Germany vs United Kingdom: Cumulative CO₂ emissions from coal

Germany
65.23 billion tonnes
in 2024
United Kingdom
56.90 billion tonnes
in 2024
Germany rank
3rd
United Kingdom rank
4th

Cumulative CO₂ emissions from coal over time

  • Germany
  • United Kingdom
020.0B40.0B60.0B175018872024

How they compare

Germany currently reports 65.23 billion tonnes against 56.90 billion tonnes in United Kingdom, a difference of 8.33 billion tonnes.

That makes Germany's figure about 1.1 times United Kingdom's.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 233 shared years of data; in 1792 it was United Kingdom ahead.

Germany ranks 3rd and United Kingdom ranks 4th of 179 countries.

Across the 24 decades both report, Germany averaged higher in 4 and United Kingdom in 20.

Head to head by decade

Decade Germany United Kingdom Difference Ahead
1790s 2.20 million tonnes 673.85 million tonnes 671.66 million tonnes United Kingdom
1800s 8.80 million tonnes 921.67 million tonnes 912.87 million tonnes United Kingdom
1810s 21.26 million tonnes 1.27 billion tonnes 1.25 billion tonnes United Kingdom
1820s 52.95 million tonnes 1.71 billion tonnes 1.66 billion tonnes United Kingdom
1830s 97.04 million tonnes 2.31 billion tonnes 2.21 billion tonnes United Kingdom
1840s 182.51 million tonnes 3.13 billion tonnes 2.95 billion tonnes United Kingdom
1850s 361.39 million tonnes 4.28 billion tonnes 3.92 billion tonnes United Kingdom
1860s 776.38 million tonnes 5.91 billion tonnes 5.14 billion tonnes United Kingdom
1870s 1.56 billion tonnes 8.25 billion tonnes 6.68 billion tonnes United Kingdom
1880s 2.82 billion tonnes 11.18 billion tonnes 8.36 billion tonnes United Kingdom
1890s 4.84 billion tonnes 14.60 billion tonnes 9.76 billion tonnes United Kingdom
1900s 7.93 billion tonnes 18.65 billion tonnes 10.72 billion tonnes United Kingdom
1910s 12.38 billion tonnes 23.28 billion tonnes 10.90 billion tonnes United Kingdom
1920s 16.95 billion tonnes 27.70 billion tonnes 10.75 billion tonnes United Kingdom
1930s 21.41 billion tonnes 31.88 billion tonnes 10.46 billion tonnes United Kingdom
1940s 26.72 billion tonnes 36.32 billion tonnes 9.61 billion tonnes United Kingdom
1950s 31.77 billion tonnes 40.95 billion tonnes 9.17 billion tonnes United Kingdom
1960s 38.75 billion tonnes 45.41 billion tonnes 6.66 billion tonnes United Kingdom
1970s 44.97 billion tonnes 48.85 billion tonnes 3.88 billion tonnes United Kingdom
1980s 50.48 billion tonnes 51.43 billion tonnes 955.73 million tonnes United Kingdom
1990s 55.53 billion tonnes 53.71 billion tonnes 1.82 billion tonnes Germany
2000s 59.35 billion tonnes 55.29 billion tonnes 4.07 billion tonnes Germany
2010s 62.82 billion tonnes 56.52 billion tonnes 6.30 billion tonnes Germany
2020s 64.85 billion tonnes 56.87 billion tonnes 7.98 billion tonnes Germany

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher cumulative co₂ emissions from coal, Germany or United Kingdom?
Germany, at 65.23 billion tonnes against 56.90 billion tonnes in United Kingdom as of 2024.
What is the difference in cumulative co₂ emissions from coal between Germany and United Kingdom?
8.33 billion tonnes, with Germany ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Germany and United Kingdom?
233 years are reported by both, from 1792 to 2024.
How do Germany and United Kingdom rank globally for cumulative co₂ emissions from coal?
Germany ranks 3rd 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

Indicator
Cumulative CO₂ emissions from coal
Unit
tonnes
Source
Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
179 places, 18,115 data points, 1750–2024
Last refreshed

Cumulative emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from coal since the first year of available data, measured in tonnes.