9.23 billion tonnes | 6.14 billion tonnes | Russia |
| 1960s | 7.75 billion tonnes | 18.12 billion tonnes | 10.37 billion tonnes | Russia |
| 1970s | 15.72 billion tonnes | 32.85 billion tonnes | 17.12 billion tonnes | Russia |
| 1980s | 31.20 billion tonnes | 53.51 billion tonnes | 22.30 billion tonnes | Russia |
| 1990s | 56.99 billion tonnes | 74.91 billion tonnes | 17.92 billion tonnes | Russia |
| 2000s | 98.72 billion tonnes | 90.54 billion tonnes | 8.18 billion tonnes | China |
| 2010s | 181.16 billion tonnes | 106.80 billion tonnes | 74.36 billion tonnes | China |
| 2020s | 261.01 billion tonnes | 119.34 billion tonnes | 141.67 billion tonnes | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher cumulative co₂ emissions, China or Russia?
- China, at 285.09 billion tonnes against 122.81 billion tonnes in Russia as of 2024.
- What is the difference in cumulative co₂ emissions between China and Russia?
- 162.28 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 cumulative co₂ emissions?
- China ranks 2nd and Russia ranks 3rd of 215 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Cumulative CO₂ emissions. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Total cumulative emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂), excluding land-use change, since the first year of available data, measured in tonnes.