China vs USSR: Share of global CO₂ emissions and population
China
6.2%
in 2100
USSR
5.4%
in 1991
China rank
2nd
USSR rank
3rd
Share of global CO₂ emissions and population over time
- China
- USSR
How they compare
China currently reports 6.2% against 5.4% in USSR, a difference of 0.8%.
That makes China's figure about 1.2 times USSR's.
Across all 209 years both countries report, China has been ahead every year.
China ranks 2nd and USSR ranks 3rd of 239 countries.
China has averaged higher in every one of the 37 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | USSR | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000s | 11.3% | 2.1% | 9.2% | China |
| 1100s | 22.7% | 2.3% | 20.4% | China |
| 1200s | 23.2% | 2.8% | 20.4% | China |
| 1300s | 17.5% | 2.9% | 14.7% | China |
| 1400s | 16.1% | 3.0% | 13.2% | China |
| 1500s | 18.1% | 3.2% | 14.9% | China |
| 1600s | 19.0% | 3.8% | 15.2% | China |
| 1700s | 16.7% | 3.9% | 12.8% | China |
| 1710s | 16.8% | 4.2% | 12.7% | China |
| 1720s | 18.4% | 4.5% | 14.0% | China |
| 1730s | 18.9% | 4.8% | 14.2% | China |
| 1740s | 20.4% | 5.0% | 15.4% | China |
| 1750s | 23.7% | 5.1% | 18.6% | China |
| 1760s | 25.0% | 5.3% | 19.7% | China |
| 1770s | 26.6% | 5.4% | 21.2% | China |
| 1780s | 30.6% | 5.4% | 25.2% | China |
| 1790s | 31.7% | 5.5% | 26.2% | China |
| 1800s | 33.7% | 5.5% | 28.2% | China |
| 1810s | 34.4% | 5.3% | 29.2% | China |
| 1820s | 35.1% | 5.1% | 29.9% | China |
| 1830s | 34.5% | 5.3% | 29.2% | China |
| 1840s | 33.1% | 5.6% | 27.5% | China |
| 1850s | 30.8% | 5.9% | 24.8% | China |
| 1860s | 27.9% | 6.3% | 21.6% | China |
| 1870s | 26.3% | 6.7% | 19.6% | China |
| 1880s | 25.4% | 6.9% | 18.5% | China |
| 1890s | 24.6% | 7.0% | 17.5% | China |
| 1900s | 24.0% | 7.2% | 16.8% | China |
| 1910s | 24.1% | 7.3% | 16.8% | China |
| 1920s | 24.0% | 7.3% | 16.7% | China |
| 1930s | 22.8% | 7.3% | 15.6% | China |
| 1940s | 22.0% | 7.2% | 14.8% | China |
| 1950s | 22.0% | 7.2% | 14.8% | China |
| 1960s | 21.7% | 6.9% | 14.8% | China |
| 1970s | 22.4% | 6.3% | 16.1% | China |
| 1980s | 21.8% | 5.7% | 16.1% | China |
| 1990s | 21.6% | 5.4% | 16.2% | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of global co₂ emissions and population, China or USSR?
- China, at 6.2% against 5.4% in USSR as of 2100.
- What is the difference in share of global co₂ emissions and population between China and USSR?
- 0.8%, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and USSR?
- 209 years are reported by both, from 1000 to 1991.
- How do China and USSR rank globally for share of global co₂ emissions and population?
- China ranks 2nd and USSR ranks 3rd of 239 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- HYDE (2023); Gapminder (2022); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of global CO₂ emissions and population. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Share of the world's population by country, available from 10,000 BCE to 2100, based on data and estimates from different sources.