China vs United States: Greenhouse gas emissions by gas
China
475.53 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 2024
United States
239.60 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 2024
China rank
1st
United States rank
3rd
Greenhouse gas emissions by gas over time
- China
- United States
How they compare
China currently reports 475.53 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents against 239.60 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in United States, a difference of 235.94 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents.
That makes China's figure about 2.0 times United States's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 175 shared years of data; in 1850 it was United States ahead.
China ranks 1st and United States ranks 3rd of 201 countries.
Across the 18 decades both report, China averaged higher in 4 and United States in 14.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850s | 6.26 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 33.90 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 27.64 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | United States |
| 1860s | 6.76 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 36.50 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 29.74 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | United States |
| 1870s | 7.96 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 43.60 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 35.65 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | United States |
| 1880s | 9.67 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 53.98 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 44.31 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | United States |
| 1890s | 11.25 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 60.46 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 49.21 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | United States |
| 1900s | 13.45 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 67.41 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 53.96 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | United States |
| 1910s | 16.46 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 75.73 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 59.27 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | United States |
| 1920s | 20.19 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 79.27 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 59.08 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | United States |
| 1930s | 25.03 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 80.75 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 55.71 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | United States |
| 1940s | 38.01 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 112.38 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 74.37 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | United States |
| 1950s | 64.01 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 164.32 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 100.31 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | United States |
| 1960s | 104.65 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 240.10 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 135.45 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | United States |
| 1970s | 161.97 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 292.75 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 130.77 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | United States |
| 1980s | 244.51 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 269.24 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 24.73 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | United States |
| 1990s | 340.06 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 262.95 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 77.11 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | China |
| 2000s | 419.53 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 261.35 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 158.18 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | China |
| 2010s | 460.04 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 251.06 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 208.98 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | China |
| 2020s | 466.55 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 241.41 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 225.14 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, China or United States?
- China, at 475.53 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents against 239.60 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in United States as of 2024.
- What is the difference in greenhouse gas emissions by gas between China and United States?
- 235.94 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents, with China 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 greenhouse gas emissions by gas?
- China ranks 1st and United States ranks 3rd 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
Measured in tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalents over a 100-year timescale.