China vs Germany: Cumulative CO₂ emissions from coal
China
213.27 billion tonnes
in 2024
Germany
65.23 billion tonnes
in 2024
China rank
1st
Germany rank
3rd
Cumulative CO₂ emissions from coal over time
- China
- Germany
How they compare
China currently reports 213.27 billion tonnes against 65.23 billion tonnes in Germany, a difference of 148.04 billion tonnes.
That makes China's figure about 3.3 times Germany's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 118 shared years of data; in 1907 it was Germany ahead.
China ranks 1st and Germany ranks 3rd of 179 countries.
Across the 13 decades both report, China averaged higher in 3 and Germany in 10.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | Germany | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 43.13 million tonnes | 9.29 billion tonnes | 9.25 billion tonnes | Germany |
| 1910s | 205.81 million tonnes | 12.38 billion tonnes | 12.18 billion tonnes | Germany |
| 1920s | 582.36 million tonnes | 16.95 billion tonnes | 16.37 billion tonnes | Germany |
| 1930s | 1.11 billion tonnes | 21.41 billion tonnes | 20.31 billion tonnes | Germany |
| 1940s | 1.90 billion tonnes | 26.72 billion tonnes | 24.81 billion tonnes | Germany |
| 1950s | 3.04 billion tonnes | 31.77 billion tonnes | 28.73 billion tonnes | Germany |
| 1960s | 7.32 billion tonnes | 38.75 billion tonnes | 31.43 billion tonnes | Germany |
| 1970s | 13.70 billion tonnes | 44.97 billion tonnes | 31.27 billion tonnes | Germany |
| 1980s | 25.59 billion tonnes | 50.48 billion tonnes | 24.89 billion tonnes | Germany |
| 1990s | 45.58 billion tonnes | 55.53 billion tonnes | 9.95 billion tonnes | Germany |
| 2000s | 76.54 billion tonnes | 59.35 billion tonnes | 17.19 billion tonnes | China |
| 2010s | 138.54 billion tonnes | 62.82 billion tonnes | 75.71 billion tonnes | China |
| 2020s | 195.93 billion tonnes | 64.85 billion tonnes | 131.08 billion tonnes | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher cumulative co₂ emissions from coal, China or Germany?
- China, at 213.27 billion tonnes against 65.23 billion tonnes in Germany as of 2024.
- What is the difference in cumulative co₂ emissions from coal between China and Germany?
- 148.04 billion tonnes, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and Germany?
- 118 years are reported by both, from 1907 to 2024.
- How do China and Germany rank globally for cumulative co₂ emissions from coal?
- China ranks 1st and Germany ranks 3rd of 179 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Cumulative CO₂ emissions from coal. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Cumulative emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from coal since the first year of available data, measured in tonnes.