Average annual surface temperature in China
China: Average annual surface temperature was 8.21 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
8.21
Change on year
down 1.5%
World rank
174th
of 193 countries
All-time high
8.34
in 2024
All-time low
5.63
in 1957
Years of data
86
1940–2025
Average annual surface temperature in China, 1940–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
China recorded 8.21 for average annual surface temperature in 2025.
The figure is down 1.5% on the previous year and up 7.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, average annual surface temperature in China peaked at 8.34 in 2024 and was at its lowest, 5.63, in 1957.
That places China 174th out of 193 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 86 years of available data.
Average annual surface temperature in China, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1940 | 6.03 | — |
| 1941 | 6.47 | +7.2% |
| 1942 | 6.72 | +3.9% |
| 1943 | 6.63 | -1.3% |
| 1944 | 6.56 | -1.0% |
| 1945 | 6.17 | -5.9% |
| 1946 | 7.11 | +15.1% |
| 1947 | 6.51 | -8.4% |
| 1948 | 6.78 | +4.1% |
| 1949 | 6.97 | +2.7% |
| 1950 | 6.61 | -5.1% |
| 1951 | 6.42 | -3.0% |
| 1952 | 6.34 | -1.3% |
| 1953 | 6.91 | +9.1% |
| 1954 | 6.04 | -12.6% |
| 1955 | 6.18 | +2.3% |
| 1956 | 5.72 | -7.4% |
| 1957 | 5.63 | -1.6% |
| 1958 | 6.5 | +15.4% |
| 1959 | 6.46 | -0.6% |
| 1960 | 6.43 | -0.5% |
| 1961 | 6.48 | +0.8% |
| 1962 | 6.16 | -5.0% |
| 1963 | 6.44 | +4.6% |
| 1964 | 6.31 | -1.9% |
| 1965 | 6.18 | -2.2% |
| 1966 | 6.2 | +0.3% |
| 1967 | 5.76 | -7.0% |
| 1968 | 6.08 | +5.5% |
| 1969 | 5.98 | -1.7% |
| 1970 | 5.94 | -0.6% |
| 1971 | 6.19 | +4.2% |
| 1972 | 6.13 | -1.0% |
| 1973 | 6.5 | +6.0% |
| 1974 | 6.09 | -6.2% |
| 1975 | 6.56 | +7.7% |
| 1976 | 5.92 | -9.8% |
| 1977 | 6.13 | +3.6% |
| 1978 | 6.45 | +5.1% |
| 1979 | 6.43 | -0.3% |
| 1980 | 6.33 | -1.5% |
| 1981 | 6.36 | +0.4% |
| 1982 | 6.56 | +3.2% |
| 1983 | 6.27 | -4.5% |
| 1984 | 6.05 | -3.5% |
| 1985 | 6.11 | +1.0% |
| 1986 | 6.27 | +2.6% |
| 1987 | 6.76 | +7.7% |
| 1988 | 6.71 | -0.7% |
| 1989 | 6.59 | -1.8% |
| 1990 | 6.98 | +5.9% |
| 1991 | 6.67 | -4.4% |
| 1992 | 6.4 | -4.0% |
| 1993 | 6.54 | +2.1% |
| 1994 | 7.15 | +9.3% |
| 1995 | 6.81 | -4.8% |
| 1996 | 6.49 | -4.7% |
| 1997 | 6.83 | +5.2% |
| 1998 | 7.59 | +11.2% |
| 1999 | 7.43 | -2.1% |
| 2000 | 6.79 | -8.7% |
| 2001 | 7.18 | +5.8% |
| 2002 | 7.31 | +1.9% |
| 2003 | 7.11 | -2.9% |
| 2004 | 7.28 | +2.5% |
| 2005 | 6.94 | -4.6% |
| 2006 | 7.52 | +8.3% |
| 2007 | 7.72 | +2.7% |
| 2008 | 7.18 | -7.0% |
| 2009 | 7.4 | +2.9% |
| 2010 | 7.18 | -3.0% |
| 2011 | 6.91 | -3.7% |
| 2012 | 6.63 | -4.0% |
| 2013 | 7.39 | +11.4% |
| 2014 | 7.31 | -1.0% |
| 2015 | 7.66 | +4.8% |
| 2016 | 7.76 | +1.3% |
| 2017 | 7.77 | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 7.43 | -4.5% |
| 2019 | 7.57 | +2.0% |
| 2020 | 7.61 | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 7.82 | +2.9% |
| 2022 | 7.78 | -0.5% |
| 2023 | 7.97 | +2.4% |
| 2024 | 8.34 | +4.7% |
| 2025 | 8.21 | -1.5% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 8.21 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 23.03, 36% of the median. (50 countries reporting)
- China's 8.21 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 24.82, 33% of the median. (27 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 6.6 | 6.03 | 7.11 | 10 |
| 1950s | 6.28 | 5.63 | 6.91 | 10 |
| 1960s | 6.2 | 5.76 | 6.48 | 10 |
| 1970s | 6.23 | 5.92 | 6.56 | 10 |
| 1980s | 6.4 | 6.05 | 6.76 | 10 |
| 1990s | 6.89 | 6.4 | 7.59 | 10 |
| 2000s | 7.24 | 6.79 | 7.72 | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.36 | 6.63 | 7.77 | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.96 | 7.61 | 8.34 | 6 |
Countries ranked near China
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 average annual surface temperature in China?
- Average annual surface temperature in China was 8.21 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest average annual surface temperature recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 8.34 in 2024.
- What is the lowest average annual surface temperature recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.63 in 1957.
- How does China rank for average annual surface temperature?
- China ranks 174th out of 193 countries with data for 2025.
- Is average annual surface temperature rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Average annual surface temperature. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 86 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).