Cumulative CO₂ emissions from land-use change, per square kilometre in China
China: Cumulative CO₂ emissions from land-use change, per square kilometre was 8,736 tonnes per square kilometre in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
8,736 tonnes per square kilometre
Change on year
down 0.4%
World rank
77th
of 194 countries
All-time high
8,956 tonnes per square kilometre
in 2013
All-time low
4,279 tonnes per square kilometre
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Cumulative CO₂ emissions from land-use change, per square kilometre in China, 1961–2023
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in tonnes per square kilometre.
Analysis
China recorded 8,736 tonnes per square kilometre for cumulative co₂ emissions from land-use change, per square kilometre in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.4% on the previous year and down 2.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cumulative co₂ emissions from land-use change, per square kilometre in China peaked at 8,956 tonnes per square kilometre in 2013 and was at its lowest, 4,279 tonnes per square kilometre, in 1961.
That places China 77th out of 194 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Cumulative CO₂ emissions from land-use change, per square kilometre in China, year by year
| Year | tonnes per square kilometre | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 4,279 tonnes per square kilometre | — |
| 1962 | 4,393 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.7% |
| 1963 | 4,522 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.9% |
| 1964 | 4,634 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.5% |
| 1965 | 4,777 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.1% |
| 1966 | 4,892 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.4% |
| 1967 | 4,975 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.7% |
| 1968 | 5,069 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.9% |
| 1969 | 5,237 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.3% |
| 1970 | 5,379 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.7% |
| 1971 | 5,473 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.7% |
| 1972 | 5,639 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.0% |
| 1973 | 5,788 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.6% |
| 1974 | 5,935 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.5% |
| 1975 | 6,063 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.2% |
| 1976 | 6,172 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.8% |
| 1977 | 6,342 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.7% |
| 1978 | 6,540 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.1% |
| 1979 | 6,660 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.8% |
| 1980 | 6,777 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.8% |
| 1981 | 6,886 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.6% |
| 1982 | 6,991 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.5% |
| 1983 | 7,092 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.4% |
| 1984 | 7,186 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.3% |
| 1985 | 7,272 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.2% |
| 1986 | 7,357 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.2% |
| 1987 | 7,437 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.1% |
| 1988 | 7,520 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.1% |
| 1989 | 7,604 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.1% |
| 1990 | 7,689 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.1% |
| 1991 | 7,771 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.1% |
| 1992 | 7,860 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.1% |
| 1993 | 7,948 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.1% |
| 1994 | 8,047 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.3% |
| 1995 | 8,137 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.1% |
| 1996 | 8,231 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.2% |
| 1997 | 8,329 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.2% |
| 1998 | 8,425 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.2% |
| 1999 | 8,515 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.1% |
| 2000 | 8,582 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.8% |
| 2001 | 8,638 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 8,682 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 8,722 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 8,764 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 8,801 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 8,840 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 8,876 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 8,913 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 8,951 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 8,947 tonnes per square kilometre | -0.0% |
| 2011 | 8,950 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 8,953 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 8,956 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 8,941 tonnes per square kilometre | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 8,938 tonnes per square kilometre | -0.0% |
| 2016 | 8,923 tonnes per square kilometre | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 8,903 tonnes per square kilometre | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 8,884 tonnes per square kilometre | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 8,860 tonnes per square kilometre | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 8,831 tonnes per square kilometre | -0.3% |
| 2021 | 8,801 tonnes per square kilometre | -0.3% |
| 2022 | 8,769 tonnes per square kilometre | -0.4% |
| 2023 | 8,736 tonnes per square kilometre | -0.4% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 8,736 tonnes per square kilometre is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 5,176 tonnes per square kilometre, 1.7× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- China's 8,736 tonnes per square kilometre is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 10,271 tonnes per square kilometre, 85% of the median. (30 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 4,753 tonnes per square kilometre | 4,279 tonnes per square kilometre | 5,237 tonnes per square kilometre | 9 |
| 1970s | 5,999 tonnes per square kilometre | 5,379 tonnes per square kilometre | 6,660 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1980s | 7,212 tonnes per square kilometre | 6,777 tonnes per square kilometre | 7,604 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1990s | 8,095 tonnes per square kilometre | 7,689 tonnes per square kilometre | 8,515 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2000s | 8,777 tonnes per square kilometre | 8,582 tonnes per square kilometre | 8,951 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2010s | 8,926 tonnes per square kilometre | 8,860 tonnes per square kilometre | 8,956 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2020s | 8,784 tonnes per square kilometre | 8,736 tonnes per square kilometre | 8,831 tonnes per square kilometre | 4 |
Countries ranked near China
- 74 Tanzania 9,144 tonnes per square kilometre compare
- 75 Gambia 9,020 tonnes per square kilometre compare
- 76 Turkey 8,925 tonnes per square kilometre compare
- 78 Zambia 8,545 tonnes per square kilometre compare
- 79 Congo 8,412 tonnes per square kilometre compare
- 80 Barbados 8,086 tonnes per square kilometre 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 cumulative co₂ emissions from land-use change, per square kilometre in China?
- Cumulative co₂ emissions from land-use change, per square kilometre in China was 8,736 tonnes per square kilometre in 2023, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest cumulative co₂ emissions from land-use change, per square kilometre recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 8,956 tonnes per square kilometre in 2013.
- What is the lowest cumulative co₂ emissions from land-use change, per square kilometre recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 4,279 tonnes per square kilometre in 1961.
- How does China rank for cumulative co₂ emissions from land-use change, per square kilometre?
- China ranks 77th out of 194 countries with data for 2023.
- Is cumulative co₂ emissions from land-use change, per square kilometre rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Cumulative CO₂ emissions from land-use change, per square kilometre. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
Cumulative CO₂ emissions from land-use change divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
Cumulative CO₂ emissions from land-use change ÷ Land area (sq. km)
Computed from
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions from land-use change Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
- Land area FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
Cumulative CO₂ emissions from land-use change divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.