Cumulative CO₂ emissions from flaring in China
China: Cumulative CO₂ emissions from flaring was 166.84 million tonnes in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Cumulative CO₂ emissions from flaring in China, 1971–2024
Source: Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
China recorded 166.84 million tonnes for cumulative co₂ emissions from flaring in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.5% on the previous year and up 31.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cumulative co₂ emissions from flaring in China peaked at 166.84 million tonnes in 2024 and was at its lowest, 791,421 tonnes, in 1971.
China ranks 28th of 215 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 7.35 million tonnes | 791,421 tonnes | 16.50 million tonnes | 9 |
| 1980s | 24.89 million tonnes | 19.51 million tonnes | 30.61 million tonnes | 5 |
| 1990s | 46.01 million tonnes | 34.35 million tonnes | 57.65 million tonnes | 6 |
| 2000s | 84.91 million tonnes | 62.39 million tonnes | 107.34 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 127.81 million tonnes | 111.31 million tonnes | 143.67 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 158.10 million tonnes | 148.84 million tonnes | 166.84 million 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 cumulative co₂ emissions from flaring in China?
- Cumulative co₂ emissions from flaring in China was 166.84 million 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 flaring recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 166.84 million tonnes in 2024.
- What is the lowest cumulative co₂ emissions from flaring recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 791,421 tonnes in 1971.
- How does China rank for cumulative co₂ emissions from flaring?
- China ranks 28th out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
- Is cumulative co₂ emissions from flaring rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 31.9%. 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 flaring. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 45 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Cumulative emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from flaring since the first year of available data, measured in tonnes.