India vs United Kingdom: Cumulative CO₂ emissions from coal
India
42.71 billion tonnes
in 2024
United Kingdom
56.90 billion tonnes
in 2024
India rank
6th
United Kingdom rank
4th
Cumulative CO₂ emissions from coal over time
- India
- United Kingdom
How they compare
United Kingdom currently reports 56.90 billion tonnes against 42.71 billion tonnes in India, a difference of 14.19 billion tonnes.
That makes United Kingdom's figure about 1.3 times India's.
Across all 156 years both countries report, United Kingdom has been ahead every year.
India ranks 6th and United Kingdom ranks 4th of 179 countries.
United Kingdom has averaged higher in every one of the 18 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | India | United Kingdom | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850s | 712,720 tonnes | 4.82 billion tonnes | 4.82 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1860s | 3.34 million tonnes | 5.61 billion tonnes | 5.60 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1870s | 7.69 million tonnes | 9.32 billion tonnes | 9.31 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1880s | 20.32 million tonnes | 11.18 billion tonnes | 11.16 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1890s | 59.86 million tonnes | 14.60 billion tonnes | 14.54 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1900s | 166.44 million tonnes | 18.65 billion tonnes | 18.49 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1910s | 393.25 million tonnes | 23.28 billion tonnes | 22.89 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1920s | 730.36 million tonnes | 27.70 billion tonnes | 26.97 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1930s | 1.11 billion tonnes | 31.88 billion tonnes | 30.76 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1940s | 1.58 billion tonnes | 36.32 billion tonnes | 34.74 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1950s | 2.14 billion tonnes | 40.95 billion tonnes | 38.81 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1960s | 3.03 billion tonnes | 45.41 billion tonnes | 42.38 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1970s | 4.34 billion tonnes | 48.85 billion tonnes | 44.51 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1980s | 6.36 billion tonnes | 51.43 billion tonnes | 45.07 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1990s | 10.03 billion tonnes | 53.71 billion tonnes | 43.68 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 2000s | 15.91 billion tonnes | 55.29 billion tonnes | 39.37 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 2010s | 26.55 billion tonnes | 56.52 billion tonnes | 29.97 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 2020s | 38.71 billion tonnes | 56.87 billion tonnes | 18.16 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher cumulative co₂ emissions from coal, India or United Kingdom?
- United Kingdom, at 56.90 billion tonnes against 42.71 billion tonnes in India as of 2024.
- What is the difference in cumulative co₂ emissions from coal between India and United Kingdom?
- 14.19 billion tonnes, with United Kingdom ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for India and United Kingdom?
- 156 years are reported by both, from 1858 to 2024.
- How do India and United Kingdom rank globally for cumulative co₂ emissions from coal?
- India ranks 6th 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.