emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre in China
China: emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre was 13.99 tonnes per square kilometre in 2022. ▲ Rising
Latest (2022)
13.99 tonnes per square kilometre
Change on year
down 2.3%
World rank
36th
of 207 countries
All-time high
22.93 tonnes per square kilometre
in 2006
All-time low
7.02 tonnes per square kilometre
in 1962
Years of data
62
1961–2022
emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre in China, 1961–2022
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in tonnes per square kilometre.
Analysis
The most recent figure for emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre in China is 13.99 tonnes per square kilometre, measured in 2022.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.3% on the previous year and down 33.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre in China peaked at 22.93 tonnes per square kilometre in 2006 and was at its lowest, 7.02 tonnes per square kilometre, in 1962.
That places China 36th out of 207 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 62 years of available data.
emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre in China, year by year
| Year | tonnes per square kilometre | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 7.08 tonnes per square kilometre | — |
| 1962 | 7.02 tonnes per square kilometre | -0.9% |
| 1963 | 7.31 tonnes per square kilometre | +4.1% |
| 1964 | 7.56 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.4% |
| 1965 | 7.92 tonnes per square kilometre | +4.9% |
| 1966 | 8.26 tonnes per square kilometre | +4.3% |
| 1967 | 8.16 tonnes per square kilometre | -1.3% |
| 1968 | 8.5 tonnes per square kilometre | +4.2% |
| 1969 | 9.08 tonnes per square kilometre | +6.8% |
| 1970 | 9.95 tonnes per square kilometre | +9.5% |
| 1971 | 10.51 tonnes per square kilometre | +5.6% |
| 1972 | 10.9 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.7% |
| 1973 | 11.22 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.9% |
| 1974 | 11.5 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.5% |
| 1975 | 12.15 tonnes per square kilometre | +5.7% |
| 1976 | 12.33 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.5% |
| 1977 | 12.92 tonnes per square kilometre | +4.8% |
| 1978 | 13.48 tonnes per square kilometre | +4.3% |
| 1979 | 13.77 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.1% |
| 1980 | 14.01 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.8% |
| 1981 | 14.12 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.8% |
| 1982 | 14.49 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.6% |
| 1983 | 14.95 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.2% |
| 1984 | 15.51 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.7% |
| 1985 | 16.31 tonnes per square kilometre | +5.2% |
| 1986 | 16.76 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.8% |
| 1987 | 17.34 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.5% |
| 1988 | 18 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.8% |
| 1989 | 18.19 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.1% |
| 1990 | 18.23 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.2% |
| 1991 | 19.17 tonnes per square kilometre | +5.2% |
| 1992 | 19.67 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.6% |
| 1993 | 20.65 tonnes per square kilometre | +5.0% |
| 1994 | 20.62 tonnes per square kilometre | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 21.18 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.7% |
| 1996 | 20.7 tonnes per square kilometre | -2.3% |
| 1997 | 21.54 tonnes per square kilometre | +4.1% |
| 1998 | 21.02 tonnes per square kilometre | -2.4% |
| 1999 | 20.91 tonnes per square kilometre | -0.5% |
| 2000 | 21.07 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.7% |
| 2001 | 20.67 tonnes per square kilometre | -1.9% |
| 2002 | 20.34 tonnes per square kilometre | -1.6% |
| 2003 | 21.22 tonnes per square kilometre | +4.3% |
| 2004 | 22.03 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.8% |
| 2005 | 22.62 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.7% |
| 2006 | 22.93 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.4% |
| 2007 | 22.53 tonnes per square kilometre | -1.7% |
| 2008 | 21.41 tonnes per square kilometre | -5.0% |
| 2009 | 21.6 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 21.4 tonnes per square kilometre | -0.9% |
| 2011 | 21.15 tonnes per square kilometre | -1.2% |
| 2012 | 20.93 tonnes per square kilometre | -1.0% |
| 2013 | 20.69 tonnes per square kilometre | -1.2% |
| 2014 | 19.35 tonnes per square kilometre | -6.5% |
| 2015 | 18.19 tonnes per square kilometre | -6.0% |
| 2016 | 16.95 tonnes per square kilometre | -6.8% |
| 2017 | 16.3 tonnes per square kilometre | -3.9% |
| 2018 | 15.63 tonnes per square kilometre | -4.1% |
| 2019 | 14.86 tonnes per square kilometre | -4.9% |
| 2020 | 14.55 tonnes per square kilometre | -2.0% |
| 2021 | 14.31 tonnes per square kilometre | -1.6% |
| 2022 | 13.99 tonnes per square kilometre | -2.3% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 13.99 tonnes per square kilometre is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.92 tonnes per square kilometre, 7.3× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- China's 13.99 tonnes per square kilometre is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3.29 tonnes per square kilometre, 4.3× the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 7.88 tonnes per square kilometre | 7.02 tonnes per square kilometre | 9.08 tonnes per square kilometre | 9 |
| 1970s | 11.87 tonnes per square kilometre | 9.95 tonnes per square kilometre | 13.77 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1980s | 15.97 tonnes per square kilometre | 14.01 tonnes per square kilometre | 18.19 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1990s | 20.37 tonnes per square kilometre | 18.23 tonnes per square kilometre | 21.54 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2000s | 21.64 tonnes per square kilometre | 20.34 tonnes per square kilometre | 22.93 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2010s | 18.55 tonnes per square kilometre | 14.86 tonnes per square kilometre | 21.4 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2020s | 14.29 tonnes per square kilometre | 13.99 tonnes per square kilometre | 14.55 tonnes per square kilometre | 3 |
Countries ranked near China
- 33 Rwanda 15.19 tonnes per square kilometre compare
- 34 Israel 14.56 tonnes per square kilometre compare
- 35 Malaysia 14.25 tonnes per square kilometre compare
- 37 Netherlands 13.6 tonnes per square kilometre compare
- 38 Saint Kitts and Nevis 13.54 tonnes per square kilometre compare
- 39 Thailand 13.49 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 emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre in China?
- Emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre in China was 13.99 tonnes per square kilometre in 2022, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 22.93 tonnes per square kilometre in 2006.
- What is the lowest emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.02 tonnes per square kilometre in 1962.
- How does China rank for emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre?
- China ranks 36th out of 207 countries with data for 2022.
- Is emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 33.2%. 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 square kilometre. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 62 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 Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
emissions of air pollutants ÷ Land area (sq. km)
Computed from
- emissions of air pollutants Hoesly et al. (2024) – Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – 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
emissions of air pollutants 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.