Annual CO₂ emissions from flaring in China
China: Annual CO₂ emissions from flaring was 4.01 million tonnes in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
4.01 million tonnes
Change on year
down 10.7%
World rank
15th
of 215 countries
All-time high
5.59 million tonnes
in 2005
All-time low
791,421 tonnes
in 1971
Years of data
45
1971–2024
Annual CO₂ emissions from flaring in China, 1971–2024
Source: Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
China recorded 4.01 million tonnes for annual co₂ emissions from flaring in 2024.
The figure is down 10.7% on the previous year and up 2.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual co₂ emissions from flaring in China peaked at 5.59 million tonnes in 2005 and was at its lowest, 791,421 tonnes, in 1971.
That places China 15th out of 215 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Annual CO₂ emissions from flaring in China, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 791,421 tonnes | — |
| 1972 | 1.02 million tonnes | +29.2% |
| 1973 | 1.26 million tonnes | +23.7% |
| 1974 | 1.63 million tonnes | +29.3% |
| 1975 | 1.91 million tonnes | +16.6% |
| 1976 | 1.91 million tonnes | -0.0% |
| 1977 | 2.18 million tonnes | +14.4% |
| 1978 | 2.74 million tonnes | +25.5% |
| 1979 | 3.06 million tonnes | +11.9% |
| 1980 | 3.01 million tonnes | -1.7% |
| 1981 | 2.69 million tonnes | -10.7% |
| 1982 | 2.52 million tonnes | -6.1% |
| 1983 | 2.67 million tonnes | +5.8% |
| 1984 | 3.21 million tonnes | +20.3% |
| 1994 | 3.74 million tonnes | +16.3% |
| 1995 | 3.73 million tonnes | -0.2% |
| 1996 | 5.58 million tonnes | +49.8% |
| 1997 | 5.42 million tonnes | -2.9% |
| 1998 | 4.13 million tonnes | -23.8% |
| 1999 | 4.43 million tonnes | +7.3% |
| 2000 | 4.74 million tonnes | +6.9% |
| 2001 | 4.78 million tonnes | +1.0% |
| 2002 | 4.49 million tonnes | -6.2% |
| 2003 | 5.18 million tonnes | +15.5% |
| 2004 | 5.19 million tonnes | +0.2% |
| 2005 | 5.59 million tonnes | +7.6% |
| 2006 | 5.53 million tonnes | -1.0% |
| 2007 | 4.96 million tonnes | -10.3% |
| 2008 | 4.67 million tonnes | -6.0% |
| 2009 | 4.56 million tonnes | -2.3% |
| 2010 | 3.97 million tonnes | -12.8% |
| 2011 | 3.85 million tonnes | -3.0% |
| 2012 | 3.73 million tonnes | -3.1% |
| 2013 | 3.63 million tonnes | -2.7% |
| 2014 | 3.93 million tonnes | +8.2% |
| 2015 | 3.90 million tonnes | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 3.09 million tonnes | -20.8% |
| 2017 | 2.97 million tonnes | -3.9% |
| 2018 | 3.41 million tonnes | +14.8% |
| 2019 | 3.84 million tonnes | +12.6% |
| 2020 | 5.17 million tonnes | +34.7% |
| 2021 | 4.81 million tonnes | -6.9% |
| 2022 | 4.68 million tonnes | -2.8% |
| 2023 | 4.49 million tonnes | -3.9% |
| 2024 | 4.01 million tonnes | -10.7% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 4.01 million tonnes is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1,109 tonnes, 3618.7× the median. (58 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.83 million tonnes | 791,421 tonnes | 3.06 million tonnes | 9 |
| 1980s | 2.82 million tonnes | 2.52 million tonnes | 3.21 million tonnes | 5 |
| 1990s | 4.51 million tonnes | 3.73 million tonnes | 5.58 million tonnes | 6 |
| 2000s | 4.97 million tonnes | 4.49 million tonnes | 5.59 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.63 million tonnes | 2.97 million tonnes | 3.97 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.63 million tonnes | 4.01 million tonnes | 5.17 million tonnes | 5 |
Countries ranked near China
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 flaring in China?
- Annual co₂ emissions from flaring in China was 4.01 million tonnes in 2024, according to Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual co₂ emissions from flaring recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 5.59 million tonnes in 2005.
- What is the lowest annual co₂ emissions from flaring recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 791,421 tonnes in 1971.
- How does China rank for annual co₂ emissions from flaring?
- China ranks 15th out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
- Is annual co₂ emissions from flaring rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual CO₂ emissions from flaring. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 45 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Annual emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from flaring, measured in tonnes.