Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in China
China: Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity was 525.34 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
525.34 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour
Change on year
down 5.4%
World rank
88th
of 213 countries
All-time high
790.92 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour
in 2003
All-time low
525.34 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour
in 2025
Years of data
26
2000–2025
Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in China, 2000–2025
Source: Ember (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour.
Analysis
In 2025, lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in China stood at 525.34 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour. That is the lowest value across all 26 years on record.
The figure is down 5.4% on the previous year and down 21.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in China peaked at 790.92 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour in 2003 and was at its lowest, 525.34 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour, in 2025.
China ranks 88th of 213 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 26 years of available data.
Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in China, year by year
| Year | grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 783.51 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | — |
| 2001 | 762.88 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -2.6% |
| 2002 | 773.3 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +1.4% |
| 2003 | 790.92 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +2.3% |
| 2004 | 778.5 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -1.6% |
| 2005 | 782.08 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 786.64 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 785.24 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 747.06 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -4.9% |
| 2009 | 753.13 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +0.8% |
| 2010 | 740.75 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -1.6% |
| 2011 | 752.36 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +1.6% |
| 2012 | 720.28 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -4.3% |
| 2013 | 717.51 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 693.85 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -3.3% |
| 2015 | 667.85 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -3.7% |
| 2016 | 651.76 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -2.4% |
| 2017 | 644.21 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -1.2% |
| 2018 | 636.89 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -1.1% |
| 2019 | 619.63 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -2.7% |
| 2020 | 606.29 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -2.2% |
| 2021 | 599.05 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -1.2% |
| 2022 | 586.75 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -2.1% |
| 2023 | 583.04 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -0.6% |
| 2024 | 555.4 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -4.7% |
| 2025 | 525.34 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -5.4% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 525.34 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 537.48 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour, 98% of the median. (55 countries reporting)
- China's 525.34 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 519.46 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour, 1.0× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 774.33 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 747.06 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 790.92 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 2010s | 684.51 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 619.63 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 752.36 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 2020s | 575.98 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 525.34 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 606.29 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 6 |
Countries ranked near China
- 85 Haiti 534.88 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
- 86 Martinique 529.8 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
- 87 Jordan 529.79 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
- 89 Australia 525.18 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
- 90 Gabon 523.08 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
- 91 Papua New Guinea 513.74 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour 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 lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in China?
- Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in China was 525.34 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour in 2025, according to Ember (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 790.92 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour in 2003.
- What is the lowest lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 525.34 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour in 2025.
- How does China rank for lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity?
- China ranks 88th out of 213 countries with data for 2025.
- Is lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 21.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Ember (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Greenhouse gases emitted per unit of generated electricity, measured in grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour.