2023-09-15 · percent of global fossil CO₂
Year
Who emits most CO₂ today
National shares of annual fossil CO₂. China, the US, and the EU dominate the grid — but per-capita stories differ.
The climate problem is concentrated: in 2023, just three economies — China, the United States, and the European Union — produced 54% of the world's fossil CO₂. China alone accounted for 31%, the US 14%, and the EU 9%, while the remaining 46% is shared among every other country. Totals like these shape who faces pressure to cut first, but per-capita stories differ, and any fair accounting has to hold both views at once.
1 cell = 0.1 percent of global fossil CO₂ (0.1% of fossil CO₂ emissions) · 1,000 cells
Context
Today's shares aren't the whole story. Our World in Data puts China's share of cumulative CO₂ emissions since 1751 at roughly 15% — well below its 31% slice of the 2023 total, a gap that reflects how recently its emissions have grown.
Per-capita figures tell a different story again. The source profile puts China's emissions at 8.66 tonnes of CO₂ per person in 2024 — a reminder that national totals blend population size with individual footprints.
These are territorial shares, counting CO₂ released within each country's borders. Consumption-based accounting, which adjusts for trade, shifts some emissions between exporters and importers — one reason responsibility estimates can differ.
Global fossil CO₂ shares rounded to 1,000 cells (2023).
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Credit this grid as Inagrid — https://inagrid.com/e/2023-09-15-co2-emissions-share
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