China vs Iceland: Per capita GHG emissions vs. per capita CO₂ emissions
China
9.65 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person
in 2024
Iceland
10.46 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person
in 2024
China rank
24th
Iceland rank
22nd
Per capita GHG emissions vs. per capita CO₂ emissions over time
- China
- Iceland
How they compare
Iceland currently reports 10.46 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person against 9.65 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in China, a difference of 0.81 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person.
That makes Iceland's figure about 1.1 times China's.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 175 shared years of data; in 1850 it was China ahead.
China ranks 24th and Iceland ranks 22nd of 197 countries.
Across the 18 decades both report, China averaged higher in 9 and Iceland in 9.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | Iceland | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850s | 0.2489 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.1501 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.0988 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | China |
| 1860s | 0.2508 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.1471 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.1037 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | China |
| 1870s | 0.2528 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.1596 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.0931 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | China |
| 1880s | 0.2547 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.1824 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.0723 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | China |
| 1890s | 0.2558 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.211 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.0448 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | China |
| 1900s | 0.2768 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.2457 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.0311 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | China |
| 1910s | 0.328 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.2692 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.0588 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | China |
| 1920s | 0.3637 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.2839 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.0798 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | China |
| 1930s | 0.4023 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.3225 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.0798 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | China |
| 1940s | 0.4335 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 4.32 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 3.89 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Iceland |
| 1950s | 0.7292 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 6.35 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 5.62 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Iceland |
| 1960s | 1.12 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 8.08 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 6.95 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Iceland |
| 1970s | 1.67 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 9.19 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 7.51 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Iceland |
| 1980s | 2.29 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 8.59 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 6.3 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Iceland |
| 1990s | 3.06 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10.25 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 7.19 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Iceland |
| 2000s | 4.91 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 11.93 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 7.02 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Iceland |
| 2010s | 7.87 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 11.68 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 3.81 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Iceland |
| 2020s | 9.12 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10.19 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.08 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Iceland |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher per capita ghg emissions vs. per capita co₂ emissions, China or Iceland?
- Iceland, at 10.46 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person against 9.65 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in China as of 2024.
- What is the difference in per capita ghg emissions vs. per capita co₂ emissions between China and Iceland?
- 0.81 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person, with Iceland ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and Iceland?
- 175 years are reported by both, from 1850 to 2024.
- How do China and Iceland rank globally for per capita ghg emissions vs. per capita co₂ emissions?
- China ranks 24th and Iceland ranks 22nd of 197 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Jones et al. (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Per capita GHG emissions vs. per capita CO₂ emissions. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Greenhouse gas emissions are measured in tonnes per person of carbon dioxide-equivalents over a 100-year timescale.