What is emissions of air pollutants in China?

Emissions of air pollutants in China was 20.99 million tonnes in 2022, according to Hoesly et al. (2024) - Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data.

What is the highest emissions of air pollutants recorded in China?

The highest recorded value was 31.61 million tonnes in 2012.

What is the lowest emissions of air pollutants recorded in China?

The lowest recorded value was 26,180 tonnes in 1750.

How does China rank for emissions of air pollutants?

China ranks 1st out of 220 countries with data for 2022.

Is emissions of air pollutants rising or falling in China?

Over the last ten years it is down 33.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.

Where does this China data come from?

The figures come from Hoesly et al. (2024) - Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Emissions of air pollutants. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Emissions of air pollutants in China

Name: Emissions of air pollutants in China
Creator: Hoesly et al. (2024) - Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

China: Emissions of air pollutants was 20.99 million tonnes in 2022. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2022)

20.99 million tonnes

Change on year

down 3.3%

World rank

1st

of 220 countries

All-time high

31.61 million tonnes

in 2012

All-time low

26,180 tonnes

in 1750

Years of data

273

1750–2022

Emissions of air pollutants in China, 1750–2022

Source: Hoesly et al. (2024) - Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.

Analysis

China recorded 20.99 million tonnes for emissions of air pollutants in 2022.

The figure is down 3.3% on the previous year and down 33.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, emissions of air pollutants in China peaked at 31.61 million tonnes in 2012 and was at its lowest, 26,180 tonnes, in 1750.

China ranks 1st of 220 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

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1750s	26,529 tonnes	26,180 tonnes	26,877 tonnes	10
1760s	27,120 tonnes	26,954 tonnes	27,286 tonnes	10
1770s	30,466 tonnes	27,322 tonnes	33,608 tonnes	10
1780s	35,049 tonnes	34,306 tonnes	35,791 tonnes	10
1790s	35,074 tonnes	34,193 tonnes	35,956 tonnes	10
1800s	36,235 tonnes	33,997 tonnes	38,486 tonnes	10
1810s	39,027 tonnes	38,991 tonnes	39,062 tonnes	10
1820s	40,585 tonnes	39,069 tonnes	42,110 tonnes	10
1830s	42,749 tonnes	42,451 tonnes	43,046 tonnes	10
1840s	43,407 tonnes	43,113 tonnes	43,702 tonnes	10
1850s	42,343 tonnes	40,927 tonnes	43,768 tonnes	10
1860s	40,283 tonnes	39,943 tonnes	40,614 tonnes	10
1870s	40,955 tonnes	39,864 tonnes	42,057 tonnes	10
1880s	43,537 tonnes	42,304 tonnes	44,838 tonnes	10
1890s	47,050 tonnes	45,155 tonnes	49,154 tonnes	10
1900s	84,954 tonnes	49,353 tonnes	132,477 tonnes	10
1910s	145,598 tonnes	114,722 tonnes	183,827 tonnes	10
1920s	231,262 tonnes	197,336 tonnes	265,007 tonnes	10
1930s	335,358 tonnes	275,333 tonnes	406,789 tonnes	10
1940s	458,486 tonnes	335,580 tonnes	581,254 tonnes	10
1950s	1.08 million tonnes	516,470 tonnes	2.46 million tonnes	10
1960s	1.97 million tonnes	1.69 million tonnes	2.60 million tonnes	10
1970s	4.29 million tonnes	2.96 million tonnes	5.84 million tonnes	10
1980s	7.18 million tonnes	5.79 million tonnes	9.32 million tonnes	10
1990s	12.87 million tonnes	9.58 million tonnes	15.05 million tonnes	10
2000s	23.24 million tonnes	16.32 million tonnes	29.03 million tonnes	10
2010s	27.18 million tonnes	22.27 million tonnes	31.61 million tonnes	10
2020s	21.41 million tonnes	20.99 million tonnes	21.71 million tonnes	3

Countries ranked near China

2 India 9.56 million tonnes compare
3 United States 9.00 million tonnes compare
4 Indonesia 5.51 million tonnes compare

See the full ranking of 220 places →

More environment data for China

Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF 15,536 Mt CO2e (2024)
Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF per capita 11.03 t CO2e/capita (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture 498.98 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) 32.75 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) 736.76 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) 3.9 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 1,485 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 4.13 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) 5.54 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste 195.67 Mt CO2e (2024)

All data for China →

Frequently asked questions

What is emissions of air pollutants in China?: Emissions of air pollutants in China was 20.99 million tonnes in 2022, according to Hoesly et al. (2024) - Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest emissions of air pollutants recorded in China?: The highest recorded value was 31.61 million tonnes in 2012.
What is the lowest emissions of air pollutants recorded in China?: The lowest recorded value was 26,180 tonnes in 1750.
How does China rank for emissions of air pollutants?: China ranks 1st out of 220 countries with data for 2022.
Is emissions of air pollutants rising or falling in China?: Over the last ten years it is down 33.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this China data come from?: The figures come from Hoesly et al. (2024) - Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Emissions of air pollutants. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 273 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator: Emissions of air pollutants
Unit: tonnes
Source: Hoesly et al. (2024) - Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 220 places, 60,060 data points, 1750–2022
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

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.