Brazil vs China: Greenhouse gas emissions by gas

Brazil
203.97 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 2024
China
475.53 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 2024
Brazil rank
4th
China rank
1st

Greenhouse gas emissions by gas over time

  • Brazil
  • China
0100.0M200.0M300.0M400.0M500.0M185019372024

How they compare

China currently reports 475.53 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents against 203.97 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in Brazil, a difference of 271.56 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents.

That makes China's figure about 2.3 times Brazil's.

Across all 175 years both countries report, China has been ahead every year.

Brazil ranks 4th and China ranks 1st of 201 countries.

China has averaged higher in every one of the 18 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Brazil China Difference Ahead
1850s 1.32 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 6.26 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 4.93 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents China
1860s 1.43 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 6.76 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 5.33 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents China
1870s 1.68 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 7.96 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 6.28 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents China
1880s 2.03 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 9.67 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 7.65 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents China
1890s 2.96 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 11.25 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 8.29 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents China
1900s 5.23 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 13.45 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 8.22 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents China
1910s 7.39 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 16.46 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 9.07 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents China
1920s 7.54 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 20.19 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 12.64 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents China
1930s 8.15 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 25.03 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 16.88 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents China
1940s 15.24 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 38.01 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 22.77 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents China
1950s 30.43 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 64.01 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 33.58 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents China
1960s 48.94 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 104.65 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 55.70 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents China
1970s 71.90 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 161.97 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 90.07 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents China
1980s 95.24 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 244.51 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 149.27 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents China
1990s 111.39 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 340.06 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 228.66 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents China
2000s 140.41 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 419.53 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 279.12 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents China
2010s 165.93 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 460.04 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 294.10 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents China
2020s 193.77 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 466.55 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 272.78 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents China

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher greenhouse gas emissions by gas, Brazil or China?
China, at 475.53 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents against 203.97 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in Brazil as of 2024.
What is the difference in greenhouse gas emissions by gas between Brazil and China?
271.56 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents, with China ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Brazil and China?
175 years are reported by both, from 1850 to 2024.
How do Brazil and China rank globally for greenhouse gas emissions by gas?
Brazil ranks 4th and China ranks 1st of 201 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Greenhouse gas emissions by gas. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
Greenhouse gas emissions by gas
Unit
tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
Source
Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
201 places, 35,175 data points, 1850–2024
Last refreshed

Measured in tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalents over a 100-year timescale.