Botswana vs China: Per capita greenhouse gas emissions

Botswana
10.39 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person
in 2024
China
9.94 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person
in 2024
Botswana rank
36th
China rank
38th

Per capita greenhouse gas emissions over time

  • Botswana
  • China
05101520185019372024

How they compare

Botswana currently reports 10.39 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person against 9.94 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in China, a difference of 0.45 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person.

The two have swapped places 6 times across 175 shared years of data; in 1850 it was Botswana ahead.

Botswana ranks 36th and China ranks 38th of 199 countries.

Across the 18 decades both report, Botswana averaged higher in 17 and China in 1.

Head to head by decade

Decade Botswana China Difference Ahead
1850s 7.2 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 0.9913 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 6.21 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person Botswana
1860s 8.47 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 0.8032 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 7.67 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person Botswana
1870s 9.25 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 0.7049 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 8.55 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person Botswana
1880s 9.52 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 0.8421 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 8.68 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person Botswana
1890s 9.82 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 1.02 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 8.8 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person Botswana
1900s 10.75 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 1.22 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 9.53 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person Botswana
1910s 11.48 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 1.44 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 10.04 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person Botswana
1920s 13.22 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 1.45 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 11.77 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person Botswana
1930s 13.5 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 1.7 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 11.8 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person Botswana
1940s 17.95 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 1.99 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 15.96 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person Botswana
1950s 18.05 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 2.53 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 15.52 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person Botswana
1960s 15.3 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 2.63 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 12.67 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person Botswana
1970s 13.66 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 3.22 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 10.44 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person Botswana
1980s 10.11 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 3.37 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 6.74 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person Botswana
1990s 10.48 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 4.02 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 6.46 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person Botswana
2000s 8.32 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 5.55 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 2.77 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person Botswana
2010s 8.56 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 8.31 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 0.2511 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person Botswana
2020s 8.77 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 9.41 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 0.6343 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person China

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher per capita greenhouse gas emissions, Botswana or China?
Botswana, at 10.39 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person against 9.94 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in China as of 2024.
What is the difference in per capita greenhouse gas emissions between Botswana and China?
0.45 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person, with Botswana ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Botswana and China?
175 years are reported by both, from 1850 to 2024.
How do Botswana and China rank globally for per capita greenhouse gas emissions?
Botswana ranks 36th and China ranks 38th of 199 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 greenhouse gas emissions. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
Per capita greenhouse gas emissions
Unit
tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person
Source
Jones et al. (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
199 places, 34,079 data points, 1850–2024
Last refreshed

Greenhouse gas emissions are measured in tonnes per person of carbon dioxide-equivalents over a 100-year timescale.