China vs United States of America: Cumulative CO₂ emissions, gaps filled
Cumulative CO₂ emissions, gaps filled over time
- China
- United States of America
How they compare
United States of America currently reports 434.87 billion tonnes against 285.09 billion tonnes in China, a difference of 149.78 billion tonnes.
That makes United States of America's figure about 1.5 times China's.
Across all 118 years both countries report, United States of America has been ahead every year.
China ranks 2nd and United States of America ranks 1st of 215 countries.
United States of America has averaged higher in every one of the 13 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | United States of America | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 43.13 million tonnes | 18.28 billion tonnes | 18.24 billion tonnes | United States of America |
| 1910s | 205.81 million tonnes | 27.03 billion tonnes | 26.82 billion tonnes | United States of America |
| 1920s | 582.38 million tonnes | 43.23 billion tonnes | 42.65 billion tonnes | United States of America |
| 1930s | 1.11 billion tonnes | 59.81 billion tonnes | 58.70 billion tonnes | United States of America |
| 1940s | 1.92 billion tonnes | 79.03 billion tonnes | 77.11 billion tonnes | United States of America |
| 1950s | 3.09 billion tonnes | 104.08 billion tonnes | 100.98 billion tonnes | United States of America |
| 1960s | 7.75 billion tonnes | 133.89 billion tonnes | 126.14 billion tonnes | United States of America |
| 1970s | 15.72 billion tonnes | 175.15 billion tonnes | 159.43 billion tonnes | United States of America |
| 1980s | 31.20 billion tonnes | 221.35 billion tonnes | 190.14 billion tonnes | United States of America |
| 1990s | 56.99 billion tonnes | 271.51 billion tonnes | 214.52 billion tonnes | United States of America |
| 2000s | 98.72 billion tonnes | 329.65 billion tonnes | 230.93 billion tonnes | United States of America |
| 2010s | 181.16 billion tonnes | 386.33 billion tonnes | 205.18 billion tonnes | United States of America |
| 2020s | 261.01 billion tonnes | 424.97 billion tonnes | 163.96 billion tonnes | United States of America |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher cumulative co₂ emissions, gaps filled, China or United States of America?
- United States of America, at 434.87 billion tonnes against 285.09 billion tonnes in China as of 2024.
- What is the difference in cumulative co₂ emissions, gaps filled between China and United States of America?
- 149.78 billion tonnes, with United States of America ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and United States of America?
- 118 years are reported by both, from 1907 to 2024.
- How do China and United States of America rank globally for cumulative co₂ emissions, gaps filled?
- China ranks 2nd and United States of America ranks 1st of 215 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Statizoid (derived), published as Cumulative CO₂ emissions, gaps filled. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Cumulative CO₂ emissions with 84 missing years estimated by linear interpolation between the nearest real observations. Only gaps of 4 years or fewer are filled, and never beyond the first or last actual measurement — these are filled holes, not forecasts.