China vs Germany: Contribution to global mean surface temperature rise from fossil sources
China
0.1704 °C
in 2024
Germany
0.0459 °C
in 2024
China rank
2nd
Germany rank
4th
Contribution to global mean surface temperature rise from fossil sources over time
- China
- Germany
How they compare
China currently reports 0.1704 °C against 0.0459 °C in Germany, a difference of 0.1245 °C.
That makes China's figure about 3.7 times Germany's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 174 shared years of data; in 1851 it was Germany ahead.
China ranks 2nd and Germany ranks 4th of 214 countries.
Across the 18 decades both report, China averaged higher in 4 and Germany in 14.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | Germany | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850s | 0 °C | 0.0001 °C | 0.0001 °C | Germany |
| 1860s | 0 °C | 0.0004 °C | 0.0003 °C | Germany |
| 1870s | -0 °C | 0.0009 °C | 0.0009 °C | Germany |
| 1880s | 0 °C | 0.0016 °C | 0.0015 °C | Germany |
| 1890s | 0.0003 °C | 0.0027 °C | 0.0024 °C | Germany |
| 1900s | 0.0006 °C | 0.0044 °C | 0.0039 °C | Germany |
| 1910s | 0.0011 °C | 0.0069 °C | 0.0058 °C | Germany |
| 1920s | 0.0018 °C | 0.0093 °C | 0.0075 °C | Germany |
| 1930s | 0.0026 °C | 0.0113 °C | 0.0087 °C | Germany |
| 1940s | 0.0036 °C | 0.014 °C | 0.0104 °C | Germany |
| 1950s | 0.0049 °C | 0.0169 °C | 0.0121 °C | Germany |
| 1960s | 0.0089 °C | 0.0219 °C | 0.013 °C | Germany |
| 1970s | 0.0154 °C | 0.0277 °C | 0.0123 °C | Germany |
| 1980s | 0.0263 °C | 0.0328 °C | 0.0065 °C | Germany |
| 1990s | 0.0429 °C | 0.0371 °C | 0.0058 °C | China |
| 2000s | 0.0669 °C | 0.0405 °C | 0.0264 °C | China |
| 2010s | 0.1127 °C | 0.0434 °C | 0.0693 °C | China |
| 2020s | 0.157 °C | 0.0454 °C | 0.1116 °C | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher contribution to global mean surface temperature rise from fossil sources, China or Germany?
- China, at 0.1704 °C against 0.0459 °C in Germany as of 2024.
- What is the difference in contribution to global mean surface temperature rise from fossil sources between China and Germany?
- 0.1245 °C, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and Germany?
- 174 years are reported by both, from 1851 to 2024.
- How do China and Germany rank globally for contribution to global mean surface temperature rise from fossil sources?
- China ranks 2nd and Germany ranks 4th of 214 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Contribution to global mean surface temperature rise from fossil sources. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Measured in °C.