China vs United States: Share of global CO₂ emissions from coal
China
56.2%
in 2024
United States
4.6%
in 2024
China rank
1st
United States rank
3rd
Share of global CO₂ emissions from coal over time
- China
- United States
How they compare
China currently reports 56.2% against 4.6% in United States, a difference of 51.6%.
That makes China's figure about 12.1 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 3rd of 179 countries.
Across the 13 decades both report, China averaged higher in 4 and United States in 9.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0.8% | 38.6% | 37.8% | United States |
| 1910s | 0.9% | 42.3% | 41.4% | United States |
| 1920s | 1.4% | 43.1% | 41.6% | United States |
| 1930s | 2.0% | 33.3% | 31.3% | United States |
| 1940s | 2.1% | 37.5% | 35.4% | United States |
| 1950s | 5.3% | 24.3% | 19.0% | United States |
| 1960s | 9.0% | 20.0% | 11.0% | United States |
| 1970s | 14.4% | 20.1% | 5.7% | United States |
| 1980s | 19.1% | 20.0% | 0.9% | United States |
| 1990s | 27.2% | 21.8% | 5.4% | China |
| 2000s | 36.9% | 18.9% | 17.9% | China |
| 2010s | 49.6% | 10.3% | 39.3% | China |
| 2020s | 54.8% | 5.6% | 49.3% | 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 United States?
- China, at 56.2% against 4.6% in United States as of 2024.
- What is the difference in share of global co₂ emissions from coal between China and United States?
- 51.6%, 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 from coal?
- China ranks 1st and United States ranks 3rd 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.