China vs United States: Cumulative CO₂ emissions from coal
China
213.27 billion tonnes
in 2024
United States
176.02 billion tonnes
in 2024
China rank
1st
United States rank
2nd
Cumulative CO₂ emissions from coal over time
- China
- United States
How they compare
China currently reports 213.27 billion tonnes against 176.02 billion tonnes in United States, a difference of 37.25 billion tonnes.
That makes China's figure about 1.2 times United States's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 118 shared years of data; in 1907 it was United States ahead.
China ranks 1st and United States ranks 2nd of 179 countries.
Across the 13 decades both report, China averaged higher in 1 and United States in 12.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 43.13 million tonnes | 17.17 billion tonnes | 17.13 billion tonnes | United States |
| 1910s | 205.81 million tonnes | 25.01 billion tonnes | 24.81 billion tonnes | United States |
| 1920s | 582.36 million tonnes | 38.37 billion tonnes | 37.79 billion tonnes | United States |
| 1930s | 1.11 billion tonnes | 50.13 billion tonnes | 49.03 billion tonnes | United States |
| 1940s | 1.90 billion tonnes | 62.20 billion tonnes | 60.30 billion tonnes | United States |
| 1950s | 3.04 billion tonnes | 74.31 billion tonnes | 71.26 billion tonnes | United States |
| 1960s | 7.32 billion tonnes | 84.19 billion tonnes | 76.87 billion tonnes | United States |
| 1970s | 13.70 billion tonnes | 95.68 billion tonnes | 81.98 billion tonnes | United States |
| 1980s | 25.59 billion tonnes | 109.67 billion tonnes | 84.08 billion tonnes | United States |
| 1990s | 45.58 billion tonnes | 127.16 billion tonnes | 81.58 billion tonnes | United States |
| 2000s | 76.54 billion tonnes | 147.43 billion tonnes | 70.90 billion tonnes | United States |
| 2010s | 138.54 billion tonnes | 165.76 billion tonnes | 27.23 billion tonnes | United States |
| 2020s | 195.93 billion tonnes | 174.42 billion tonnes | 21.51 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 States?
- China, at 213.27 billion tonnes against 176.02 billion tonnes in United States as of 2024.
- What is the difference in cumulative co₂ emissions from coal between China and United States?
- 37.25 billion tonnes, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and United States?
- 118 years are reported by both, from 1907 to 2024.
- How do China and United States rank globally for cumulative co₂ emissions from coal?
- China ranks 1st and United States ranks 2nd 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.