Greenhouse gas emissions by gas in China
China: Greenhouse gas emissions by gas was 475.53 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
475.53 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
Change on year
up 0.8%
World rank
1st
of 201 countries
All-time high
475.53 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 2024
All-time low
5.89 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 1850
Years of data
175
1850–2024
Greenhouse gas emissions by gas in China, 1850–2024
Source: Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes of CO₂ equivalents.
Analysis
In 2024, greenhouse gas emissions by gas in China stood at 475.53 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents. That is the highest value across all 175 years on record.
The figure is up 0.8% on the previous year and up 2.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, greenhouse gas emissions by gas in China peaked at 475.53 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2024 and was at its lowest, 5.89 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents, in 1850.
China ranks 1st of 201 countries on this measure, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850s | 6.26 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5.89 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 6.57 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1860s | 6.76 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 6.61 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 6.90 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1870s | 7.96 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 6.94 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 9.18 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1880s | 9.67 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 9.33 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 9.98 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1890s | 11.25 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10.42 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 12.15 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1900s | 13.45 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 12.36 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 14.62 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1910s | 16.46 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 14.91 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 18.13 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1920s | 20.19 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 18.50 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 21.97 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1930s | 25.03 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 22.42 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 28.03 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1940s | 38.01 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 28.80 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 49.23 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1950s | 64.01 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 51.34 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 78.34 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1960s | 104.65 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 81.40 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 126.56 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1970s | 161.97 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 133.67 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 206.48 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1980s | 244.51 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 213.26 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 288.04 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1990s | 340.06 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 298.93 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 384.10 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2000s | 419.53 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 371.26 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 462.39 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2010s | 460.04 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 447.39 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 466.88 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2020s | 466.55 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 455.39 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 475.53 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 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 greenhouse gas emissions by gas in China?
- Greenhouse gas emissions by gas in China was 475.53 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2024, according to Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest greenhouse gas emissions by gas recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 475.53 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2024.
- What is the lowest greenhouse gas emissions by gas recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.89 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 1850.
- How does China rank for greenhouse gas emissions by gas?
- China ranks 1st out of 201 countries with data for 2024.
- Is greenhouse gas emissions by gas rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Greenhouse gas emissions by gas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 175 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Measured in tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalents over a 100-year timescale.