China vs United States: Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF
Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF over time
- China
- United States
How they compare
China currently reports 15,536 Mt CO2e against 5,913 Mt CO2e in United States, a difference of 9,623 Mt CO2e.
That makes China's figure about 2.6 times United States's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 55 shared years of data; in 1970 it was United States ahead.
China ranks 1st and United States ranks 2nd of 203 countries.
Across the 6 decades both report, China averaged higher in 3 and United States in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2,080 Mt CO2e | 5,988 Mt CO2e | 3,908 Mt CO2e | United States |
| 1980s | 3,016 Mt CO2e | 5,947 Mt CO2e | 2,932 Mt CO2e | United States |
| 1990s | 4,413 Mt CO2e | 6,592 Mt CO2e | 2,179 Mt CO2e | United States |
| 2000s | 7,519 Mt CO2e | 7,035 Mt CO2e | 484.45 Mt CO2e | China |
| 2010s | 12,838 Mt CO2e | 6,395 Mt CO2e | 6,443 Mt CO2e | China |
| 2020s | 14,980 Mt CO2e | 5,916 Mt CO2e | 9,064 Mt CO2e | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher total greenhouse gas emissions excluding lulucf, China or United States?
- China, at 15,536 Mt CO2e against 5,913 Mt CO2e in United States as of 2024.
- What is the difference in total greenhouse gas emissions excluding lulucf between China and United States?
- 9,623 Mt CO2e, with China 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 total greenhouse gas emissions excluding lulucf?
- China ranks 1st and United States ranks 2nd of 203 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 Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
A measure of annual emissions of the six greenhouse gases (GHG) covered by the Kyoto Protocol (carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), and sulphurhexafluoride (SF6)) from the energy, industry, waste, and agriculture sectors, standardized to carbon dioxide equivalent values. This measure excludes GHG fluxes caused by Land Use Land Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF), as these fluxes have larger uncertainties. The measure is standardized to carbon dioxide equivalent values using the Global Warming Potential (GWP) factors of IPCC's 5th Assessment Report (AR5).