Kaya identity: drivers of CO₂ emissions in China

China: Kaya identity: drivers of CO₂ emissions was 12.29 billion tonnes in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
12.29 billion tonnes
Change on year
up 1.0%
World rank
1st
of 215 countries
All-time high
12.29 billion tonnes
in 2024
All-time low
460.23 million tonnes
in 1967
Years of data
60
1965–2024

Kaya identity: drivers of CO₂ emissions in China, 1965–2024

02.5B5.0B7.5B10.0B12.5B196519942024

Source: Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.

Analysis

In 2024, kaya identity: drivers of co₂ emissions in China stood at 12.29 billion tonnes. That is the highest value across all 60 years on record.

That represents a change of up 1.0% on the previous year and up 23.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, kaya identity: drivers of co₂ emissions in China peaked at 12.29 billion tonnes in 2024 and was at its lowest, 460.23 million tonnes, in 1967.

China ranks 1st of 215 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

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 522.64 million tonnes 460.23 million tonnes 607.69 million tonnes 5
1970s 1.15 billion tonnes 807.96 million tonnes 1.53 billion tonnes 10
1980s 1.94 billion tonnes 1.48 billion tonnes 2.46 billion tonnes 10
1990s 3.11 billion tonnes 2.48 billion tonnes 3.55 billion tonnes 10
2000s 5.62 billion tonnes 3.64 billion tonnes 7.88 billion tonnes 10
2010s 9.85 billion tonnes 8.61 billion tonnes 10.71 billion tonnes 10
2020s 11.67 billion tonnes 10.90 billion tonnes 12.29 billion tonnes 5

Countries ranked near China

  1. 2 United States 4.90 billion tonnes compare
  2. 3 India 3.19 billion tonnes compare
  3. 4 Russia 1.78 billion tonnes compare

See the full ranking of 216 places →

More climate change data for China

All data for China →

Frequently asked questions

What is kaya identity: drivers of co₂ emissions in China?
Kaya identity: drivers of co₂ emissions in China was 12.29 billion tonnes in 2024, according to Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest kaya identity: drivers of co₂ emissions recorded in China?
The highest recorded value was 12.29 billion tonnes in 2024.
What is the lowest kaya identity: drivers of co₂ emissions recorded in China?
The lowest recorded value was 460.23 million tonnes in 1967.
How does China rank for kaya identity: drivers of co₂ emissions?
China ranks 1st out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
Is kaya identity: drivers of co₂ emissions rising or falling in China?
Over the last ten years it is up 23.2%. 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 Kaya identity: drivers of CO₂ emissions. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 60 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Kaya identity: drivers of CO₂ emissions
Unit
tonnes
Source
Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
216 places, 12,568 data points, 1965–2024
Last refreshed

Annual total emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂), excluding land-use change, measured in tonnes.