China vs India: Share of global greenhouse gas emissions
China
25.9%
in 2024
India
7.8%
in 2024
China rank
1st
India rank
3rd
Share of global greenhouse gas emissions over time
- China
- India
How they compare
China currently reports 25.9% against 7.8% in India, a difference of 18.1%.
That makes China's figure about 3.3 times India's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 175 shared years of data; in 1850 it was China ahead.
China ranks 1st and India ranks 3rd of 199 countries.
Across the 18 decades both report, China averaged higher in 15 and India in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | India | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850s | 8.5% | 6.9% | 1.6% | China |
| 1860s | 6.4% | 6.5% | 0.1% | India |
| 1870s | 4.5% | 5.6% | 1.0% | India |
| 1880s | 4.7% | 5.2% | 0.4% | India |
| 1890s | 5.0% | 4.7% | 0.3% | China |
| 1900s | 5.2% | 3.9% | 1.3% | China |
| 1910s | 6.0% | 3.7% | 2.3% | China |
| 1920s | 5.8% | 4.8% | 1.1% | China |
| 1930s | 6.6% | 5.1% | 1.5% | China |
| 1940s | 7.1% | 5.0% | 2.1% | China |
| 1950s | 7.6% | 4.7% | 2.8% | China |
| 1960s | 7.7% | 3.9% | 3.9% | China |
| 1970s | 9.3% | 3.3% | 6.0% | China |
| 1980s | 10.2% | 3.7% | 6.5% | China |
| 1990s | 12.5% | 4.4% | 8.1% | China |
| 2000s | 16.2% | 5.1% | 11.2% | China |
| 2010s | 22.4% | 6.3% | 16.1% | China |
| 2020s | 25.2% | 7.3% | 17.9% | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of global greenhouse gas emissions, China or India?
- China, at 25.9% against 7.8% in India as of 2024.
- What is the difference in share of global greenhouse gas emissions between China and India?
- 18.1%, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and India?
- 175 years are reported by both, from 1850 to 2024.
- How do China and India rank globally for share of global greenhouse gas emissions?
- China ranks 1st and India ranks 3rd of 199 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of global greenhouse gas emissions. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Measured as a percentage of the world's greenhouse gas emissions.