China vs United States: Comparative advantage in environmental goods
Comparative advantage in environmental goods over time
- China
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 1.18 index against 1.15 index in China, a difference of 0.03 index.
Across all 22 years both countries report, United States has been ahead every year.
China ranks 23rd and United States ranks 20th of 163 countries.
United States has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.5942 index | 1.39 index | 0.7937 index | United States |
| 2000s | 0.7542 index | 1.43 index | 0.6708 index | United States |
| 2010s | 1.12 index | 1.31 index | 0.189 index | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher comparative advantage in environmental goods, China or United States?
- United States, at 1.18 index against 1.15 index in China as of 2019.
- What is the difference in comparative advantage in environmental goods between China and United States?
- 0.03 index, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and United States?
- 22 years are reported by both, from 1998 to 2019.
- How do China and United States rank globally for comparative advantage in environmental goods?
- China ranks 23rd and United States ranks 20th of 163 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- IMF Climate Change Dashboard. Data sources: UN Comtrade, DESA/UNSD; IMF staff calculations, published as Comparative advantage in environmental goods (index). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Environmental goods include both goods connected to environmental protection—such as goods related to pollution management and resource management—and adapted goods—which are goods that have been specifically modified to be more “environmentally friendly” or “cleaner.” Comparative advantage is a measure of the relative advantage or disadvantage a particular country has in a certain class of goods (in this case, environmental goods), and can be used to evaluate export potential in that class of goods. Environmental goods include both goods connected to environmental protection—such as goods related to pollution management and resource management—and adapted goods—which are goods that have been specifically modified to be more “environmentally friendly” or “cleaner.” A value greater than one indicates a relative advantage in environmental goods, while a value of less than one indicates a relative disadvantage.