China vs India: Share of global methane emissions
China
16.5%
in 2024
India
9.2%
in 2024
China rank
1st
India rank
2nd
Share of global methane emissions over time
- China
- India
How they compare
China currently reports 16.5% against 9.2% in India, a difference of 7.3%.
That makes China's figure about 1.8 times India's.
The two have swapped places 8 times across 175 shared years of data; in 1850 it was China ahead.
China ranks 1st and India ranks 2nd of 201 countries.
Across the 18 decades both report, China averaged higher in 14 and India in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | India | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850s | 19.1% | 16.3% | 2.8% | China |
| 1860s | 16.6% | 15.8% | 0.8% | China |
| 1870s | 15.2% | 15.1% | 0.0% | China |
| 1880s | 14.2% | 14.4% | 0.2% | India |
| 1890s | 13.3% | 13.8% | 0.4% | India |
| 1900s | 12.5% | 12.1% | 0.4% | China |
| 1910s | 12.2% | 10.8% | 1.4% | China |
| 1920s | 12.1% | 10.5% | 1.6% | China |
| 1930s | 11.3% | 10.5% | 0.8% | China |
| 1940s | 10.2% | 10.4% | 0.2% | India |
| 1950s | 9.5% | 9.8% | 0.3% | India |
| 1960s | 9.4% | 8.9% | 0.4% | China |
| 1970s | 10.1% | 8.2% | 2.0% | China |
| 1980s | 11.1% | 9.0% | 2.1% | China |
| 1990s | 12.3% | 9.2% | 3.1% | China |
| 2000s | 13.6% | 9.4% | 4.2% | China |
| 2010s | 15.1% | 9.2% | 5.9% | China |
| 2020s | 16.0% | 9.2% | 6.7% | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of global methane emissions, China or India?
- China, at 16.5% against 9.2% in India as of 2024.
- What is the difference in share of global methane emissions between China and India?
- 7.3%, 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 methane emissions?
- China ranks 1st and India ranks 2nd of 201 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Jones et al. (2025) β with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of global methane 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 methane emissions.