CO2 Emissions by Country (2024)

Global Carbon Emissions

CO2 emissions per capita measure the average carbon dioxide each person in a country is responsible for, expressed in metric tons per year. This metric is essential for climate policy because it normalizes emissions by population — large countries like China and India have high total emissions but moderate per capita figures, while smaller wealthy nations like Qatar and Kuwait have among the highest per-person emissions globally. The global average is approximately 4.5 metric tons per person, but the range is extreme.

Gulf states and small island nations with petrochemical industries can exceed 30 tons per capita. The United States averages around 14 tons — roughly twice the European average and three times the global mean. At the other end, many sub-Saharan African countries emit less than 0.5 tons per capita, reflecting both lower industrialization and limited access to energy. This 60x gap between the highest and lowest emitters underscores the deep inequality in both energy consumption and climate responsibility.

Per capita emissions are declining in most advanced economies due to the transition from coal to natural gas and renewables, energy efficiency improvements, and the structural shift from manufacturing to services. However, global total emissions continue to rise because growth in developing countries — particularly India, Southeast Asia, and Africa — more than offsets developed-world reductions. The fundamental tension in climate negotiations remains: historically wealthy nations produced most cumulative emissions, but future growth will come predominantly from developing countries seeking the same economic prosperity.