Waste — Emissions in China, mainland

China, mainland: Waste — Emissions was 3,640 kt in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
3,640 kt
Change on year
up 2.2%
World rank
4th
of 145 countries
All-time high
3,640 kt
in 2023
All-time low
0 kt
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023

Waste — Emissions in China, mainland, 1961–2023

01.0k2.0k3.0k4.0k196119922023

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

Analysis

In 2023, waste — emissions in China, mainland stood at 3,640 kt. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.2% on the previous year and up 27.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, waste — emissions in China, mainland peaked at 3,640 kt in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0 kt, in 1961.

China, mainland ranks 4th of 145 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 0 kt 0 kt 0 kt 9
1970s 175.7 kt 156 kt 202 kt 10
1980s 261.9 kt 209 kt 322 kt 10
1990s 409.2 kt 336 kt 483 kt 10
2000s 891.2 kt 499 kt 1,850 kt 10
2010s 2,910 kt 2,160 kt 3,340 kt 10
2020s 3,522 kt 3,410 kt 3,640 kt 4

Countries ranked near China, mainland

  1. 1 OECD 13,203 kt compare
  2. 2 Spain 4,180 kt compare
  3. 3 China (People’s Republic of) 3,693 kt compare
  4. 5 Japan 3,220 kt compare
  5. 6 France 2,330 kt compare
  6. 7 Republic of Korea 1,610 kt compare

See the full ranking of 192 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 3,640 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 3,640 kt in 2023.
What is the lowest waste — emissions recorded in China, mainland?
The lowest recorded value was 0 kt in 1961.
How does China, mainland rank for waste — emissions?
China, mainland ranks 4th out of 145 countries with data for 2023.
Is waste — emissions rising or falling in China, mainland?
Over the last ten years it is up 27.3%. 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 (CO2). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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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-co2-fao-tier-1/china-mainland/

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About this data

Indicator
Waste — Emissions (CO2)
Unit
kt
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
192 places, 11,013 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