Which countries emit the most CO₂?
Click any country to see its total annual carbon dioxide emissions — the headline figure behind global climate change.
Overview
A handful of large economies produce most of the world's carbon dioxide. This map shows total annual emissions for every country — the numbers that drive the global total.
Key facts
- China and the United States are the two largest emitters by far.
- The top ten emitters account for around two-thirds of global CO₂.
- Total emissions favour large, industrial economies.
Common questions
What does this measure?
Each country's total annual carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels and industry, in tonnes — the figure behind the global climate total.
Why do big countries dominate?
Total emissions scale with the size of an economy and population, so large industrial countries top the list even if their per-person emissions are moderate.
Where does the data come from?
The Global Carbon Project, compiled via Our World in Data.
Sources & methodology
Data from Global Carbon Project (via Our World in Data), compiled via Our World in Data. Global figures are population-weighted across the countries that report this measure; countries without reliable recent data are shown as “no data”.
Last updated: 3 August 2026.
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