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

China (People’s Republic of)
26,170 million ton-km
in 2023
World
213,782 million ton-km
in 2023
China (People’s Republic of) rank
2nd
World rank
1st

Air transport, freight over time

  • China (People’s Republic of)
  • World
050.0k100.0k150.0k200.0k197319982023

How they compare

World currently reports 213,782 million ton-km against 26,170 million ton-km in China (People’s Republic of), a difference of 187,612 million ton-km.

That makes World's figure about 8.2 times China (People’s Republic of)'s.

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

China (People’s Republic of) ranks 2nd and World ranks 1st of 180 countries.

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

Head to head by decade

Decade China (People’s Republic of) World Difference Ahead
1970s 65.57 million ton-km 20,670 million ton-km 20,605 million ton-km World
1980s 391.14 million ton-km 38,111 million ton-km 37,720 million ton-km World
1990s 1,745 million ton-km 80,356 million ton-km 78,610 million ton-km World
2000s 7,564 million ton-km 139,249 million ton-km 131,684 million ton-km World
2010s 19,849 million ton-km 194,280 million ton-km 174,431 million ton-km World
2020s 21,340 million ton-km 204,507 million ton-km 183,167 million ton-km World

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher air transport, freight, China (People’s Republic of) or World?
World, at 213,782 million ton-km against 26,170 million ton-km in China (People’s Republic of) as of 2023.
What is the difference in air transport, freight between China (People’s Republic of) and World?
187,612 million ton-km, with World ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for China (People’s Republic of) and World?
50 years are reported by both, from 1974 to 2023.
How do China (People’s Republic of) and World rank globally for air transport, freight?
China (People’s Republic of) ranks 2nd and World ranks 1st 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 World: Air transport, freight. Statizoid, drawing on Civil Aviation Statistics of the World, International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Retrieved 17 August 2026, from https://infrastructure.statizoid.com/compare/air-transport-freight-million-ton-km/china/world/

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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.