China vs United States: Share of global CO₂ emissions vs. share of population
China
31.8%
in 2024
United States
12.7%
in 2024
China rank
1st
United States rank
2nd
Share of global CO₂ emissions vs. share of population over time
- China
- United States
How they compare
China currently reports 31.8% against 12.7% in United States, a difference of 19.1%.
That makes China's figure about 2.5 times United States's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 118 shared years of data; in 1907 it was United States ahead.
China ranks 1st and United States ranks 2nd of 215 countries.
Across the 13 decades both report, China averaged higher in 2 and United States in 11.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0.8% | 39.9% | 39.2% | United States |
| 1910s | 0.8% | 44.2% | 43.3% | United States |
| 1920s | 1.2% | 47.4% | 46.2% | United States |
| 1930s | 1.6% | 39.8% | 38.2% | United States |
| 1940s | 1.6% | 45.7% | 44.1% | United States |
| 1950s | 3.2% | 37.1% | 33.9% | United States |
| 1960s | 4.9% | 30.2% | 25.3% | United States |
| 1970s | 6.6% | 26.9% | 20.3% | United States |
| 1980s | 9.6% | 22.9% | 13.3% | United States |
| 1990s | 13.2% | 23.0% | 9.9% | United States |
| 2000s | 19.2% | 20.8% | 1.6% | United States |
| 2010s | 27.8% | 15.3% | 12.5% | China |
| 2020s | 31.3% | 13.2% | 18.1% | 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 United States?
- China, at 31.8% against 12.7% in United States as of 2024.
- What is the difference in share of global co₂ emissions vs. share of population between China and United States?
- 19.1%, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and United States?
- 118 years are reported by both, from 1907 to 2024.
- How do China and United States rank globally for share of global co₂ emissions vs. share of population?
- China ranks 1st and United States ranks 2nd 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.