China vs India: Share of global CO₂ emissions vs. share of population
China
31.8%
in 2024
India
8.3%
in 2024
China rank
1st
India rank
3rd
Share of global CO₂ emissions vs. share of population over time
- China
- India
How they compare
China currently reports 31.8% against 8.3% in India, a difference of 23.5%.
That makes China's figure about 3.8 times India's.
The two have swapped places 5 times across 118 shared years of data; in 1907 it was India ahead.
China ranks 1st and India ranks 3rd of 215 countries.
Across the 13 decades both report, China averaged higher in 11 and India in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | India | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0.8% | 0.8% | 0.0% | India |
| 1910s | 0.8% | 1.0% | 0.1% | India |
| 1920s | 1.2% | 1.1% | 0.1% | China |
| 1930s | 1.6% | 1.1% | 0.5% | China |
| 1940s | 1.6% | 1.1% | 0.5% | China |
| 1950s | 3.2% | 1.1% | 2.1% | China |
| 1960s | 4.9% | 1.3% | 3.6% | China |
| 1970s | 6.6% | 1.3% | 5.3% | China |
| 1980s | 9.6% | 2.0% | 7.6% | China |
| 1990s | 13.2% | 3.2% | 10.0% | China |
| 2000s | 19.2% | 4.2% | 15.0% | China |
| 2010s | 27.8% | 6.1% | 21.7% | China |
| 2020s | 31.3% | 7.6% | 23.7% | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of global co₂ emissions vs. share of population, China or India?
- China, at 31.8% against 8.3% in India as of 2024.
- What is the difference in share of global co₂ emissions vs. share of population between China and India?
- 23.5%, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and India?
- 118 years are reported by both, from 1907 to 2024.
- How do China and India rank globally for share of global co₂ emissions vs. share of population?
- China ranks 1st and India ranks 3rd of 215 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of global CO₂ emissions vs. share of population. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Annual total emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂), excluding land-use change, measured as a percentage of global emissions of CO₂ in the same year.