China vs India: How have things changed?
China
95.21 million metric tons
in 2024
India
18.45 million metric tons
in 2024
China rank
1st
India rank
3rd
How have things changed? over time
- China
- India
How they compare
China currently reports 95.21 million metric tons against 18.45 million metric tons in India, a difference of 76.76 million metric tons.
That makes China's figure about 5.2 times India's.
Across all 60 years both countries report, China has been ahead every year.
China ranks 1st and India ranks 3rd of 215 countries.
China has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | India | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 3.87 million metric tons | 1.45 million metric tons | 2.42 million metric tons | China |
| 1970s | 5.39 million metric tons | 2.09 million metric tons | 3.30 million metric tons | China |
| 1980s | 9.36 million metric tons | 2.84 million metric tons | 6.52 million metric tons | China |
| 1990s | 30.13 million metric tons | 4.86 million metric tons | 25.26 million metric tons | China |
| 2000s | 52.67 million metric tons | 6.65 million metric tons | 46.02 million metric tons | China |
| 2010s | 73.70 million metric tons | 10.35 million metric tons | 63.34 million metric tons | China |
| 2020s | 89.05 million metric tons | 15.89 million metric tons | 73.16 million metric tons | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher how have things changed?, China or India?
- China, at 95.21 million metric tons against 18.45 million metric tons in India as of 2024.
- What is the difference in how have things changed? between China and India?
- 76.76 million metric tons, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and India?
- 60 years are reported by both, from 1965 to 2024.
- How do China and India rank globally for how have things changed??
- China ranks 1st and India ranks 3rd of 215 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as How have things changed?. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Change captured by a range of socioeconomic and environmental indicators, measured relative to the first year.