Waste — Emissions in China, mainland

China, mainland: Waste — Emissions was 12,700 kt in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
12,700 kt
Change on year
up 3.3%
World rank
3rd
of 201 countries
All-time high
12,700 kt
in 2023
All-time low
2,580 kt
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023

Waste — Emissions in China, mainland, 1961–2023

2.5k5.0k7.5k10.0k12.5k196119922023

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in kt.

Analysis

The most recent figure for waste — emissions in China, mainland is 12,700 kt, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.

The figure is up 3.3% on the previous year and up 38.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, waste — emissions in China, mainland peaked at 12,700 kt in 2023 and was at its lowest, 2,580 kt, in 1961.

China, mainland ranks 3rd of 201 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

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 2,753 kt 2,580 kt 2,980 kt 9
1970s 3,255 kt 2,900 kt 3,590 kt 10
1980s 3,796 kt 3,690 kt 3,930 kt 10
1990s 4,496 kt 3,960 kt 5,100 kt 10
2000s 6,225 kt 5,240 kt 7,420 kt 10
2010s 9,705 kt 7,920 kt 11,300 kt 10
2020s 12,125 kt 11,600 kt 12,700 kt 4

Countries ranked near China, mainland

  1. 1 OECD 16,440 kt compare
  2. 2 China 13,254 kt compare
  3. 4 Russian Federation 4,770 kt compare
  4. 5 Brazil 4,450 kt compare
  5. 5 India 4,450 kt compare

See the full ranking of 253 places →

More climate change data for China, mainland

All data for China, mainland →

Frequently asked questions

What is waste — emissions in China, mainland?
Waste — emissions in China, mainland was 12,700 kt in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest waste — emissions recorded in China, mainland?
The highest recorded value was 12,700 kt in 2023.
What is the lowest waste — emissions recorded in China, mainland?
The lowest recorded value was 2,580 kt in 1961.
How does China, mainland rank for waste — emissions?
China, mainland ranks 3rd out of 201 countries with data for 2023.
Is waste — emissions rising or falling in China, mainland?
Over the last ten years it is up 38.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this China, mainland data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Waste — Emissions (CH4). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO).

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Waste — Emissions in China, mainland. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 21 August 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/waste-emissions-ch4-fao-tier-1/china-mainland/

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About this data

Indicator
Waste — Emissions (CH4)
Unit
kt
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
253 places, 14,574 data points, 1961–2023
Last refreshed

The FAOSTAT domain on Emissions Totals summarizes the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions disseminated in the FAOSTAT Climate Change domains of emissions from agrifood systems. Data are computed following the Tier 1 methods of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Guidelines for National greenhouse gas (GHG) Inventories (IPCC, 1996; 1997; 2000; 2002; 2006; 2014). Emissions from other economic sectors as defined by the IPCC are also disseminated in the domain for completeness. Methodological details can be found at: https://files-faostat.fao.org/production/GT/GT_en.pdf