CO2 emissions by country – ranked

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A global ranking of CO2 emissions by country, measured by metric tons per capita, using the latest data available from the World Bank.

A power station and clouds of CO2 emissions
Carbon dioxide emissions largely come from burning fossil fuels (Shutterstock)

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the primary greenhouse gas emitted as a result of human activity. Greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O) and fluorinated gases trap heat and make the Earth warmer.

10 worst countries

These countries emit the most CO2 per capita.

  1. Qatar
  2. Trinidad & Tobago
  3. Kuwait
  4. Bahrain
  5. UAE
  6. Brunei Darussalam
  7. Saudi Arabia
  8. Luxembourg
  9. USA
  10. Australia

Carbon dioxide emissions

Carbon dioxide is naturally present in the atmosphere as part of the Earth’s natural circulation of carbon between the atmosphere, oceans, soil, plants, and animals.

However, human activity – especially fossil-fuel combustion – is responsible for virtually all of the increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere over the last 150 years.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) accounts for the most significant share of greenhouse gases, which are associated with global warming and climate change. Emissions largely originate from the burning of fossil fuels and the manufacture of cement.

The data from the World Bank does come with a caveat. The carbon dioxide emissions of a country per capita are only an indicator of one greenhouse gas.

For a more comprehensive view of how a country and its population impact climate change, gases such as methane and nitrous oxide should also be considered. This is especially relevant in agricultural economies.

CO2 emissions by country measured by metric tons per capita

CO2 emissions by country – complete ranking

The table and map below ranks the world’s countries by CO2 emissions by metric tons per capita (1t = 1,000kg / 2,205lb).

Some countries may have been omitted due to insufficient data.

RankCountryCo2 Emissions
1Qatar43.86
2Trinidad & Tobago33.97
3Kuwait25.85
4Bahrain23.46
5UAE22.94
6Brunei Darussalam22.23
7Saudi Arabia19.44
8Luxembourg17.36
9USA16.51
10Australia15.39
11Oman15.19
12Canada15.16
13Estonia14.85
14Palau14.77
15Kazakhstan14.36
16Turkmenistan12.52
17Russia11.86
18South Korea11.57
19Singapore10.31
20Netherlands9.92
21Japan9.54
22Norway9.27
23Czech Rep.9.17
24Greenland8.99
25South Africa8.98
26Libya8.96
27Cayman Is.8.92
28Germany8.89
29Bermuda8.84
30Finland8.66
31Aruba8.41
32Iran8.38
33Belgium8.33
34Malaysia8.13
35Israel7.86
36New Zealand7.69
37China7.54
38Poland7.52
39Ireland7.31
40Mongolia7.09
41Austria6.87
42Belarus6.70
43Bahamas6.52
44UK6.50
45Hong Kong SAR6.39
46Bosnia & Herzegovina6.38
47Slovenia6.21
48British Virgin Is.6.20
49Greece6.18
50Venezuela6.16
51Iceland6.06
52Denmark5.94
53Bulgaria5.87
54Andorra5.83
55Turks & Caicos Is.5.81
56Antigua & Barbuda5.74
57Slovakia5.66
58Seychelles5.42
59Malta5.40
60Serbia5.28
61Italy5.27
62Cyprus5.26
63Spain5.03
64Ukraine5.02
65World4.98
66Iraq4.89
67Argentina4.78
68Equatorial Guinea4.76
69Chile4.65
70Thailand4.62
71France4.57
72St. Kitts & Nevis4.55
73Turkey4.48
74Sweden4.48
75Barbados4.47
76Lithuania4.38
77Portugal4.33
78Switzerland4.31
79Hungary4.27
80Nauru4.02
81Mexico3.99
82Croatia3.97
83Azerbaijan3.93
84Lebanon3.84
85Algeria3.74
86North Macedonia3.61
87Suriname3.60
88Montenegro3.56
89Romania3.52
90Latvia3.50
91Uzbekistan3.42
92Botswana3.37
93Mauritius3.35
94Cuba3.08
95Maldives3.07
96Jordan2.97
97French Polynesia2.96
98Gabon2.76
99Ecuador2.75
100Guyana2.63
101Brazil2.61
102Tunisia2.61
103Jamaica2.58
104Georgia2.42
105St. Lucia2.28
106Panama2.26
107Egypt2.23
108Grenada2.22
109Macao SAR2.17
110Dominican Rep.2.12
111Peru2.05
112Uruguay1.98
113Albania1.98
114St. Vincent & Gren.1.92
115Dominica1.91
116Bolivia1.91
117Armenia1.90
118Vietnam1.82
119Indonesia1.82
120Marshall Is.1.80
121Colombia1.79
122Morocco1.75
123India1.73
124Moldova1.73
125Namibia1.65
126Kyrgyz Rep.1.65
127Syria1.64
128Costa Rica1.62
129North Korea1.62
130Belize1.40
131Micronesia1.40
132Bhutan1.39
133Fiji1.35
134Angola1.29
135Lesotho1.21
136Tonga1.20
137Liechtenstein1.18
138Guatemala1.15
139Eswatini1.10
140Honduras1.06
141Philippines1.05
142Samoa1.03
143Tuvalu1.00
144El Salvador1.00
145Cabo Verde0.95
146Sri Lanka0.89
147Zimbabwe0.88
148Yemen0.88
149Paraguay0.86
150Pakistan0.85
151Djibouti0.80
152Papua New Guinea0.80
153Nicaragua0.79
154Mauritania0.69
155Congo0.65
156Tajikistan0.63
157Senegal0.62
158Benin0.61
159Vanuatu0.58
160Sao Tome & Principe0.58
161Kiribati0.57
162Nigeria0.55
163Ghana0.53
164Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast)0.49
165Bangladesh0.47
166Cambodia0.44
167Myanmar0.41
168Timor-Leste0.40
169Togo0.37
170Solomon Islands0.34
171Mozambique0.32
172Cameroon0.31
173Kenya0.31
174Sudan0.30
175Nepal0.30
176Laos0.29
177Afghanistan0.29
178Zambia0.29
179Haiti0.27
180Gambia0.25
181Tanzania0.23
182Guinea0.22
183Liberia0.21
184Comoros0.20
185Sierra Leone0.19
186Burkina Faso0.16
187Guinea-Bissau0.16
188South Sudan0.14
189Uganda0.14
190Madagascar0.13
191Ethiopia0.12
192Niger0.11
193Mali0.08
194Malawi0.08
195Rwanda0.08
196Central African Rep.0.07
197DR Congo0.06
198Chad0.05
199Somalia0.05
200Burundi0.04

Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators