Total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry in China
China: Total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry was 13.70 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry in China, 1850–2024
Source: Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes of CO₂ equivalents.
Analysis
The most recent figure for total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry in China is 13.70 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 175 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.2% on the previous year and up 23.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry in China peaked at 13.70 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2024 and was at its lowest, 89.83 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents, in 1870.
That places China 1st out of 198 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850s | 98.41 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 94.84 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 102.02 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1860s | 92.14 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 90.24 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 94.05 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1870s | 91.22 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 89.83 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 92.66 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1880s | 94.41 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 92.95 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 95.86 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1890s | 98.58 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 96.22 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 100.98 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1900s | 112.43 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 101.50 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 135.02 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1910s | 144.06 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 128.76 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 160.84 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1920s | 171.92 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 163.48 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 178.44 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1930s | 199.41 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 180.53 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 217.93 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1940s | 226.63 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 179.14 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 282.66 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1950s | 446.44 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 231.07 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.01 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1960s | 799.32 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 703.33 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.10 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.52 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.13 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.97 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.43 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.92 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.02 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.72 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.05 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 4.17 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2000s | 6.44 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 4.28 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 8.82 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.94 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 9.60 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 11.89 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2020s | 12.98 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 12.09 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 13.70 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5 |
Countries ranked near China
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 total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry in China?
- Total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry in China was 13.70 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2024, according to Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 13.70 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2024.
- What is the lowest total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 89.83 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 1870.
- How does China rank for total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry?
- China ranks 1st out of 198 countries with data for 2024.
- Is total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 23.6%. 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) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Total 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 of carbon dioxide-equivalents over a 100-year timescale.