China vs Iran: Per capita GHG emissions vs. per capita CO₂ emissions
China
9.65 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person
in 2024
Iran
10.43 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person
in 2024
China rank
24th
Iran rank
23rd
Per capita GHG emissions vs. per capita CO₂ emissions over time
- China
- Iran
How they compare
Iran currently reports 10.43 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person against 9.65 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in China, a difference of 0.78 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person.
That makes Iran's figure about 1.1 times China's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 175 shared years of data; in 1850 it was Iran ahead.
China ranks 24th and Iran ranks 23rd of 197 countries.
Iran has averaged higher in every one of the 18 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | Iran | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850s | 0.2489 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.3001 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.0511 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Iran |
| 1860s | 0.2508 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.295 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.0442 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Iran |
| 1870s | 0.2528 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.3063 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.0535 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Iran |
| 1880s | 0.2547 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.3354 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.0808 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Iran |
| 1890s | 0.2558 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.3448 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.089 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Iran |
| 1900s | 0.2768 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.3191 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.0423 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Iran |
| 1910s | 0.328 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.5253 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.1973 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Iran |
| 1920s | 0.3637 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.57 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.21 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Iran |
| 1930s | 0.4023 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 2.12 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.72 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Iran |
| 1940s | 0.4335 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 3.01 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 2.57 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Iran |
| 1950s | 0.7292 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.55 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.8207 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Iran |
| 1960s | 1.12 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 4.83 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 3.71 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Iran |
| 1970s | 1.67 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 8.01 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 6.33 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Iran |
| 1980s | 2.29 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 4.33 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 2.04 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Iran |
| 1990s | 3.06 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 6.04 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 2.99 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Iran |
| 2000s | 4.91 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 8.12 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 3.21 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Iran |
| 2010s | 7.87 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 9.45 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.58 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Iran |
| 2020s | 9.12 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10.28 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.16 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Iran |
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 Iran?
- Iran, at 10.43 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 Iran?
- 0.78 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person, with Iran ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and Iran?
- 175 years are reported by both, from 1850 to 2024.
- How do China and Iran rank globally for per capita ghg emissions vs. per capita co₂ emissions?
- China ranks 24th and Iran ranks 23rd 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.