Production vs. consumption-based carbon intensity of energy in China
China: Production vs. consumption-based carbon intensity of energy was 0.2583 kg CO₂ per kWh in 2019. ▲ Rising
Production vs. consumption-based carbon intensity of energy in China, 1995–2019
Source: Kulionis (2021) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in kg CO₂ per kWh.
Analysis
The most recent figure for production vs. consumption-based carbon intensity of energy in China is 0.2583 kg CO₂ per kWh, measured in 2019.
The figure is up 1.4% on the previous year and down 10.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, production vs. consumption-based carbon intensity of energy in China peaked at 0.2962 kg CO₂ per kWh in 2008 and was at its lowest, 0.2514 kg CO₂ per kWh, in 2000.
That places China 4th out of 43 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
Production vs. consumption-based carbon intensity of energy in China, year by year
| Year | kg CO₂ per kWh | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 0.2648 kg CO₂ per kWh | — |
| 1996 | 0.2728 kg CO₂ per kWh | +3.0% |
| 1997 | 0.2721 kg CO₂ per kWh | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 0.264 kg CO₂ per kWh | -3.0% |
| 1999 | 0.2553 kg CO₂ per kWh | -3.3% |
| 2000 | 0.2514 kg CO₂ per kWh | -1.5% |
| 2001 | 0.2546 kg CO₂ per kWh | +1.3% |
| 2002 | 0.2606 kg CO₂ per kWh | +2.4% |
| 2003 | 0.2645 kg CO₂ per kWh | +1.5% |
| 2004 | 0.2633 kg CO₂ per kWh | -0.4% |
| 2005 | 0.2801 kg CO₂ per kWh | +6.4% |
| 2006 | 0.2865 kg CO₂ per kWh | +2.3% |
| 2007 | 0.2897 kg CO₂ per kWh | +1.1% |
| 2008 | 0.2962 kg CO₂ per kWh | +2.2% |
| 2009 | 0.2886 kg CO₂ per kWh | -2.6% |
| 2010 | 0.2832 kg CO₂ per kWh | -1.9% |
| 2011 | 0.2881 kg CO₂ per kWh | +1.7% |
| 2012 | 0.2896 kg CO₂ per kWh | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 0.2842 kg CO₂ per kWh | -1.9% |
| 2014 | 0.2844 kg CO₂ per kWh | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 0.281 kg CO₂ per kWh | -1.2% |
| 2016 | 0.292 kg CO₂ per kWh | +3.9% |
| 2017 | 0.2822 kg CO₂ per kWh | -3.4% |
| 2018 | 0.2546 kg CO₂ per kWh | -9.8% |
| 2019 | 0.2583 kg CO₂ per kWh | +1.4% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 0.2583 kg CO₂ per kWh is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.2296 kg CO₂ per kWh, 1.1× the median. (5 countries reporting)
- China's 0.2583 kg CO₂ per kWh is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.2438 kg CO₂ per kWh, 1.1× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.2658 kg CO₂ per kWh | 0.2553 kg CO₂ per kWh | 0.2728 kg CO₂ per kWh | 5 |
| 2000s | 0.2736 kg CO₂ per kWh | 0.2514 kg CO₂ per kWh | 0.2962 kg CO₂ per kWh | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.2798 kg CO₂ per kWh | 0.2546 kg CO₂ per kWh | 0.292 kg CO₂ per kWh | 10 |
Countries ranked near China
- 1 Luxembourg 0.2986 kg CO₂ per kWh compare
- 2 South Africa 0.2637 kg CO₂ per kWh compare
- 3 Turkey 0.2612 kg CO₂ per kWh compare
- 5 Australia 0.253 kg CO₂ per kWh compare
- 6 Switzerland 0.2491 kg CO₂ per kWh compare
- 7 South Korea 0.2296 kg CO₂ per kWh compare
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 production vs. consumption-based carbon intensity of energy in China?
- Production vs. consumption-based carbon intensity of energy in China was 0.2583 kg CO₂ per kWh in 2019, according to Kulionis (2021) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest production vs. consumption-based carbon intensity of energy recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 0.2962 kg CO₂ per kWh in 2008.
- What is the lowest production vs. consumption-based carbon intensity of energy recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2514 kg CO₂ per kWh in 2000.
- How does China rank for production vs. consumption-based carbon intensity of energy?
- China ranks 4th out of 43 countries with data for 2019.
- Is production vs. consumption-based carbon intensity of energy rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Kulionis (2021) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Production vs. consumption-based carbon intensity of energy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Carbon intensity is measured in kilograms of carbon dioxide (CO₂) emitted per kilowatt-hour of energy. Consumption-based metrics adjust for the energy or emissions embedded in traded goods: it is production-based emissions and energy minus exported goods; plus the energy or emissions from imported goods.