emissions of air pollutants, per capita in China
China: emissions of air pollutants, per capita was 0.093 tonnes per person in 2022. ▲ Rising
emissions of air pollutants, per capita in China, 1960–2022
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in tonnes per person.
Analysis
In 2022, emissions of air pollutants, per capita in China stood at 0.093 tonnes per person. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
That represents a change of down 2.3% on the previous year and down 35.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, emissions of air pollutants, per capita in China peaked at 0.165 tonnes per person in 1995 and was at its lowest, 0.093 tonnes per person, in 2022.
China ranks 25th of 207 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
emissions of air pollutants, per capita in China, year by year
| Year | tonnes per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 0.1051 tonnes per person | — |
| 1961 | 0.1007 tonnes per person | -4.2% |
| 1962 | 0.099 tonnes per person | -1.7% |
| 1963 | 0.1005 tonnes per person | +1.6% |
| 1964 | 0.1016 tonnes per person | +1.0% |
| 1965 | 0.104 tonnes per person | +2.4% |
| 1966 | 0.1055 tonnes per person | +1.4% |
| 1967 | 0.1015 tonnes per person | -3.8% |
| 1968 | 0.103 tonnes per person | +1.5% |
| 1969 | 0.1071 tonnes per person | +3.9% |
| 1970 | 0.1141 tonnes per person | +6.5% |
| 1971 | 0.1173 tonnes per person | +2.8% |
| 1972 | 0.1187 tonnes per person | +1.2% |
| 1973 | 0.1194 tonnes per person | +0.6% |
| 1974 | 0.1199 tonnes per person | +0.4% |
| 1975 | 0.1244 tonnes per person | +3.8% |
| 1976 | 0.1244 tonnes per person | -0.0% |
| 1977 | 0.1286 tonnes per person | +3.4% |
| 1978 | 0.1324 tonnes per person | +3.0% |
| 1979 | 0.1334 tonnes per person | +0.7% |
| 1980 | 0.134 tonnes per person | +0.5% |
| 1981 | 0.1334 tonnes per person | -0.5% |
| 1982 | 0.1349 tonnes per person | +1.1% |
| 1983 | 0.1372 tonnes per person | +1.7% |
| 1984 | 0.1404 tonnes per person | +2.4% |
| 1985 | 0.1457 tonnes per person | +3.8% |
| 1986 | 0.1475 tonnes per person | +1.2% |
| 1987 | 0.1502 tonnes per person | +1.8% |
| 1988 | 0.1534 tonnes per person | +2.1% |
| 1989 | 0.1527 tonnes per person | -0.5% |
| 1990 | 0.1507 tonnes per person | -1.3% |
| 1991 | 0.1564 tonnes per person | +3.7% |
| 1992 | 0.1585 tonnes per person | +1.4% |
| 1993 | 0.1645 tonnes per person | +3.8% |
| 1994 | 0.1625 tonnes per person | -1.2% |
| 1995 | 0.165 tonnes per person | +1.6% |
| 1996 | 0.1596 tonnes per person | -3.3% |
| 1997 | 0.1644 tonnes per person | +3.0% |
| 1998 | 0.1589 tonnes per person | -3.3% |
| 1999 | 0.1567 tonnes per person | -1.4% |
| 2000 | 0.1566 tonnes per person | -0.1% |
| 2001 | 0.1525 tonnes per person | -2.6% |
| 2002 | 0.1491 tonnes per person | -2.3% |
| 2003 | 0.1546 tonnes per person | +3.7% |
| 2004 | 0.1596 tonnes per person | +3.2% |
| 2005 | 0.1629 tonnes per person | +2.1% |
| 2006 | 0.1642 tonnes per person | +0.8% |
| 2007 | 0.1605 tonnes per person | -2.3% |
| 2008 | 0.1518 tonnes per person | -5.5% |
| 2009 | 0.1523 tonnes per person | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 0.1502 tonnes per person | -1.4% |
| 2011 | 0.1476 tonnes per person | -1.7% |
| 2012 | 0.1451 tonnes per person | -1.7% |
| 2013 | 0.1425 tonnes per person | -1.8% |
| 2014 | 0.1324 tonnes per person | -7.1% |
| 2015 | 0.1237 tonnes per person | -6.6% |
| 2016 | 0.1147 tonnes per person | -7.3% |
| 2017 | 0.1096 tonnes per person | -4.4% |
| 2018 | 0.1046 tonnes per person | -4.6% |
| 2019 | 0.0991 tonnes per person | -5.3% |
| 2020 | 0.0968 tonnes per person | -2.3% |
| 2021 | 0.0952 tonnes per person | -1.7% |
| 2022 | 0.093 tonnes per person | -2.3% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 0.093 tonnes per person is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.0327 tonnes per person, 2.8× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- China's 0.093 tonnes per person is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.0278 tonnes per person, 3.3× the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.1028 tonnes per person | 0.099 tonnes per person | 0.1071 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.1233 tonnes per person | 0.1141 tonnes per person | 0.1334 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.1429 tonnes per person | 0.1334 tonnes per person | 0.1534 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.1597 tonnes per person | 0.1507 tonnes per person | 0.165 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.1564 tonnes per person | 0.1491 tonnes per person | 0.1642 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.127 tonnes per person | 0.0991 tonnes per person | 0.1502 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.095 tonnes per person | 0.093 tonnes per person | 0.0968 tonnes per person | 3 |
Countries ranked near China
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 emissions of air pollutants, per capita in China?
- Emissions of air pollutants, per capita in China was 0.093 tonnes per person in 2022, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest emissions of air pollutants, per capita recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 0.165 tonnes per person in 1995.
- What is the lowest emissions of air pollutants, per capita recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.093 tonnes per person in 2022.
- How does China rank for emissions of air pollutants, per capita?
- China ranks 25th out of 207 countries with data for 2022.
- Is emissions of air pollutants, per capita rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 35.9%. 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 emissions of air pollutants, per capita. 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
emissions of air pollutants divided by Population, total, matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
emissions of air pollutants ÷ Population, total
Computed from
- emissions of air pollutants Hoesly et al. (2024) – Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data
- Population, total World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN)
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
emissions of air pollutants divided by Population, total, matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.