Australia vs China: Per capita CO₂ emissions from coal
Australia
5.34 tonnes per person
in 2024
China
6.26 tonnes per person
in 2024
Australia rank
8th
China rank
5th
Per capita CO₂ emissions from coal over time
- Australia
- China
How they compare
China currently reports 6.26 tonnes per person against 5.34 tonnes per person in Australia, a difference of 0.92 tonnes per person.
That makes China's figure about 1.2 times Australia's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 118 shared years of data; in 1907 it was Australia ahead.
Australia ranks 8th and China ranks 5th of 179 countries.
Across the 13 decades both report, Australia averaged higher in 12 and China in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Australia | China | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 3.68 tonnes per person | 0.0539 tonnes per person | 3.62 tonnes per person | Australia |
| 1910s | 4.46 tonnes per person | 0.0631 tonnes per person | 4.39 tonnes per person | Australia |
| 1920s | 4.52 tonnes per person | 0.0942 tonnes per person | 4.42 tonnes per person | Australia |
| 1930s | 3.69 tonnes per person | 0.1243 tonnes per person | 3.57 tonnes per person | Australia |
| 1940s | 4.66 tonnes per person | 0.147 tonnes per person | 4.51 tonnes per person | Australia |
| 1950s | 5.48 tonnes per person | 0.3912 tonnes per person | 5.09 tonnes per person | Australia |
| 1960s | 5.64 tonnes per person | 0.6611 tonnes per person | 4.98 tonnes per person | Australia |
| 1970s | 6.02 tonnes per person | 0.9703 tonnes per person | 5.05 tonnes per person | Australia |
| 1980s | 7.37 tonnes per person | 1.42 tonnes per person | 5.95 tonnes per person | Australia |
| 1990s | 8.78 tonnes per person | 1.95 tonnes per person | 6.83 tonnes per person | Australia |
| 2000s | 9.78 tonnes per person | 3.21 tonnes per person | 6.57 tonnes per person | Australia |
| 2010s | 7.56 tonnes per person | 5.22 tonnes per person | 2.34 tonnes per person | Australia |
| 2020s | 5.63 tonnes per person | 5.87 tonnes per person | 0.2344 tonnes per person | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher per capita co₂ emissions from coal, Australia or China?
- China, at 6.26 tonnes per person against 5.34 tonnes per person in Australia as of 2024.
- What is the difference in per capita co₂ emissions from coal between Australia and China?
- 0.92 tonnes per person, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and China?
- 118 years are reported by both, from 1907 to 2024.
- How do Australia and China rank globally for per capita co₂ emissions from coal?
- Australia ranks 8th and China ranks 5th of 179 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Global Carbon Budget (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Per capita CO₂ emissions from coal. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Annual emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from coal, measured in tonnes per person.