Per capita greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry in China
China: Per capita greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry was 9.65 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
9.65 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person
Change on year
up 1.5%
World rank
23rd
of 194 countries
All-time high
9.65 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person
in 2024
All-time low
0.2481 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person
in 1852
Years of data
175
1850–2024
Per capita greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry in China, 1850–2024
Source: Jones et al. (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person.
Analysis
The most recent figure for per capita greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry in China is 9.65 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 175 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.5% on the previous year and up 20.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, per capita greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry in China peaked at 9.65 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0.2481 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person, in 1852.
China ranks 23rd of 194 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
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 | 0.2489 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.2481 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.2496 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1860s | 0.2508 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.2494 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.2516 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1870s | 0.2528 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.2508 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.254 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1880s | 0.2547 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.2541 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.255 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1890s | 0.2558 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.2551 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.2564 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1900s | 0.2768 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.2564 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.3246 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.328 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.3017 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.3499 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.3637 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.3506 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.3744 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.4023 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.3739 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.4328 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.4335 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.3385 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.5468 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.7292 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.4247 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.55 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1960s | 1.12 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.9413 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.68 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.67 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.37 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 2.03 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.29 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.92 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 2.66 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.06 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 2.64 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 3.36 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.91 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 3.37 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 6.57 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.87 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 7.1 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 8.35 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.12 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 8.48 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 9.65 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 5 |
Countries ranked near China
- 20 Singapore 10.47 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 21 Iceland 10.46 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 22 Iran 10.43 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 24 Malaysia 8.92 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 25 Aruba 8.8 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 26 Guyana 8.75 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 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 greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry in China?
- Per capita greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry in China was 9.65 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 2024, according to Jones et al. (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest per capita greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 9.65 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 2024.
- What is the lowest per capita greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2481 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 1852.
- How does China rank for per capita greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry?
- China ranks 23rd out of 194 countries with data for 2024.
- Is per capita greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 20.8%. 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); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Per capita greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry. 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
Greenhouse gas emissions are measured in tonnes per person of carbon dioxide-equivalents over a 100-year timescale.