Carbon intensity vs. GDP per capita in China
China: Carbon intensity vs. GDP per capita was 278.62 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour in 2024. ▼ Falling
Carbon intensity vs. GDP per capita in China, 1965–2024
Source: Global Carbon Budget (2025) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour.
Analysis
In 2024, carbon intensity vs. gdp per capita in China stood at 278.62 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour. That is the lowest value across all 60 years on record.
That represents a change of down 2.0% on the previous year and down 8.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, carbon intensity vs. gdp per capita in China peaked at 349.06 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour in 1970 and was at its lowest, 278.62 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour, in 2024.
That places China 23rd out of 204 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 60 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 332.41 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 314.55 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 338.07 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 5 |
| 1970s | 328.43 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 320.75 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 349.06 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 1980s | 329.53 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 317.02 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 336.06 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 1990s | 324.12 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 316.13 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 335.75 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 2000s | 302.91 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 288.55 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 320.55 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 2010s | 303.26 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 290.73 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 317.35 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 2020s | 285.56 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 278.62 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 290.59 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 5 |
Countries ranked near China
- 20 Cuba 290.07 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour compare
- 21 Laos 288.44 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour compare
- 22 Senegal 282.09 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour compare
- 24 Madagascar 275.85 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour compare
- 25 Sudan 275.23 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour compare
- 26 Cameroon 274.96 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour compare
More climate change data for China
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 6.2% (2100)
- Population growth -0.2% (2025)
- Population, total 1.41 billion (2025)
- Urban population growth 0.5% (2025)
- Urban population 933.17 million (2025)
- Urban population 66.3% (2025)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 8.66 tonnes per person (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions 285.09 billion tonnes (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita 8.66 tonnes per person (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 8.66 tonnes per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is carbon intensity vs. gdp per capita in China?
- Carbon intensity vs. gdp per capita in China was 278.62 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour in 2024, according to Global Carbon Budget (2025) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest carbon intensity vs. gdp per capita recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 349.06 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour in 1970.
- What is the lowest carbon intensity vs. gdp per capita recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 278.62 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour in 2024.
- How does China rank for carbon intensity vs. gdp per capita?
- China ranks 23rd out of 204 countries with data for 2024.
- Is carbon intensity vs. gdp per capita rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Global Carbon Budget (2025) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Carbon intensity vs. GDP per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 60 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Fossil carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions per unit of total energy supply, measured in grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour.