China vs Singapore: Per capita CO₂ emissions relative to the global average
China
8.66 tonnes per person
in 2024
Singapore
9.24 tonnes per person
in 2024
China rank
30th
Singapore rank
28th
Per capita CO₂ emissions relative to the global average over time
- China
- Singapore
How they compare
Singapore currently reports 9.24 tonnes per person against 8.66 tonnes per person in China, a difference of 0.58 tonnes per person.
That makes Singapore's figure about 1.1 times China's.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 75 shared years of data; in 1950 it was Singapore ahead.
China ranks 30th and Singapore ranks 28th of 213 countries.
Singapore has averaged higher in every one of the 8 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | Singapore | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 0.4049 tonnes per person | 2.34 tonnes per person | 1.93 tonnes per person | Singapore |
| 1960s | 0.7531 tonnes per person | 1.63 tonnes per person | 0.8775 tonnes per person | Singapore |
| 1970s | 1.26 tonnes per person | 10.89 tonnes per person | 9.63 tonnes per person | Singapore |
| 1980s | 1.82 tonnes per person | 11.97 tonnes per person | 10.14 tonnes per person | Singapore |
| 1990s | 2.56 tonnes per person | 13.98 tonnes per person | 11.41 tonnes per person | Singapore |
| 2000s | 4.29 tonnes per person | 9.17 tonnes per person | 4.88 tonnes per person | Singapore |
| 2010s | 7.08 tonnes per person | 8.82 tonnes per person | 1.74 tonnes per person | Singapore |
| 2020s | 8.2 tonnes per person | 8.81 tonnes per person | 0.6171 tonnes per person | Singapore |
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 Singapore?
- Singapore, at 9.24 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 Singapore?
- 0.58 tonnes per person, with Singapore ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and Singapore?
- 75 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2024.
- How do China and Singapore rank globally for per capita co₂ emissions relative to the global average?
- China ranks 30th and Singapore ranks 28th 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.