Highest CO₂ emissions
Annual fossil-fuel CO₂ emissions. China and the US together account for over 40% of the global total; the next eight countries combined match China alone.
Headline finding
China leads the world for highest co₂ emissions at 11,472 million tonnes per year.
The full top 25: Highest CO₂ emissions
Click any country to read its full profile.
- 1 China 11,472
- 2 United States 4,853
- 3 India 2,693
- 4 Russia 1,909
- 5 Japan 1,083
- 6 Iran 749
- 7 Indonesia 729
- 8 Germany 674
- 9 Saudi Arabia 672
- 10 South Korea 635
- 11 Canada 575
- 12 Brazil 482
- 13 Mexico 478
- 14 Turkey 467
- 15 South Africa 426
- 16 Australia 388
- 17 Vietnam 343
- 18 United Kingdom 326
- 19 Italy 308
- 20 Poland 296
- 21 France 280
- 22 Thailand 277
- 23 Kazakhstan 277
- 24 Egypt 250
- 25 Spain 214
What the numbers show
China's lead at the top of this ranking is 136.4% above the second-place country — a margin so wide it suggests we're looking at a structural advantage rather than a close-run race.
The five countries leading the table — China, United States, India, Russia, Japan — together set the global benchmark. The next 20 countries fill the rest of the table, with Spain anchoring the list at 214.
Figures are drawn from Global Carbon Project 2024. We use this source because it produces a single, internally consistent dataset rather than aggregating from national statistics offices, which makes year-on-year comparison reliable. The next update is expected when the source publishes its next annual release — see the methodology section below for which year of data is currently shown.
Methodology and caveats
- What this measures
- million tonnes per year
- Source
- Global Carbon Project 2024
- Coverage
- Top 25 countries shown. Full source dataset covers all 195 sovereign states where data is available.
- Refresh cadence
- Updated annually as the source publishes new figures, typically autumn or spring.
- Known caveat
- Country definitions follow the source: where the UN, the World Bank and the CIA Factbook disagree on borders or recognition, we use the figure as published rather than reconciling between bodies. Comparisons across rankings should be made with this in mind.
Frequently asked
Which country tops the ranking for co₂ emissions?
China leads with 11,472 million tonnes per year. United States is second at 4,853, with India in third place. Full top-10 with sources is above.
What's the source for the co₂ emissions ranking?
The figures come from Global Carbon Project 2024. We use this source because it publishes a complete country-by-country dataset using consistent methodology — the alternative of mixing national statistics offices would compromise comparability. Updated annually with the latest available vintage of the data.
How often are the co₂ emissions figures updated?
Once a year, in line with the source institution's publishing schedule. Major institutions like the World Bank, IMF and UNESCO publish annual updates in different months — typically autumn or spring — and the figures here reflect the most recently published vintage. The source footer on the ranking table shows which year's data is currently displayed.