Industrial Wastewater — Emissions (N2O) in China

China: Industrial Wastewater — Emissions (N2O) was 4.13 kt in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
4.13 kt
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
2nd
of 223 countries
All-time high
5.65 kt
in 2013
All-time low
3.64 kt
in 1990
Years of data
34
1990–2023

Industrial Wastewater — Emissions in China, 1990–2023

02461990200620231990: 3.6 kt1991: 3.8 kt1992: 3.8 kt1993: 3.9 kt1994: 4 kt1995: 4.2 kt1996: 4.2 kt1997: 3.9 kt1998: 4.4 kt1999: 4.4 kt2000: 4.4 kt2001: 4.4 kt2002: 4.4 kt2003: 4.4 kt2004: 4.5 kt2005: 4.5 kt2006: 4.6 kt2007: 4.7 kt2008: 5.3 kt2009: 5.4 kt2010: 5.5 kt2011: 5.5 kt2012: 5.6 kt2013: 5.7 kt2014: 4.6 kt2015: 4.5 kt2016: 4.5 kt2017: 4.5 kt2018: 4.5 kt2019: 4.5 kt2020: 4.5 kt2021: 4.1 kt2022: 4.1 kt2023: 4.1 kt

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in kt.

Analysis

The most recent figure for industrial wastewater — emissions in China is 4.13 kt, measured in 2023.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 26.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, industrial wastewater — emissions in China peaked at 5.65 kt in 2013 and was at its lowest, 3.64 kt, in 1990.

That places China 2nd out of 223 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.

Industrial Wastewater — Emissions (N2O) in China, year by year

Annual values for Industrial Wastewater — Emissions (N2O) in China, 1990 to 2023.
Year kt Change
1990 3.64 kt —
1991 3.75 kt +3.2%
1992 3.84 kt +2.2%
1993 3.93 kt +2.5%
1994 4.04 kt +2.8%
1995 4.21 kt +4.1%
1996 4.17 kt -1.0%
1997 3.89 kt -6.6%
1998 4.41 kt +13.3%
1999 4.44 kt +0.6%
2000 4.43 kt -0.0%
2001 4.43 kt -0.1%
2002 4.42 kt -0.2%
2003 4.42 kt -0.1%
2004 4.46 kt +1.0%
2005 4.55 kt +1.8%
2006 4.6 kt +1.3%
2007 4.66 kt +1.2%
2008 5.32 kt +14.2%
2009 5.41 kt +1.6%
2010 5.49 kt +1.4%
2011 5.5 kt +0.2%
2012 5.6 kt +1.9%
2013 5.65 kt +0.9%
2014 4.62 kt -18.2%
2015 4.5 kt -2.6%
2016 4.49 kt -0.3%
2017 4.51 kt +0.5%
2018 4.51 kt -0.1%
2019 4.51 kt +0.0%
2020 4.51 kt +0.0%
2021 4.13 kt -8.4%
2022 4.13 kt +0.0%
2023 4.13 kt +0.0%

China compared with similar countries

  • China's 4.13 kt is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.0194 kt, 212.5× the median. (51 countries reporting)
  • China's 4.13 kt is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.0051 kt, 809.2× the median. (25 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 4.03 kt 3.64 kt 4.44 kt 10
2000s 4.67 kt 4.42 kt 5.41 kt 10
2010s 4.94 kt 4.49 kt 5.65 kt 10
2020s 4.22 kt 4.13 kt 4.51 kt 4

Countries ranked near China

  1. 1 OECD 7.52 kt compare
  2. 3 China, mainland 4.11 kt compare
  3. 4 Iran (Islamic Republic of) 1.6 kt compare
  4. 5 Russian Federation 1.24 kt compare

See the full ranking of 255 places →

More climate change data for China

All data for China →

Frequently asked questions

What is industrial wastewater — emissions in China?
Industrial wastewater — emissions in China was 4.13 kt in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest industrial wastewater — emissions recorded in China?
The highest recorded value was 5.65 kt in 2013.
What is the lowest industrial wastewater — emissions recorded in China?
The lowest recorded value was 3.64 kt in 1990.
How does China rank for industrial wastewater — emissions?
China ranks 2nd out of 223 countries with data for 2023.
Is industrial wastewater — emissions rising or falling in China?
Over the last ten years it is down 26.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this China data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Industrial Wastewater — Emissions (N2O). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Industrial Wastewater — Emissions in China. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 15 November 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/industrial-wastewater-emissions-n2o/china/

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About this data

Indicator
Industrial Wastewater — Emissions (N2O)
Unit
kt
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
255 places, 8,458 data points, 1990–2023
Last refreshed

The FAOSTAT domain Emissions from Pre- and Post-Agricultural Production provides estimates of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and related activity data associated with pre- and post-production stages of agrifood systems. The domain includes methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), carbon dioxide (CO2), fluorinated gases (F-gases) and their aggregates expressed in carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2eq). Estimates are computed following Tier 1 methods of the IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories (IPCC, 1996; 1997; 2000; 2002; 2006; 2014) and are disseminated annually.