CO₂ Emissions
Tracking who emits the most CO₂, how emissions have changed over time, and the cumulative burden each country carries.
Fetching emissions data from Our World in Data...
FAQs
FAQs
What does the emissions page show?
Annual fossil-fuel CO₂ emissions by country, region and sector, plus per-capita and cumulative (historical) emissions. The live panels above show the latest annual totals, the country rankings and the breakdown by sector and fuel type.
What is the difference between annual, per-capita and cumulative emissions?
Annual emissions are the total CO₂ a country emitted in a single year - useful for tracking current trends. Per-capita emissions divide that by population - useful for comparing the climate footprint of an average resident. Cumulative emissions sum every year since 1850 - useful for measuring historical responsibility, since CO₂ stays in the atmosphere for centuries and long-term warming is driven by total cumulative emissions.
Where does the emissions data come from?
Emissions data come from the Global Carbon Project and the Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Centre (CDIAC), processed and visualised by Our World in Data. Per-capita and cumulative figures are calculated against UN population estimates. Sectoral breakdowns use the IEA and EDGAR datasets.
Are land-use emissions included?
The headline figures on this page focus on fossil-fuel CO₂. Land-use change (deforestation, forest regrowth, peatland loss) adds a substantial additional flux that is reported separately by the Global Carbon Project. Where included it is labelled clearly on the chart.
How often is this page updated?
The Global Carbon Project publishes its full annual budget once a year, typically in November or December (covering data through the previous year). The live panels on this page update at that point and on each subsequent monthly site refresh.