Cumulative CO₂ emissions from coal in China
China: Cumulative CO₂ emissions from coal was 213.27 billion tonnes in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Cumulative CO₂ emissions from coal in China, 1907–2024
Source: Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
China recorded 213.27 billion tonnes for cumulative co₂ emissions from coal in 2024. That is the highest value across all 118 years on record.
That represents a change of up 4.3% on the previous year and up 57.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cumulative co₂ emissions from coal in China peaked at 213.27 billion tonnes in 2024 and was at its lowest, 19.89 million tonnes, in 1907.
That places China 1st out of 179 countries with data for 2024, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 43.13 million tonnes | 19.89 million tonnes | 66.88 million tonnes | 3 |
| 1910s | 205.81 million tonnes | 91.89 million tonnes | 344.84 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1920s | 582.36 million tonnes | 385.12 million tonnes | 790.36 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1930s | 1.11 billion tonnes | 839.69 million tonnes | 1.41 billion tonnes | 10 |
| 1940s | 1.90 billion tonnes | 1.50 billion tonnes | 2.17 billion tonnes | 10 |
| 1950s | 3.04 billion tonnes | 2.25 billion tonnes | 4.60 billion tonnes | 10 |
| 1960s | 7.32 billion tonnes | 5.35 billion tonnes | 9.29 billion tonnes | 10 |
| 1970s | 13.70 billion tonnes | 9.95 billion tonnes | 18.10 billion tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 25.59 billion tonnes | 19.23 billion tonnes | 33.20 billion tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 45.58 billion tonnes | 35.18 billion tonnes | 56.82 billion tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 76.54 billion tonnes | 59.42 billion tonnes | 98.89 billion tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 138.54 billion tonnes | 105.46 billion tonnes | 171.49 billion tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 195.93 billion tonnes | 179.17 billion tonnes | 213.27 billion tonnes | 5 |
Countries ranked near China
- 2 United States 176.02 billion tonnes compare
- 3 Germany 65.23 billion tonnes compare
- 4 United Kingdom 56.90 billion tonnes 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 cumulative co₂ emissions from coal in China?
- Cumulative co₂ emissions from coal in China was 213.27 billion tonnes in 2024, according to Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest cumulative co₂ emissions from coal recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 213.27 billion tonnes in 2024.
- What is the lowest cumulative co₂ emissions from coal recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 19.89 million tonnes in 1907.
- How does China rank for cumulative co₂ emissions from coal?
- China ranks 1st out of 179 countries with data for 2024.
- Is cumulative co₂ emissions from coal rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 57.8%. 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 Cumulative CO₂ emissions from coal. 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
Cumulative emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from coal since the first year of available data, measured in tonnes.