China vs India: Share of global CO₂ emissions from coal
China
56.2%
in 2024
India
13.3%
in 2024
China rank
1st
India rank
2nd
Share of global CO₂ emissions from coal over time
- China
- India
How they compare
China currently reports 56.2% against 13.3% in India, a difference of 42.9%.
That makes China's figure about 4.2 times India's.
The two have swapped places 6 times across 118 shared years of data; in 1907 it was China ahead.
China ranks 1st and India ranks 2nd of 179 countries.
Across the 13 decades both report, China averaged higher in 12 and India in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | India | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0.8% | 0.8% | 0.1% | China |
| 1910s | 0.9% | 1.0% | 0.0% | India |
| 1920s | 1.4% | 1.2% | 0.3% | China |
| 1930s | 2.0% | 1.3% | 0.7% | China |
| 1940s | 2.1% | 1.4% | 0.7% | China |
| 1950s | 5.3% | 1.5% | 3.8% | China |
| 1960s | 9.0% | 2.1% | 6.9% | China |
| 1970s | 14.4% | 2.5% | 11.9% | China |
| 1980s | 19.1% | 3.2% | 15.8% | China |
| 1990s | 27.2% | 5.4% | 21.8% | China |
| 2000s | 36.9% | 6.5% | 30.4% | China |
| 2010s | 49.6% | 9.4% | 40.1% | China |
| 2020s | 54.8% | 12.2% | 42.6% | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of global co₂ emissions from coal, China or India?
- China, at 56.2% against 13.3% in India as of 2024.
- What is the difference in share of global co₂ emissions from coal between China and India?
- 42.9%, 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 from coal?
- China ranks 1st and India ranks 2nd of 179 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 from coal. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Annual emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from coal, measured as a percentage of global emissions of CO₂ from coal in the same year.