Published 2026-09-03 · data 2023 · percent of global fossil CO₂
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.
Climate change is a shared problem with deeply unequal inputs. In 2023, three blocs — China (31%), the United States (14%), and the European Union (9%) — produced more than half of the world's fossil CO₂, while the remaining 46% is spread across everyone else. Per-capita footprints and historical responsibility tell yet another story.
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: China's 31% of annual emissions is roughly double its 15% share of all CO₂ emitted since 1751, according to Our World in Data. Cumulative responsibility is distributed differently from current output.
Per person, the picture shifts again, because national totals partly reflect population size. The average person in China emitted 8.66 tonnes of CO₂ in 2024, a figure Our World in Data compares against countries with similar incomes.
These are territorial emissions, counted within national borders and not adjusted for trade. Consumption-based accounting shifts some CO₂ between exporters and importers — a distinction that matters when countries set and compare targets.
Global fossil CO₂ shares rounded to 1,000 cells (2023).
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Credit this grid as Inagrid — https://inagrid.com/e/2026-09-03-co2-emissions-share
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