China vs United States: Share of global nitrous oxide emissions
China
16.2%
in 2024
United States
8.2%
in 2024
China rank
1st
United States rank
3rd
Share of global nitrous oxide emissions over time
- China
- United States
How they compare
China currently reports 16.2% against 8.2% in United States, a difference of 8.0%.
That makes China's figure about 2.0 times United States's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 175 shared years of data; in 1850 it was United States ahead.
China ranks 1st and United States ranks 3rd of 201 countries.
Across the 18 decades both report, China averaged higher in 4 and United States in 14.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850s | 4.1% | 22.0% | 18.0% | United States |
| 1860s | 4.1% | 22.1% | 18.0% | United States |
| 1870s | 4.0% | 21.7% | 17.8% | United States |
| 1880s | 3.8% | 21.2% | 17.4% | United States |
| 1890s | 3.9% | 21.0% | 17.1% | United States |
| 1900s | 4.2% | 21.0% | 16.8% | United States |
| 1910s | 4.5% | 20.5% | 16.1% | United States |
| 1920s | 4.7% | 18.5% | 13.8% | United States |
| 1930s | 5.3% | 17.2% | 11.9% | United States |
| 1940s | 5.4% | 16.0% | 10.6% | United States |
| 1950s | 5.8% | 15.0% | 9.2% | United States |
| 1960s | 7.1% | 16.3% | 9.2% | United States |
| 1970s | 8.5% | 15.5% | 7.0% | United States |
| 1980s | 11.2% | 12.4% | 1.2% | United States |
| 1990s | 14.6% | 11.3% | 3.3% | China |
| 2000s | 16.8% | 10.5% | 6.3% | China |
| 2010s | 16.8% | 9.2% | 7.6% | China |
| 2020s | 16.1% | 8.3% | 7.8% | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of global nitrous oxide emissions, China or United States?
- China, at 16.2% against 8.2% in United States as of 2024.
- What is the difference in share of global nitrous oxide emissions between China and United States?
- 8.0%, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and United States?
- 175 years are reported by both, from 1850 to 2024.
- How do China and United States rank globally for share of global nitrous oxide emissions?
- China ranks 1st and United States ranks 3rd of 201 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of global nitrous oxide 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 nitrous oxide emissions.