Share of global cumulative CO₂ emissions from coal in China
China: Share of global cumulative CO₂ emissions from coal was 25.1% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Share of global cumulative CO₂ emissions from coal in China, 1907–2024
Source: Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, share of global cumulative co₂ emissions from coal in China stood at 25.1%. That is the highest value across all 118 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.4% on the previous year and up 30.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of global cumulative co₂ emissions from coal in China peaked at 25.1% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1907.
That places China 1st 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 | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.1% | 3 |
| 1910s | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.4% | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.6% | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.8% | 0.6% | 0.9% | 10 |
| 1940s | 1.1% | 0.9% | 1.1% | 10 |
| 1950s | 1.4% | 1.1% | 1.9% | 10 |
| 1960s | 2.7% | 2.2% | 3.2% | 10 |
| 1970s | 4.2% | 3.4% | 5.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 6.5% | 5.4% | 7.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 9.5% | 8.0% | 11.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 13.3% | 11.3% | 15.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 19.5% | 16.4% | 22.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 23.9% | 22.7% | 25.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near China
- 2 United States 20.7% compare
- 3 Germany 7.7% compare
- 4 United Kingdom 6.7% 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 share of global cumulative co₂ emissions from coal in China?
- Share of global cumulative co₂ emissions from coal in China was 25.1% in 2024, according to Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of global cumulative co₂ emissions from coal recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 25.1% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of global cumulative co₂ emissions from coal recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1907.
- How does China rank for share of global cumulative co₂ emissions from coal?
- China ranks 1st out of 179 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of global cumulative co₂ emissions from coal rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 30.1%. 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) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of global cumulative CO₂ emissions from coal. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 118 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Cumulative emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from coal since the first year of available data, measured as a percentage of global cumulative emissions of CO₂ from coal.