China vs United States: Cumulative CO₂ emissions from land-use change
China
81.69 billion tonnes
in 2024
United States
125.85 billion tonnes
in 2024
China rank
4th
United States rank
1st
Cumulative CO₂ emissions from land-use change over time
- China
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 125.85 billion tonnes against 81.69 billion tonnes in China, a difference of 44.15 billion tonnes.
That makes United States's figure about 1.5 times China's.
Across all 175 years both countries report, United States has been ahead every year.
China ranks 4th and United States ranks 1st of 197 countries.
United States has averaged higher in every one of the 18 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850s | 979.21 million tonnes | 4.81 billion tonnes | 3.83 billion tonnes | United States |
| 1860s | 2.21 billion tonnes | 13.72 billion tonnes | 11.51 billion tonnes | United States |
| 1870s | 2.67 billion tonnes | 24.27 billion tonnes | 21.60 billion tonnes | United States |
| 1880s | 3.28 billion tonnes | 38.77 billion tonnes | 35.48 billion tonnes | United States |
| 1890s | 4.61 billion tonnes | 52.99 billion tonnes | 48.37 billion tonnes | United States |
| 1900s | 6.76 billion tonnes | 67.62 billion tonnes | 60.86 billion tonnes | United States |
| 1910s | 9.88 billion tonnes | 80.87 billion tonnes | 70.99 billion tonnes | United States |
| 1920s | 13.60 billion tonnes | 92.52 billion tonnes | 78.92 billion tonnes | United States |
| 1930s | 18.16 billion tonnes | 101.36 billion tonnes | 83.20 billion tonnes | United States |
| 1940s | 24.76 billion tonnes | 107.52 billion tonnes | 82.76 billion tonnes | United States |
| 1950s | 34.62 billion tonnes | 112.39 billion tonnes | 77.77 billion tonnes | United States |
| 1960s | 44.08 billion tonnes | 114.68 billion tonnes | 70.60 billion tonnes | United States |
| 1970s | 56.32 billion tonnes | 117.72 billion tonnes | 61.40 billion tonnes | United States |
| 1980s | 67.71 billion tonnes | 120.31 billion tonnes | 52.60 billion tonnes | United States |
| 1990s | 76.00 billion tonnes | 122.66 billion tonnes | 46.66 billion tonnes | United States |
| 2000s | 82.40 billion tonnes | 124.11 billion tonnes | 41.71 billion tonnes | United States |
| 2010s | 83.80 billion tonnes | 124.91 billion tonnes | 41.12 billion tonnes | United States |
| 2020s | 82.31 billion tonnes | 125.62 billion tonnes | 43.31 billion tonnes | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher cumulative co₂ emissions from land-use change, China or United States?
- United States, at 125.85 billion tonnes against 81.69 billion tonnes in China as of 2024.
- What is the difference in cumulative co₂ emissions from land-use change between China and United States?
- 44.15 billion tonnes, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and United States?
- 175 years are reported by both, from 1850 to 2024.
- How do China and United States rank globally for cumulative co₂ emissions from land-use change?
- China ranks 4th and United States ranks 1st of 197 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Cumulative CO₂ emissions from land-use change. 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 land-use change since the first year of available data, measured in tonnes.