China vs United Kingdom: Cumulative CO₂ emissions by world region
China
285.09 billion tonnes
in 2024
United Kingdom
80.08 billion tonnes
in 2024
China rank
2nd
United Kingdom rank
5th
Cumulative CO₂ emissions by world region over time
- China
- United Kingdom
How they compare
China currently reports 285.09 billion tonnes against 80.08 billion tonnes in United Kingdom, a difference of 205.01 billion tonnes.
That makes China's figure about 3.6 times United Kingdom's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 118 shared years of data; in 1907 it was United Kingdom ahead.
China ranks 2nd and United Kingdom ranks 5th of 215 countries.
Across the 13 decades both report, China averaged higher in 3 and United Kingdom in 10.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | United Kingdom | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 43.13 million tonnes | 20.28 billion tonnes | 20.23 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1910s | 205.81 million tonnes | 23.39 billion tonnes | 23.18 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1920s | 582.38 million tonnes | 27.92 billion tonnes | 27.34 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1930s | 1.11 billion tonnes | 32.34 billion tonnes | 31.23 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1940s | 1.92 billion tonnes | 37.11 billion tonnes | 35.20 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1950s | 3.09 billion tonnes | 42.28 billion tonnes | 39.19 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1960s | 7.75 billion tonnes | 48.09 billion tonnes | 40.34 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1970s | 15.72 billion tonnes | 54.34 billion tonnes | 38.62 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1980s | 31.20 billion tonnes | 60.20 billion tonnes | 29.00 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1990s | 56.99 billion tonnes | 65.98 billion tonnes | 8.99 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 2000s | 98.72 billion tonnes | 71.67 billion tonnes | 27.05 billion tonnes | China |
| 2010s | 181.16 billion tonnes | 76.66 billion tonnes | 104.50 billion tonnes | China |
| 2020s | 261.01 billion tonnes | 79.45 billion tonnes | 181.56 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 United Kingdom?
- China, at 285.09 billion tonnes against 80.08 billion tonnes in United Kingdom as of 2024.
- What is the difference in cumulative co₂ emissions by world region between China and United Kingdom?
- 205.01 billion tonnes, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and United Kingdom?
- 118 years are reported by both, from 1907 to 2024.
- How do China and United Kingdom rank globally for cumulative co₂ emissions by world region?
- China ranks 2nd and United Kingdom ranks 5th 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.