CO₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change in China
China: CO₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change was 12.29 billion tonnes in 2024. ◆ Volatile
CO₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change in China, 1907–2024
Source: Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
China recorded 12.29 billion tonnes for co₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change in 2024. That is the highest value across all 118 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.0% on the previous year and up 23.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, co₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change in China peaked at 12.29 billion tonnes in 2024 and was at its lowest, 17.03 million tonnes, in 1912.
China ranks 1st of 215 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 22.29 million tonnes | 19.89 million tonnes | 24.25 million tonnes | 3 |
| 1910s | 27.80 million tonnes | 17.03 million tonnes | 38.00 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1920s | 44.57 million tonnes | 38.76 million tonnes | 48.85 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1930s | 62.31 million tonnes | 49.56 million tonnes | 75.48 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1940s | 77.87 million tonnes | 36.11 million tonnes | 127.61 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1950s | 251.05 million tonnes | 78.84 million tonnes | 720.16 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1960s | 535.97 million tonnes | 456.79 million tonnes | 798.81 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.15 billion tonnes | 807.96 million tonnes | 1.53 billion tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.94 billion tonnes | 1.48 billion tonnes | 2.46 billion tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.11 billion tonnes | 2.48 billion tonnes | 3.55 billion tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.62 billion tonnes | 3.64 billion tonnes | 7.88 billion tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.85 billion tonnes | 8.61 billion tonnes | 10.71 billion tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.67 billion tonnes | 10.90 billion tonnes | 12.29 billion tonnes | 5 |
Countries ranked near China
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 co₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change in China?
- Co₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change in China was 12.29 billion tonnes in 2024, according to Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest co₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 12.29 billion tonnes in 2024.
- What is the lowest co₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.03 million tonnes in 1912.
- How does China rank for co₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change?
- China ranks 1st out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
- Is co₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 23.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- 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 CO₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 118 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Annual total emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂), excluding land-use change, measured in tonnes.