China vs United Kingdom: Cumulative CO₂ emissions from coal
China
213.27 billion tonnes
in 2024
United Kingdom
56.90 billion tonnes
in 2024
China rank
1st
United Kingdom rank
4th
Cumulative CO₂ emissions from coal over time
- China
- United Kingdom
How they compare
China currently reports 213.27 billion tonnes against 56.90 billion tonnes in United Kingdom, a difference of 156.37 billion tonnes.
That makes China's figure about 3.7 times United Kingdom's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 118 shared years of data; in 1907 it was United Kingdom ahead.
China ranks 1st and United Kingdom ranks 4th of 179 countries.
Across the 13 decades both report, China averaged higher in 3 and United Kingdom in 10.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | United Kingdom | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 43.13 million tonnes | 20.21 billion tonnes | 20.17 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1910s | 205.81 million tonnes | 23.28 billion tonnes | 23.08 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1920s | 582.36 million tonnes | 27.70 billion tonnes | 27.12 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1930s | 1.11 billion tonnes | 31.88 billion tonnes | 30.77 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1940s | 1.90 billion tonnes | 36.32 billion tonnes | 34.42 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1950s | 3.04 billion tonnes | 40.95 billion tonnes | 37.90 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1960s | 7.32 billion tonnes | 45.41 billion tonnes | 38.09 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1970s | 13.70 billion tonnes | 48.85 billion tonnes | 35.15 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1980s | 25.59 billion tonnes | 51.43 billion tonnes | 25.84 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1990s | 45.58 billion tonnes | 53.71 billion tonnes | 8.13 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 2000s | 76.54 billion tonnes | 55.29 billion tonnes | 21.25 billion tonnes | China |
| 2010s | 138.54 billion tonnes | 56.52 billion tonnes | 82.01 billion tonnes | China |
| 2020s | 195.93 billion tonnes | 56.87 billion tonnes | 139.06 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 United Kingdom?
- China, at 213.27 billion tonnes against 56.90 billion tonnes in United Kingdom as of 2024.
- What is the difference in cumulative co₂ emissions from coal between China and United Kingdom?
- 156.37 billion tonnes, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and United Kingdom?
- 118 years are reported by both, from 1907 to 2024.
- How do China and United Kingdom rank globally for cumulative co₂ emissions from coal?
- China ranks 1st and United Kingdom ranks 4th 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.