Share of global cumulative CO₂ emissions in China
China: Share of global cumulative CO₂ emissions was 15.4% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Share of global cumulative CO₂ emissions in China, 1907–2024
Source: Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of global cumulative co₂ emissions in China is 15.4%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 118 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.3% on the previous year and up 29.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of global cumulative co₂ emissions in China peaked at 15.4% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1907.
China ranks 2nd of 215 countries on this measure, 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% | 0.3% | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.6% | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.7% | 0.6% | 0.8% | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.9% | 0.8% | 1.0% | 10 |
| 1950s | 1.2% | 1.0% | 1.6% | 10 |
| 1960s | 2.2% | 1.8% | 2.4% | 10 |
| 1970s | 3.1% | 2.6% | 3.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 4.5% | 3.8% | 5.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 6.2% | 5.4% | 7.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 8.4% | 7.2% | 9.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.0% | 10.2% | 13.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 14.7% | 14.0% | 15.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near China
- 1 United States 23.5% compare
- 3 Russia 6.6% compare
- 4 Germany 5.1% compare
- 5 United Kingdom 4.3% 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 in China?
- Share of global cumulative co₂ emissions in China was 15.4% 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 recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 15.4% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of global cumulative co₂ emissions recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1907.
- How does China rank for share of global cumulative co₂ emissions?
- China ranks 2nd out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of global cumulative co₂ emissions rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 29.8%. 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. 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
Total cumulative emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂), excluding land-use change, since the first year of available data, measured as a percentage of global total cumulative emissions of CO₂.