China vs Germany: Share of global cumulative CO₂ emissions from coal
China
25.1%
in 2024
Germany
7.7%
in 2024
China rank
1st
Germany rank
3rd
Share of global cumulative CO₂ emissions from coal over time
- China
- Germany
How they compare
China currently reports 25.1% against 7.7% in Germany, a difference of 17.4%.
That makes China's figure about 3.3 times Germany's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 118 shared years of data; in 1907 it was Germany ahead.
China ranks 1st and Germany ranks 3rd of 179 countries.
Across the 13 decades both report, China averaged higher in 3 and Germany in 10.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | Germany | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0.1% | 14.9% | 14.8% | Germany |
| 1910s | 0.2% | 15.1% | 14.9% | Germany |
| 1920s | 0.5% | 15.1% | 14.6% | Germany |
| 1930s | 0.8% | 15.0% | 14.2% | Germany |
| 1940s | 1.1% | 15.0% | 14.0% | Germany |
| 1950s | 1.4% | 14.6% | 13.3% | Germany |
| 1960s | 2.7% | 14.6% | 11.8% | Germany |
| 1970s | 4.2% | 14.0% | 9.8% | Germany |
| 1980s | 6.5% | 12.9% | 6.4% | Germany |
| 1990s | 9.5% | 11.7% | 2.2% | Germany |
| 2000s | 13.3% | 10.4% | 2.9% | China |
| 2010s | 19.5% | 8.9% | 10.6% | China |
| 2020s | 23.9% | 7.9% | 16.0% | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of global cumulative co₂ emissions from coal, China or Germany?
- China, at 25.1% against 7.7% in Germany as of 2024.
- What is the difference in share of global cumulative co₂ emissions from coal between China and Germany?
- 17.4%, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and Germany?
- 118 years are reported by both, from 1907 to 2024.
- How do China and Germany rank globally for share of global cumulative co₂ emissions from coal?
- China ranks 1st and Germany 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 cumulative CO₂ emissions from coal. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Cumulative emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from coal since the first year of available data, measured as a percentage of global cumulative emissions of CO₂ from coal.