China vs Libya: Per capita CO₂ emissions relative to the global average
China
8.66 tonnes per person
in 2024
Libya
8.84 tonnes per person
in 2024
China rank
30th
Libya rank
29th
Per capita CO₂ emissions relative to the global average over time
- China
- Libya
How they compare
Libya currently reports 8.84 tonnes per person against 8.66 tonnes per person in China, a difference of 0.18 tonnes per person.
The two have swapped places 7 times across 75 shared years of data; in 1950 it was China ahead.
China ranks 30th and Libya ranks 29th of 213 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, China averaged higher in 2 and Libya in 6.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | Libya | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 0.4049 tonnes per person | 0.2268 tonnes per person | 0.1782 tonnes per person | China |
| 1960s | 0.7531 tonnes per person | 4.79 tonnes per person | 4.04 tonnes per person | Libya |
| 1970s | 1.26 tonnes per person | 7.56 tonnes per person | 6.29 tonnes per person | Libya |
| 1980s | 1.82 tonnes per person | 8.08 tonnes per person | 6.26 tonnes per person | Libya |
| 1990s | 2.56 tonnes per person | 9.62 tonnes per person | 7.06 tonnes per person | Libya |
| 2000s | 4.29 tonnes per person | 9.07 tonnes per person | 4.78 tonnes per person | Libya |
| 2010s | 7.08 tonnes per person | 9.4 tonnes per person | 2.32 tonnes per person | Libya |
| 2020s | 8.2 tonnes per person | 7.76 tonnes per person | 0.4341 tonnes per person | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher per capita co₂ emissions relative to the global average, China or Libya?
- Libya, at 8.84 tonnes per person against 8.66 tonnes per person in China as of 2024.
- What is the difference in per capita co₂ emissions relative to the global average between China and Libya?
- 0.18 tonnes per person, with Libya ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and Libya?
- 75 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2024.
- How do China and Libya rank globally for per capita co₂ emissions relative to the global average?
- China ranks 30th and Libya ranks 29th of 213 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 relative to the global average. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from burning fossil fuels and industrial processes. This includes emissions from transport, electricity generation, and heating, but not land-use change.