Who emits the most CO₂ per person?
Click any country to see its carbon dioxide emissions per person, per year — a measure of each citizen's climate footprint.
Overview
Per-person CO₂ emissions reveal who contributes most to climate change relative to population. Oil-rich states top 30 tonnes a head; the lowest emit almost nothing. This map compares every country.
Key facts
- The global average is around 4.5 tonnes of CO₂ per person per year.
- The highest per-capita emitters are wealthy, energy-intensive economies.
- Many low-income countries emit under half a tonne per person.
Common questions
What does CO₂ per capita measure?
A country's annual carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels and industry, divided by its population — the average climate footprint of each resident.
Why look at per capita rather than total?
Total emissions favour big countries; per-capita figures show how carbon-intensive each person's lifestyle is, which is fairer for comparison.
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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