Japan vs United Kingdom: Cumulative CO₂ emissions from coal
Japan
25.17 billion tonnes
in 2024
United Kingdom
56.90 billion tonnes
in 2024
Japan rank
7th
United Kingdom rank
4th
Cumulative CO₂ emissions from coal over time
- Japan
- United Kingdom
How they compare
United Kingdom currently reports 56.90 billion tonnes against 25.17 billion tonnes in Japan, a difference of 31.74 billion tonnes.
That makes United Kingdom's figure about 2.3 times Japan's.
Across all 157 years both countries report, United Kingdom has been ahead every year.
Japan ranks 7th and United Kingdom ranks 4th of 179 countries.
United Kingdom has averaged higher in every one of the 17 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Japan | United Kingdom | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1860s | 20,152 tonnes | 6.74 billion tonnes | 6.74 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1870s | 2.65 million tonnes | 8.25 billion tonnes | 8.24 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1880s | 23.96 million tonnes | 11.18 billion tonnes | 11.16 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1890s | 93.29 million tonnes | 14.60 billion tonnes | 14.51 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1900s | 292.08 million tonnes | 18.65 billion tonnes | 18.36 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1910s | 715.10 million tonnes | 23.28 billion tonnes | 22.57 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1920s | 1.42 billion tonnes | 27.70 billion tonnes | 26.28 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1930s | 2.30 billion tonnes | 31.88 billion tonnes | 29.58 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1940s | 3.50 billion tonnes | 36.32 billion tonnes | 32.82 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1950s | 4.53 billion tonnes | 40.95 billion tonnes | 36.41 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1960s | 5.97 billion tonnes | 45.41 billion tonnes | 39.44 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1970s | 7.96 billion tonnes | 48.85 billion tonnes | 40.89 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1980s | 10.22 billion tonnes | 51.43 billion tonnes | 41.21 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1990s | 13.15 billion tonnes | 53.71 billion tonnes | 40.56 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 2000s | 16.82 billion tonnes | 55.29 billion tonnes | 38.47 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 2010s | 21.16 billion tonnes | 56.52 billion tonnes | 35.36 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 2020s | 24.38 billion tonnes | 56.87 billion tonnes | 32.48 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher cumulative co₂ emissions from coal, Japan or United Kingdom?
- United Kingdom, at 56.90 billion tonnes against 25.17 billion tonnes in Japan as of 2024.
- What is the difference in cumulative co₂ emissions from coal between Japan and United Kingdom?
- 31.74 billion tonnes, with United Kingdom ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and United Kingdom?
- 157 years are reported by both, from 1868 to 2024.
- How do Japan and United Kingdom rank globally for cumulative co₂ emissions from coal?
- Japan ranks 7th 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.