Annual CO₂ emissions from aviation in China
China: Annual CO₂ emissions from aviation was 105.85 million tonnes in 2024. ▲ Rising
Annual CO₂ emissions from aviation in China, 2013–2024
Source: OECD (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
China recorded 105.85 million tonnes for annual co₂ emissions from aviation in 2024.
The figure is up 15.6% on the previous year and up 66.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual co₂ emissions from aviation in China peaked at 109.11 million tonnes in 2019 and was at its lowest, 45.25 million tonnes, in 2022.
China ranks 3rd of 143 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 12 years of available data.
Annual CO₂ emissions from aviation in China, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 58.69 million tonnes | — |
| 2014 | 63.77 million tonnes | +8.6% |
| 2015 | 70.09 million tonnes | +9.9% |
| 2016 | 77.94 million tonnes | +11.2% |
| 2017 | 86.52 million tonnes | +11.0% |
| 2018 | 94.31 million tonnes | +9.0% |
| 2019 | 109.11 million tonnes | +15.7% |
| 2020 | 70.59 million tonnes | -35.3% |
| 2021 | 72.40 million tonnes | +2.6% |
| 2022 | 45.25 million tonnes | -37.5% |
| 2023 | 91.60 million tonnes | +102.4% |
| 2024 | 105.85 million tonnes | +15.6% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 105.85 million tonnes is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 845,146 tonnes, 125.2× the median. (43 countries reporting)
- China's 105.85 million tonnes is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 2.23 million tonnes, 47.4× the median. (22 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 80.06 million tonnes | 58.69 million tonnes | 109.11 million tonnes | 7 |
| 2020s | 77.14 million tonnes | 45.25 million tonnes | 105.85 million tonnes | 5 |
Countries ranked near China
- 1 OECD 490.75 million tonnes compare
- 2 United States 200.18 million tonnes compare
- 4 United Kingdom 33.32 million tonnes compare
- 5 Japan 27.39 million tonnes compare
- 6 United Arab Emirates 25.59 million tonnes compare
More climate change data for China
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 31.25 billion kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 604,831 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 191,478 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 413,353 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 722.56 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 14,763 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 342,069 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 200,605 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 141,464 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 757 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual co₂ emissions from aviation in China?
- Annual co₂ emissions from aviation in China was 105.85 million tonnes in 2024, according to OECD (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual co₂ emissions from aviation recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 109.11 million tonnes in 2019.
- What is the lowest annual co₂ emissions from aviation recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 45.25 million tonnes in 2022.
- How does China rank for annual co₂ emissions from aviation?
- China ranks 3rd out of 143 countries with data for 2024.
- Is annual co₂ emissions from aviation rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 66.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from OECD (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual CO₂ emissions from aviation. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 12 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Includes emissions from both domestic and international aviation. International aviation emissions are assigned to the country of departure. CO₂ emissions from commercial passenger flights only.