China (People’s Republic of) vs Germany: Air transport, freight

China (People’s Republic of)
26,170 million ton-km
in 2023
Germany
12,766 million ton-km
in 2023
China (People’s Republic of) rank
2nd
Germany rank
5th

Air transport, freight over time

  • China (People’s Republic of)
  • Germany
010.0k20.0k30.0k197019962023

How they compare

China (People’s Republic of) currently reports 26,170 million ton-km against 12,766 million ton-km in Germany, a difference of 13,404 million ton-km.

That makes China (People’s Republic of)'s figure about 2.0 times Germany's.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 50 shared years of data; in 1974 it was Germany ahead.

China (People’s Republic of) ranks 2nd and Germany ranks 5th of 180 countries.

Across the 6 decades both report, China (People’s Republic of) averaged higher in 2 and Germany in 4.

Head to head by decade

Decade China (People’s Republic of) Germany Difference Ahead
1970s 65.57 million ton-km 1,161 million ton-km 1,095 million ton-km Germany
1980s 391.14 million ton-km 2,453 million ton-km 2,062 million ton-km Germany
1990s 1,745 million ton-km 5,330 million ton-km 3,585 million ton-km Germany
2000s 7,564 million ton-km 7,964 million ton-km 399.23 million ton-km Germany
2010s 19,849 million ton-km 7,453 million ton-km 12,396 million ton-km China (People’s Republic of)
2020s 21,340 million ton-km 11,581 million ton-km 9,759 million ton-km China (People’s Republic of)

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher air transport, freight, China (People’s Republic of) or Germany?
China (People’s Republic of), at 26,170 million ton-km against 12,766 million ton-km in Germany as of 2023.
What is the difference in air transport, freight between China (People’s Republic of) and Germany?
13,404 million ton-km, with China (People’s Republic of) ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for China (People’s Republic of) and Germany?
50 years are reported by both, from 1974 to 2023.
How do China (People’s Republic of) and Germany rank globally for air transport, freight?
China (People’s Republic of) ranks 2nd and Germany ranks 5th of 180 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Civil Aviation Statistics of the World, International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), published as Air transport, freight (million ton-km). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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China (People’s Republic of) vs Germany: Air transport, freight. Statizoid, drawing on Civil Aviation Statistics of the World, International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Retrieved 18 August 2026, from https://infrastructure.statizoid.com/compare/air-transport-freight-million-ton-km/china/germany/

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About this data

Indicator
Air transport, freight (million ton-km)
Unit
million ton-km
Source
Civil Aviation Statistics of the World, International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
227 places, 9,773 data points, 1970–2023
Last refreshed

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 tons times kilometers traveled.