China vs Japan
China vs Japan: CO₂ per person
CO₂ per person in 2024: 9.32 tonnes in China and 7.84 tonnes in Japan, by EDGAR estimates. In 2024 the value was higher in China, by 1.47 tonnes, or 1.19 times that in Japan.
tonnes per person · EDGAR
What the numbers say
- China has been higher since 2020, when it overtook Japan.
- In 2024, China ranked 21 and Japan ranked 27 of 202 countries, counting from the highest.
- The world as a whole: 4.69 tonnes in 2024.
Every year
tonnes per person · EDGAR
| Year | China | Japan | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 9.32 | 7.84 | 4.69 |
| 2023 | 9.23 | 8.05 | 4.68 |
| 2022 | 8.87 | 8.4 | 4.67 |
| 2021 | 8.89 | 8.6 | 4.69 |
| 2020 | 8.48 | 8.4 | 4.48 |
| 2019 | 8.39 | 8.88 | 4.7 |
| 2018 | 8.22 | 9.17 | 4.74 |
| 2017 | 7.88 | 9.55 | 4.67 |
| 2016 | 7.76 | 9.67 | 4.65 |
| 2015 | 7.79 | 9.7 | 4.7 |
| 2014 | 7.93 | 10.01 | 4.78 |
| 2013 | 7.89 | 10.38 | 4.81 |
| 2012 | 7.58 | 10.25 | 4.77 |
| 2011 | 7.4 | 9.93 | 4.76 |
| 2010 | 6.81 | 9.5 | 4.67 |
| 2009 | 6.25 | 9.04 | 4.45 |
| 2008 | 5.85 | 9.53 | 4.56 |
| 2007 | 5.71 | 10.09 | 4.59 |
| 2006 | 5.28 | 9.82 | 4.48 |
| 2005 | 4.78 | 10.01 | 4.39 |
| 2004 | 4.24 | 9.92 | 4.28 |
| 2003 | 3.71 | 9.96 | 4.15 |
| 2002 | 3.23 | 9.92 | 4.02 |
| 2001 | 3.01 | 9.67 | 4.01 |
| 2000 | 2.89 | 9.8 | 4.01 |
| 1999 | 2.75 | 9.68 | 3.95 |
| 1998 | 2.84 | 9.37 | 3.98 |
| 1997 | 2.79 | 9.77 | 4.02 |
| 1996 | 2.74 | 9.91 | 4.01 |
| 1995 | 2.79 | 9.83 | 3.99 |
| 1994 | 2.56 | 9.77 | 3.94 |
| 1993 | 2.45 | 9.37 | 3.97 |
| 1992 | 2.29 | 9.46 | 4.02 |
| 1991 | 2.22 | 9.46 | 4.1 |
| 1990 | 2.13 | 9.41 | 4.15 |
| 1989 | 2.12 | 8.86 | 4.16 |
| 1988 | 2.08 | 8.65 | 4.16 |
| 1987 | 1.97 | 8.09 | 4.1 |
| 1986 | 1.87 | 8.07 | 4.04 |
| 1985 | 1.79 | 8.14 | 4.05 |
| 1984 | 1.79 | 8.42 | 4.07 |
| 1983 | 1.67 | 7.91 | 4.01 |
| 1982 | 1.61 | 7.93 | 4.05 |
| 1981 | 1.56 | 8.34 | 4.18 |
| 1980 | 1.6 | 8.59 | 4.33 |
| 1979 | 1.65 | 8.89 | 4.46 |
| 1978 | 1.63 | 8.76 | 4.42 |
| 1977 | 1.47 | 8.83 | 4.36 |
| 1976 | 1.32 | 8.7 | 4.31 |
| 1975 | 1.29 | 8.5 | 4.15 |
| 1974 | 1.15 | 9.11 | 4.23 |
| 1973 | 1.15 | 9.26 | 4.32 |
| 1972 | 1.13 | 8.33 | 4.16 |
| 1971 | 1.09 | 8.01 | 4.04 |
| 1970 | 1.11 | 8.21 | 4.15 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- Carbon dioxide from energy, industry, farming and waste, divided by the population; land use and forests are left out.
- Source: EDGAR (European Commission JRC) and the IEA, via the World Bank.
- Ranks count the 202 countries with a value in 2024, highest first.
- The faint line is the world as a whole, as the same source counts it.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
China vs Japan
Health
- Life expectancyChina: 78 years in 2023Japan: 84.7 years in 2023
- Child mortalityChina: 0.6 per 100 live births in 2024Japan: 0.2 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityChina: 5.1 per 1,000 live births in 2023Japan: 1.6 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionChina: 3.31% in 2017Japan: 3.34% in 2017
- Suicide rateChina: 7.2 per 100,000 people in 2017Japan: 15.7 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationChina: 1.42 billion people in 2023Japan: 124 million people in 2023
- Population growthChina: -0.24% a year in 2023Japan: -0.48% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateChina: 1 births per woman in 2023Japan: 1.21 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationChina: 66.3% in 2025Japan: 92.3% in 2025
- Median ageChina: 39.1 years in 2023Japan: 49 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overChina: 14.3% in 2023Japan: 29.6% in 2023
- Net migration rateChina: -0.4 per 1,000 people in 2023Japan: 1.4 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingChina: 1.73% of GDP in 2025Japan: 1.41% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsChina: $335B in 2025Japan: $59.5B in 2025
- Military spending per personChina: $237 in 2025Japan: $504 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingChina: 5.1% of government spending in 2025Japan: 3.8% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelChina: 2.54 million people in 2020Japan: 261,000 people in 2020
- National powerChina: 23.41% of world capability in 2022Japan: 2.47% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersChina: 0.33% of the labour force in 2020Japan: 0.38% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsChina: 207 million TIV in 2025Japan: 1.72 billion TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsChina: 880 million TIV in 2025Japan: 28 million TIV in 2025