Tonne-kilometers of air freight in China
China: Tonne-kilometers of air freight was 26.17 billion million ton-km in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Tonne-kilometers of air freight in China, 1974–2023
Source: International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in million ton-km.
Analysis
In 2023, tonne-kilometers of air freight in China stood at 26.17 billion million ton-km. That is the highest value across all 50 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 38.0% on the previous year and up 63.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, tonne-kilometers of air freight in China peaked at 26.17 billion million ton-km in 2023 and was at its lowest, 29.20 million million ton-km, in 1974.
China ranks 2nd of 180 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 65.57 million million ton-km | 29.20 million million ton-km | 123.00 million million ton-km | 6 |
| 1980s | 391.14 million million ton-km | 120.90 million million ton-km | 731.80 million million ton-km | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.75 billion million ton-km | 818.30 million million ton-km | 3.30 billion million ton-km | 10 |
| 2000s | 7.56 billion million ton-km | 3.90 billion million ton-km | 11.98 billion million ton-km | 10 |
| 2010s | 19.85 billion million ton-km | 15.57 billion million ton-km | 25.39 billion million ton-km | 10 |
| 2020s | 21.34 billion million ton-km | 18.96 billion million ton-km | 26.17 billion million ton-km | 4 |
Countries ranked near China
- 1 United States 42.76 billion million ton-km compare
- 3 Qatar 13.93 billion million ton-km compare
- 4 United Arab Emirates 13.57 billion million ton-km compare
- 5 Germany 12.77 billion million ton-km compare
More reference data data for China
- Spring temperature anomalies 1.66 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.0991 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 1.15 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 0 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 1.34 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 2.06 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 132.6 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 0 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is tonne-kilometers of air freight in China?
- Tonne-kilometers of air freight in China was 26.17 billion million ton-km in 2023, according to International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest tonne-kilometers of air freight recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 26.17 billion million ton-km in 2023.
- What is the lowest tonne-kilometers of air freight recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 29.20 million million ton-km in 1974.
- How does China rank for tonne-kilometers of air freight?
- China ranks 2nd out of 180 countries with data for 2023.
- Is tonne-kilometers of air freight rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 63.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Tonne-kilometers of air freight. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 50 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Air freight is the volume of freight, express, and diplomatic bags carried on each flight stage (operation of an aircraft from takeoff to its next landing), measured in metric tonnes times kilometers traveled.