China vs United Arab Emirates: Air transport, freight

China
26,170 million ton-km
in 2023
United Arab Emirates
13,566 million ton-km
in 2023
China rank
2nd
United Arab Emirates rank
4th

Air transport, freight over time

  • China
  • United Arab Emirates
010.0k20.0k30.0k197419982023

How they compare

China currently reports 26,170 million ton-km against 13,566 million ton-km in United Arab Emirates, a difference of 12,604 million ton-km.

That makes China's figure about 1.9 times United Arab Emirates's.

Across all 50 years both countries report, China has been ahead every year.

China ranks 2nd and United Arab Emirates ranks 4th of 180 countries.

China has averaged higher in every one of the 6 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade China United Arab Emirates Difference Ahead
1970s 65.57 million ton-km 7.47 million ton-km 58.1 million ton-km China
1980s 391.14 million ton-km 48.7 million ton-km 342.44 million ton-km China
1990s 1,745 million ton-km 547.74 million ton-km 1,197 million ton-km China
2000s 7,564 million ton-km 4,684 million ton-km 2,881 million ton-km China
2010s 19,849 million ton-km 14,130 million ton-km 5,719 million ton-km China
2020s 21,340 million ton-km 13,508 million ton-km 7,832 million ton-km China

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher air transport, freight, China or United Arab Emirates?
China, at 26,170 million ton-km against 13,566 million ton-km in United Arab Emirates as of 2023.
What is the difference in air transport, freight between China and United Arab Emirates?
12,604 million ton-km, with China ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for China and United Arab Emirates?
50 years are reported by both, from 1974 to 2023.
How do China and United Arab Emirates rank globally for air transport, freight?
China ranks 2nd and United Arab Emirates ranks 4th 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 vs United Arab Emirates: Air transport, freight. Statizoid, drawing on Civil Aviation Statistics of the World, International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Retrieved 28 August 2026, from https://infrastructure.statizoid.com/compare/air-transport-freight-million-ton-km/china/united-arab-emirates/

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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.