China vs Japan: Cumulative CO₂ emissions by source
China
5.52 billion tonnes
in 2024
Japan
524.97 million tonnes
in 2024
China rank
1st
Japan rank
4th
Cumulative CO₂ emissions by source over time
- China
- Japan
How they compare
China currently reports 5.52 billion tonnes against 524.97 million tonnes in Japan, a difference of 4.99 billion tonnes.
That makes China's figure about 10.5 times Japan's.
Across all 35 years both countries report, China has been ahead every year.
China ranks 1st and Japan ranks 4th of 46 countries.
China has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | Japan | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.53 billion tonnes | 91.98 million tonnes | 1.44 billion tonnes | China |
| 2000s | 2.46 billion tonnes | 249.69 million tonnes | 2.21 billion tonnes | China |
| 2010s | 3.79 billion tonnes | 401.31 million tonnes | 3.39 billion tonnes | China |
| 2020s | 5.14 billion tonnes | 501.39 million tonnes | 4.64 billion tonnes | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher cumulative co₂ emissions by source, China or Japan?
- China, at 5.52 billion tonnes against 524.97 million tonnes in Japan as of 2024.
- What is the difference in cumulative co₂ emissions by source between China and Japan?
- 4.99 billion tonnes, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and Japan?
- 35 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2024.
- How do China and Japan rank globally for cumulative co₂ emissions by source?
- China ranks 1st and Japan ranks 4th of 46 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 source. 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 other industry sources since the first year of available data, measured in tonnes.