Nitrous oxide emissions by sector in China
China: Nitrous oxide emissions by sector was 294.46 million tonnes in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
294.46 million tonnes
Change on year
up 0.5%
World rank
1st
of 193 countries
All-time high
318.36 million tonnes
in 2015
All-time low
225.78 million tonnes
in 1990
Years of data
34
1990–2023
Nitrous oxide emissions by sector in China, 1990–2023
Source: Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
In 2023, nitrous oxide emissions by sector in China stood at 294.46 million tonnes.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.5% on the previous year and down 6.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, nitrous oxide emissions by sector in China peaked at 318.36 million tonnes in 2015 and was at its lowest, 225.78 million tonnes, in 1990.
That places China 1st out of 193 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.
Nitrous oxide emissions by sector in China, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 225.78 million tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 231.04 million tonnes | +2.3% |
| 1992 | 234.99 million tonnes | +1.7% |
| 1993 | 225.98 million tonnes | -3.8% |
| 1994 | 237.03 million tonnes | +4.9% |
| 1995 | 271.95 million tonnes | +14.7% |
| 1996 | 291.78 million tonnes | +7.3% |
| 1997 | 264.05 million tonnes | -9.5% |
| 1998 | 268.94 million tonnes | +1.9% |
| 1999 | 280.48 million tonnes | +4.3% |
| 2000 | 270.71 million tonnes | -3.5% |
| 2001 | 270.09 million tonnes | -0.2% |
| 2002 | 283.15 million tonnes | +4.8% |
| 2003 | 281.69 million tonnes | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 290.25 million tonnes | +3.0% |
| 2005 | 294.43 million tonnes | +1.4% |
| 2006 | 297.74 million tonnes | +1.1% |
| 2007 | 298.26 million tonnes | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 305.09 million tonnes | +2.3% |
| 2009 | 308.15 million tonnes | +1.0% |
| 2010 | 310.96 million tonnes | +0.9% |
| 2011 | 310.35 million tonnes | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 313.94 million tonnes | +1.2% |
| 2013 | 314.51 million tonnes | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 315.10 million tonnes | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 318.36 million tonnes | +1.0% |
| 2016 | 317.08 million tonnes | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 310.22 million tonnes | -2.2% |
| 2018 | 302.51 million tonnes | -2.5% |
| 2019 | 290.94 million tonnes | -3.8% |
| 2020 | 292.67 million tonnes | +0.6% |
| 2021 | 293.43 million tonnes | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 293.07 million tonnes | -0.1% |
| 2023 | 294.46 million tonnes | +0.5% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 294.46 million tonnes is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.82 million tonnes, 161.3× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- China's 294.46 million tonnes is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1.39 million tonnes, 212.6× the median. (30 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 253.20 million tonnes | 225.78 million tonnes | 291.78 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 289.96 million tonnes | 270.09 million tonnes | 308.15 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 310.40 million tonnes | 290.94 million tonnes | 318.36 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 293.41 million tonnes | 292.67 million tonnes | 294.46 million tonnes | 4 |
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 nitrous oxide emissions by sector in China?
- Nitrous oxide emissions by sector in China was 294.46 million tonnes in 2023, according to Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest nitrous oxide emissions by sector recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 318.36 million tonnes in 2015.
- What is the lowest nitrous oxide emissions by sector recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 225.78 million tonnes in 1990.
- How does China rank for nitrous oxide emissions by sector?
- China ranks 1st out of 193 countries with data for 2023.
- Is nitrous oxide emissions by sector rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Nitrous oxide emissions by sector. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Emissions are measured in tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalents.