China vs United States: Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from Transport (Energy)

China
928.7 Mt CO2e
in 2024
United States
1,679 Mt CO2e
in 2024
China rank
2nd
United States rank
1st

Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from Transport (Energy) over time

  • China
  • United States
05001.0k1.5k2.0k197019972024

How they compare

United States currently reports 1,679 Mt CO2e against 928.7 Mt CO2e in China, a difference of 750.3 Mt CO2e.

That makes United States's figure about 1.8 times China's.

Across all 55 years both countries report, United States has been ahead every year.

China ranks 2nd and United States ranks 1st of 194 countries.

United States has averaged higher in every one of the 6 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade China United States Difference Ahead
1970s 60.81 Mt CO2e 1,203 Mt CO2e 1,142 Mt CO2e United States
1980s 87.03 Mt CO2e 1,305 Mt CO2e 1,218 Mt CO2e United States
1990s 128.89 Mt CO2e 1,526 Mt CO2e 1,397 Mt CO2e United States
2000s 378.83 Mt CO2e 1,749 Mt CO2e 1,370 Mt CO2e United States
2010s 783.52 Mt CO2e 1,685 Mt CO2e 901.73 Mt CO2e United States
2020s 925.07 Mt CO2e 1,645 Mt CO2e 719.84 Mt CO2e United States

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher carbon dioxide (co2) emissions from transport (energy), China or United States?
United States, at 1,679 Mt CO2e against 928.7 Mt CO2e in China as of 2024.
What is the difference in carbon dioxide (co2) emissions from transport (energy) between China and United States?
750.3 Mt CO2e, with United States ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for China and United States?
55 years are reported by both, from 1970 to 2024.
How do China and United States rank globally for carbon dioxide (co2) emissions from transport (energy)?
China ranks 2nd and United States ranks 1st of 194 countries.
Where does this data come from?
EDGAR (Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research) Community GHG Database, Joint Research Centre (JRC) - European Commission, published as Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from Transport (Energy) (Mt CO2e). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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China vs United States: Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from Transport (Energy). Statizoid, drawing on EDGAR (Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research) Community GHG Database, Joint Research Centre (JRC) - European Commission. Retrieved 30 August 2026, from https://environment.statizoid.com/compare/carbon-dioxide-co2-emissions-from-transport-energy-mt-co2e/china/united-states/

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<a href="https://environment.statizoid.com/compare/carbon-dioxide-co2-emissions-from-transport-energy-mt-co2e/china/united-states/">China vs United States: Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from Transport (Energy)</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from Transport (Energy) (Mt CO2e)
Unit
Mt CO2e
Source
EDGAR (Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research) Community GHG Database, Joint Research Centre (JRC) - European Commission
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
241 places, 13,255 data points, 1970–2024
Last refreshed

A measure of annual emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), one of the six Kyoto greenhouse gases (GHG), from the transportation sector (subsector of the energy sector) including IPCC 2006 codes 1.A.3.a Civil Aviation, 1.A.3.b_noRES Road Transportation no resuspension, 1.A.3.c Railways, 1.A.3.d Water-borne Navigation, 1.A.3.e Other Transportation. The measure is standardized to carbon dioxide equivalent values using the Global Warming Potential (GWP) factors of IPCC's 5th Assessment Report (AR5).