Tonne-kilometers of air freight in China
China: Tonne-kilometers of air freight was 26.17 billion million ton-km in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
26.17 billion million ton-km
Change on year
up 38.0%
World rank
2nd
of 180 countries
All-time high
26.17 billion million ton-km
in 2023
All-time low
29.20 million million ton-km
in 1974
Years of data
50
1974–2023
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.
Tonne-kilometers of air freight in China, year by year
| Year | million ton-km | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | 29.20 million million ton-km | — |
| 1975 | 46.20 million million ton-km | +58.2% |
| 1976 | 49.00 million million ton-km | +6.1% |
| 1977 | 60.00 million million ton-km | +22.4% |
| 1978 | 86.00 million million ton-km | +43.3% |
| 1979 | 123.00 million million ton-km | +43.0% |
| 1980 | 120.90 million million ton-km | -1.7% |
| 1981 | 155.40 million million ton-km | +28.5% |
| 1982 | 184.20 million million ton-km | +18.5% |
| 1983 | 216.00 million million ton-km | +17.3% |
| 1984 | 302.00 million million ton-km | +39.8% |
| 1985 | 403.00 million million ton-km | +33.4% |
| 1986 | 467.50 million million ton-km | +16.0% |
| 1987 | 647.50 million million ton-km | +38.5% |
| 1988 | 731.80 million million ton-km | +13.0% |
| 1989 | 683.10 million million ton-km | -6.7% |
| 1990 | 818.30 million million ton-km | +19.8% |
| 1991 | 1.01 billion million ton-km | +23.4% |
| 1992 | 1.32 billion million ton-km | +30.4% |
| 1993 | 1.55 billion million ton-km | +17.6% |
| 1994 | 1.72 billion million ton-km | +11.0% |
| 1995 | 1.50 billion million ton-km | -12.6% |
| 1996 | 1.69 billion million ton-km | +12.5% |
| 1997 | 2.08 billion million ton-km | +23.4% |
| 1998 | 2.47 billion million ton-km | +18.7% |
| 1999 | 3.30 billion million ton-km | +33.2% |
| 2000 | 3.90 billion million ton-km | +18.3% |
| 2001 | 4.23 billion million ton-km | +8.5% |
| 2002 | 5.01 billion million ton-km | +18.5% |
| 2003 | 5.65 billion million ton-km | +12.7% |
| 2004 | 7.02 billion million ton-km | +24.3% |
| 2005 | 7.58 billion million ton-km | +7.9% |
| 2006 | 7.69 billion million ton-km | +1.5% |
| 2007 | 11.19 billion million ton-km | +45.5% |
| 2008 | 11.39 billion million ton-km | +1.8% |
| 2009 | 11.98 billion million ton-km | +5.2% |
| 2010 | 17.19 billion million ton-km | +43.6% |
| 2011 | 16.76 billion million ton-km | -2.5% |
| 2012 | 15.57 billion million ton-km | -7.1% |
| 2013 | 16.05 billion million ton-km | +3.1% |
| 2014 | 17.82 billion million ton-km | +11.0% |
| 2015 | 19.81 billion million ton-km | +11.1% |
| 2016 | 21.30 billion million ton-km | +7.6% |
| 2017 | 23.32 billion million ton-km | +9.5% |
| 2018 | 25.26 billion million ton-km | +8.3% |
| 2019 | 25.39 billion million ton-km | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 19.26 billion million ton-km | -24.1% |
| 2021 | 20.96 billion million ton-km | +8.8% |
| 2022 | 18.96 billion million ton-km | -9.5% |
| 2023 | 26.17 billion million ton-km | +38.0% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 26.17 billion million ton-km is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 25.07 million million ton-km, 1043.9× the median. (52 countries reporting)
- China's 26.17 billion million ton-km is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 30.27 million million ton-km, 864.5× the median. (29 countries reporting)
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
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 49.4 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 75.5 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 303.29 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 18.8 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 303.29 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 165.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 206.2 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 350.74 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1,480 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 102.37 (2050)
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.