Per capita CO₂ emissions from coal in China
China: Per capita CO₂ emissions from coal was 6.26 tonnes per person in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Per capita CO₂ emissions from coal in China, 1907–2024
Source: Global Carbon Budget (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes per person.
Analysis
China recorded 6.26 tonnes per person for per capita co₂ emissions from coal in 2024. That is the highest value across all 118 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.9% on the previous year and up 17.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, per capita co₂ emissions from coal in China peaked at 6.26 tonnes per person in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0.0399 tonnes per person, in 1912.
That places China 5th out of 179 countries with data for 2024, putting it 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0.0539 tonnes per person | 0.0484 tonnes per person | 0.0583 tonnes per person | 3 |
| 1910s | 0.0631 tonnes per person | 0.0399 tonnes per person | 0.0827 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.0942 tonnes per person | 0.0831 tonnes per person | 0.1035 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.1243 tonnes per person | 0.1022 tonnes per person | 0.1492 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.147 tonnes per person | 0.0678 tonnes per person | 0.2408 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.3912 tonnes per person | 0.1427 tonnes per person | 1.07 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.6611 tonnes per person | 0.5041 tonnes per person | 1.14 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.9703 tonnes per person | 0.8088 tonnes per person | 1.18 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.42 tonnes per person | 1.13 tonnes per person | 1.7 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.95 tonnes per person | 1.71 tonnes per person | 2.16 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.21 tonnes per person | 2.05 tonnes per person | 4.49 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.22 tonnes per person | 4.86 tonnes per person | 5.45 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.87 tonnes per person | 5.38 tonnes per person | 6.26 tonnes per person | 5 |
Countries ranked near China
- 2 New Caledonia 9.71 tonnes per person compare
- 3 Kazakhstan 7.78 tonnes per person compare
- 4 Brunei 6.49 tonnes per person compare
- 6 Taiwan 6.08 tonnes per person compare
- 7 South Africa 5.8 tonnes per person compare
- 8 Australia 5.34 tonnes per person compare
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 per capita co₂ emissions from coal in China?
- Per capita co₂ emissions from coal in China was 6.26 tonnes per person in 2024, according to Global Carbon Budget (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest per capita co₂ emissions from coal recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 6.26 tonnes per person in 2024.
- What is the lowest per capita co₂ emissions from coal recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0399 tonnes per person in 1912.
- How does China rank for per capita co₂ emissions from coal?
- China ranks 5th out of 179 countries with data for 2024.
- Is per capita co₂ emissions from coal rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 17.0%. 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); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Per capita CO₂ emissions from coal. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 118 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Annual emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from coal, measured in tonnes per person.