China vs Germany: Cumulative CO₂ emissions by world region
China
285.09 billion tonnes
in 2024
Germany
95.14 billion tonnes
in 2024
China rank
2nd
Germany rank
4th
Cumulative CO₂ emissions by world region over time
- China
- Germany
How they compare
China currently reports 285.09 billion tonnes against 95.14 billion tonnes in Germany, a difference of 189.95 billion tonnes.
That makes China's figure about 3.0 times Germany's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 118 shared years of data; in 1907 it was Germany ahead.
China ranks 2nd and Germany ranks 4th of 215 countries.
Across the 13 decades both report, China averaged higher in 3 and Germany in 10.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | Germany | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 43.13 million tonnes | 9.37 billion tonnes | 9.32 billion tonnes | Germany |
| 1910s | 205.81 million tonnes | 12.47 billion tonnes | 12.27 billion tonnes | Germany |
| 1920s | 582.38 million tonnes | 17.05 billion tonnes | 16.46 billion tonnes | Germany |
| 1930s | 1.11 billion tonnes | 21.54 billion tonnes | 20.43 billion tonnes | Germany |
| 1940s | 1.92 billion tonnes | 26.90 billion tonnes | 24.99 billion tonnes | Germany |
| 1950s | 3.09 billion tonnes | 32.16 billion tonnes | 29.07 billion tonnes | Germany |
| 1960s | 7.75 billion tonnes | 40.40 billion tonnes | 32.65 billion tonnes | Germany |
| 1970s | 15.72 billion tonnes | 50.54 billion tonnes | 34.82 billion tonnes | Germany |
| 1980s | 31.20 billion tonnes | 61.10 billion tonnes | 29.90 billion tonnes | Germany |
| 1990s | 56.99 billion tonnes | 71.12 billion tonnes | 14.13 billion tonnes | Germany |
| 2000s | 98.72 billion tonnes | 80.21 billion tonnes | 18.51 billion tonnes | China |
| 2010s | 181.16 billion tonnes | 88.49 billion tonnes | 92.66 billion tonnes | China |
| 2020s | 261.01 billion tonnes | 93.92 billion tonnes | 167.09 billion tonnes | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher cumulative co₂ emissions by world region, China or Germany?
- China, at 285.09 billion tonnes against 95.14 billion tonnes in Germany as of 2024.
- What is the difference in cumulative co₂ emissions by world region between China and Germany?
- 189.95 billion tonnes, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and Germany?
- 118 years are reported by both, from 1907 to 2024.
- How do China and Germany rank globally for cumulative co₂ emissions by world region?
- China ranks 2nd and Germany ranks 4th of 215 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Cumulative CO₂ emissions by world region. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Total cumulative emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂), excluding land-use change, since the first year of available data, measured in tonnes.