China vs Germany: Cumulative CO₂ emissions from oil
China
39.19 billion tonnes
in 2024
Germany
20.58 billion tonnes
in 2024
China rank
2nd
Germany rank
5th
Cumulative CO₂ emissions from oil over time
- China
- Germany
How they compare
China currently reports 39.19 billion tonnes against 20.58 billion tonnes in Germany, a difference of 18.61 billion tonnes.
That makes China's figure about 1.9 times Germany's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 118 shared years of data; in 1907 it was Germany ahead.
China ranks 2nd and Germany ranks 5th of 215 countries.
Across the 13 decades both report, China averaged higher in 2 and Germany in 11.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | Germany | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0 tonnes | 73.98 million tonnes | 73.98 million tonnes | Germany |
| 1910s | 0 tonnes | 90.27 million tonnes | 90.27 million tonnes | Germany |
| 1920s | 9,526 tonnes | 94.07 million tonnes | 94.06 million tonnes | Germany |
| 1930s | 1.77 million tonnes | 96.93 million tonnes | 95.15 million tonnes | Germany |
| 1940s | 11.85 million tonnes | 118.14 million tonnes | 106.29 million tonnes | Germany |
| 1950s | 33.00 million tonnes | 253.59 million tonnes | 220.59 million tonnes | Germany |
| 1960s | 234.07 million tonnes | 1.34 billion tonnes | 1.11 billion tonnes | Germany |
| 1970s | 1.33 billion tonnes | 4.65 billion tonnes | 3.33 billion tonnes | Germany |
| 1980s | 3.91 billion tonnes | 8.49 billion tonnes | 4.58 billion tonnes | Germany |
| 1990s | 7.61 billion tonnes | 11.96 billion tonnes | 4.36 billion tonnes | Germany |
| 2000s | 14.07 billion tonnes | 15.29 billion tonnes | 1.23 billion tonnes | Germany |
| 2010s | 24.85 billion tonnes | 18.14 billion tonnes | 6.71 billion tonnes | China |
| 2020s | 35.86 billion tonnes | 20.10 billion tonnes | 15.76 billion tonnes | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher cumulative co₂ emissions from oil, China or Germany?
- China, at 39.19 billion tonnes against 20.58 billion tonnes in Germany as of 2024.
- What is the difference in cumulative co₂ emissions from oil between China and Germany?
- 18.61 billion tonnes, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and Germany?
- 118 years are reported by both, from 1907 to 2024.
- How do China and Germany rank globally for cumulative co₂ emissions from oil?
- China ranks 2nd and Germany 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 from oil. 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 oil since the first year of available data, measured in tonnes.