2026-11-13 · 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.
Three emitters dominate the world's fossil CO₂: China, the United States, and the European Union together account for 54% of annual emissions. China alone emits 31% — more than the US and EU combined. Per person, though, the story shifts, and that gap is why climate debates keep returning to the same question: who cuts, how much, and how fast?
1 cell = 0.1 percent of global fossil CO₂ (0.1% of fossil CO₂ emissions) · 1,000 cells
Context
China's lead is singular: it emitted 12.3 billion tonnes of CO₂ in 2024, or 31.84% of the global total, according to Our World in Data. On this grid, China accounts for 31% of fossil CO₂, the United States 14%, and the European Union 9%. The remaining 46% is spread across the rest of the world.
Annual shares only capture today's flow. Since 1751, China has produced 15.42% of cumulative global CO₂ — a smaller share than it holds today, because much of the historical total was emitted by countries that industrialized earlier.
Per person, the picture differs again: the average person in China emitted 8.66 tonnes of CO₂ in 2024. These are territorial figures, which don't adjust for trade — consumption-based accounting shifts emissions between exporters and importers.
Global fossil CO₂ shares rounded to 1,000 cells (2023).
Share and export
Credit this grid as Inagrid — https://inagrid.com/e/2026-11-13-co2-emissions-share
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