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.
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
- 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 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.
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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.