CO₂ emissions from transport in China
China: CO₂ emissions from transport was 1.05 billion tonnes in 2023. ◆ Volatile
CO₂ emissions from transport in China, 1990–2023
Source: Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
In 2023, co₂ emissions from transport in China stood at 1.05 billion tonnes.
That represents a change of up 5.5% on the previous year and up 41.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, co₂ emissions from transport in China peaked at 1.10 billion tonnes in 2021 and was at its lowest, 94.15 million tonnes, in 1990.
That places China 2nd out of 191 countries with data for 2023, putting it 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 128.89 million tonnes | 94.15 million tonnes | 169.85 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 378.83 million tonnes | 248.48 million tonnes | 517.07 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 791.62 million tonnes | 568.78 million tonnes | 1.02 billion tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.04 billion tonnes | 993.94 million tonnes | 1.10 billion tonnes | 4 |
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 transport in China?
- Co₂ emissions from transport in China was 1.05 billion tonnes in 2023, according to Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest co₂ emissions from transport recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 1.10 billion tonnes in 2021.
- What is the lowest co₂ emissions from transport recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 94.15 million tonnes in 1990.
- How does China rank for co₂ emissions from transport?
- China ranks 2nd out of 191 countries with data for 2023.
- Is co₂ emissions from transport rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 41.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of CO₂ emissions from transport. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Emissions are measured in tonnes.