China vs India: Cumulative CO₂ emissions including land-use change
China
359.65 billion tonnes
in 2024
India
105.59 billion tonnes
in 2024
China rank
2nd
India rank
5th
Cumulative CO₂ emissions including land-use change over time
- China
- India
How they compare
China currently reports 359.65 billion tonnes against 105.59 billion tonnes in India, a difference of 254.05 billion tonnes.
That makes China's figure about 3.4 times India's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 118 shared years of data; in 1907 it was India ahead.
China ranks 2nd and India ranks 5th of 194 countries.
Across the 13 decades both report, China averaged higher in 9 and India in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | India | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 608.34 million tonnes | 4.62 billion tonnes | 4.01 billion tonnes | India |
| 1910s | 2.96 billion tonnes | 5.46 billion tonnes | 2.50 billion tonnes | India |
| 1920s | 7.05 billion tonnes | 8.25 billion tonnes | 1.20 billion tonnes | India |
| 1930s | 12.13 billion tonnes | 13.11 billion tonnes | 977.85 million tonnes | India |
| 1940s | 19.54 billion tonnes | 18.50 billion tonnes | 1.05 billion tonnes | China |
| 1950s | 30.58 billion tonnes | 25.28 billion tonnes | 5.30 billion tonnes | China |
| 1960s | 44.69 billion tonnes | 32.15 billion tonnes | 12.54 billion tonnes | China |
| 1970s | 64.91 billion tonnes | 37.14 billion tonnes | 27.76 billion tonnes | China |
| 1980s | 91.78 billion tonnes | 42.62 billion tonnes | 49.15 billion tonnes | China |
| 1990s | 125.85 billion tonnes | 50.17 billion tonnes | 75.68 billion tonnes | China |
| 2000s | 173.99 billion tonnes | 61.32 billion tonnes | 112.67 billion tonnes | China |
| 2010s | 257.82 billion tonnes | 79.87 billion tonnes | 177.95 billion tonnes | China |
| 2020s | 336.19 billion tonnes | 99.49 billion tonnes | 236.71 billion tonnes | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher cumulative co₂ emissions including land-use change, China or India?
- China, at 359.65 billion tonnes against 105.59 billion tonnes in India as of 2024.
- What is the difference in cumulative co₂ emissions including land-use change between China and India?
- 254.05 billion tonnes, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and India?
- 118 years are reported by both, from 1907 to 2024.
- How do China and India rank globally for cumulative co₂ emissions including land-use change?
- China ranks 2nd and India ranks 5th of 194 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Cumulative CO₂ emissions including land-use change. 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), including land-use change, since the first year of available data, measured in tonnes.