China vs Russia: Cumulative CO₂ emissions by world region
China
285.09 billion tonnes
in 2024
Russia
122.81 billion tonnes
in 2024
China rank
2nd
Russia rank
3rd
Cumulative CO₂ emissions by world region over time
- China
- Russia
How they compare
China currently reports 285.09 billion tonnes against 122.81 billion tonnes in Russia, a difference of 162.28 billion tonnes.
That makes China's figure about 2.3 times Russia's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 118 shared years of data; in 1907 it was Russia ahead.
China ranks 2nd and Russia ranks 3rd of 215 countries.
Across the 13 decades both report, China averaged higher in 3 and Russia in 10.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | Russia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 43.13 million tonnes | 873.96 million tonnes | 830.83 million tonnes | Russia |
| 1910s | 205.81 million tonnes | 1.28 billion tonnes | 1.07 billion tonnes | Russia |
| 1920s | 582.38 million tonnes | 1.67 billion tonnes | 1.09 billion tonnes | Russia |
| 1930s | 1.11 billion tonnes | 2.74 billion tonnes | 1.63 billion tonnes | Russia |
| 1940s | 1.92 billion tonnes | 5.00 billion tonnes | 3.08 billion tonnes | Russia |
| 1950s | 3.09 billion tonnes | 9.23 billion tonnes | 6.14 billion tonnes | Russia |
| 1960s | 7.75 billion tonnes | 18.12 billion tonnes | 10.37 billion tonnes | Russia |
| 1970s | 15.72 billion tonnes | 32.85 billion tonnes | 17.12 billion tonnes | Russia |
| 1980s | 31.20 billion tonnes | 53.51 billion tonnes | 22.30 billion tonnes | Russia |
| 1990s | 56.99 billion tonnes | 74.91 billion tonnes | 17.92 billion tonnes | Russia |
| 2000s | 98.72 billion tonnes | 90.54 billion tonnes | 8.18 billion tonnes | China |
| 2010s | 181.16 billion tonnes | 106.80 billion tonnes | 74.36 billion tonnes | China |
| 2020s | 261.01 billion tonnes | 119.34 billion tonnes | 141.67 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 Russia?
- China, at 285.09 billion tonnes against 122.81 billion tonnes in Russia as of 2024.
- What is the difference in cumulative co₂ emissions by world region between China and Russia?
- 162.28 billion tonnes, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and Russia?
- 118 years are reported by both, from 1907 to 2024.
- How do China and Russia rank globally for cumulative co₂ emissions by world region?
- China ranks 2nd and Russia ranks 3rd 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.