China vs United States: Emissions of air pollutants
China
20.99 million tonnes
in 2022
United States
9.00 million tonnes
in 2022
China rank
1st
United States rank
3rd
Emissions of air pollutants over time
- China
- United States
How they compare
China currently reports 20.99 million tonnes against 9.00 million tonnes in United States, a difference of 11.99 million tonnes.
That makes China's figure about 2.3 times United States's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 273 shared years of data; in 1750 it was China ahead.
China ranks 1st and United States ranks 3rd of 220 countries.
Across the 28 decades both report, China averaged higher in 13 and United States in 15.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1750s | 26,529 tonnes | 2,945 tonnes | 23,584 tonnes | China |
| 1760s | 27,120 tonnes | 3,469 tonnes | 23,652 tonnes | China |
| 1770s | 30,466 tonnes | 4,113 tonnes | 26,353 tonnes | China |
| 1780s | 35,049 tonnes | 4,915 tonnes | 30,134 tonnes | China |
| 1790s | 35,074 tonnes | 6,223 tonnes | 28,851 tonnes | China |
| 1800s | 36,235 tonnes | 8,742 tonnes | 27,493 tonnes | China |
| 1810s | 39,027 tonnes | 11,940 tonnes | 27,087 tonnes | China |
| 1820s | 40,585 tonnes | 16,407 tonnes | 24,179 tonnes | China |
| 1830s | 42,749 tonnes | 24,789 tonnes | 17,960 tonnes | China |
| 1840s | 43,407 tonnes | 40,067 tonnes | 3,340 tonnes | China |
| 1850s | 42,343 tonnes | 74,373 tonnes | 32,030 tonnes | United States |
| 1860s | 40,283 tonnes | 111,366 tonnes | 71,083 tonnes | United States |
| 1870s | 40,955 tonnes | 222,754 tonnes | 181,799 tonnes | United States |
| 1880s | 43,537 tonnes | 494,759 tonnes | 451,222 tonnes | United States |
| 1890s | 47,050 tonnes | 893,667 tonnes | 846,617 tonnes | United States |
| 1900s | 84,954 tonnes | 1.98 million tonnes | 1.90 million tonnes | United States |
| 1910s | 145,598 tonnes | 3.84 million tonnes | 3.70 million tonnes | United States |
| 1920s | 231,262 tonnes | 7.17 million tonnes | 6.94 million tonnes | United States |
| 1930s | 335,358 tonnes | 8.30 million tonnes | 7.97 million tonnes | United States |
| 1940s | 458,486 tonnes | 12.74 million tonnes | 12.29 million tonnes | United States |
| 1950s | 1.08 million tonnes | 15.95 million tonnes | 14.86 million tonnes | United States |
| 1960s | 1.97 million tonnes | 21.69 million tonnes | 19.72 million tonnes | United States |
| 1970s | 4.29 million tonnes | 27.89 million tonnes | 23.60 million tonnes | United States |
| 1980s | 7.18 million tonnes | 26.24 million tonnes | 19.06 million tonnes | United States |
| 1990s | 12.87 million tonnes | 25.31 million tonnes | 12.44 million tonnes | United States |
| 2000s | 23.24 million tonnes | 19.27 million tonnes | 3.97 million tonnes | China |
| 2010s | 27.18 million tonnes | 12.16 million tonnes | 15.02 million tonnes | China |
| 2020s | 21.41 million tonnes | 8.83 million tonnes | 12.58 million tonnes | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher emissions of air pollutants, China or United States?
- China, at 20.99 million tonnes against 9.00 million tonnes in United States as of 2022.
- What is the difference in emissions of air pollutants between China and United States?
- 11.99 million tonnes, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and United States?
- 273 years are reported by both, from 1750 to 2022.
- How do China and United States rank globally for emissions of air pollutants?
- China ranks 1st and United States ranks 3rd of 220 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Hoesly et al. (2024) - Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Emissions of air pollutants. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Nitrogen oxides (NOₓ) are gases that are mainly formed during the burning of fossil fuels. Exposure to NOₓ gases can have negative impacts on respiratory health. NOₓ gases can also lead to the formation of ozone – another air pollutant.