Green
Visualizing All the World’s Carbon Emissions by Country
Visualizing All The World’s Carbon Emissions By Country
The greenhouse effect, essential for sustaining Earth’s life-friendly temperatures, has been intensified by burning fossil fuels.
This amplification of the natural greenhouse effect has led to significant alterations to the planet’s climate system.
The graphic above uses data from the Global Carbon Atlas to explore which countries contribute the most to CO₂ emissions.
Ranked: Global CO₂ Emissions by Country
According to the Global Carbon Atlas, the world’s top polluters are China, India, and the U.S., which accounted for 52% of the world’s CO₂ in 2021.
These countries are also the biggest in terms of population.
Rank | Country | Region | Total Emissions (%) |
---|---|---|---|
#1 | 🇨🇳 China | Asia | 30.9% |
#2 | 🇺🇸 U.S. | North America | 13.5% |
#3 | 🇮🇳 India | Asia | 7.3% |
#4 | 🇷🇺 Russia | Europe | 4.7% |
#5 | 🇯🇵 Japan | Asia | 2.9% |
#6 | 🇮🇷 Iran | Asia | 2.0% |
#7 | 🇩🇪 Germany | Europe | 1.8% |
#8 | 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia | Other | 1.8% |
#9 | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | Asia | 1.7% |
#10 | 🇰🇷 South Korea | Asia | 1.7% |
#11 | 🇨🇦 Canada | North America | 1.5% |
#12 | 🇧🇷 Brazil | South America | 1.3% |
#13 | 🇹🇷 Türkiye | Europe | 1.2% |
#14 | 🇿🇦 South Africa | Africa | 1.2% |
#15 | 🇲🇽 Mexico | North America | 1.1% |
#16 | 🇦🇺 Australia | Oceania | 1.1% |
#17 | 🇬🇧 UK | Europe | 0.9% |
#18 | 🇮🇹 Italy | Europe | 0.9% |
#19 | 🇵🇱 Poland | Europe | 0.9% |
n/a | 🌐 Rest of World | Other | 21.7% |
In terms of CO₂ emissions per capita (metric tons), the U.S. is relatively high at 15.32, while China and India rank lower at 7.44 and 1.89, respectively.
Historically, the U.S. has been the largest carbon emitter, releasing 422 billion metric tons of CO₂ into the atmosphere since the Industrial Revolution. This is equivalent to almost a quarter of all CO₂ produced from fossil fuels and industrial activities.
Given their massive populations and the fact that countries typically increase their emissions as they become more developed, China and India may continue to grow their shares even further. The International Energy Agency (IEA) forecasts that India’s share of global emissions could rise to 10% by 2030.
All of these major contributors of carbon to the atmosphere have set goals to reduce emissions over the next decades. While the U.S. targets net-zero emissions by 2050, China aims for carbon neutrality by 2060 and India recently set a target of 2070.
Energy
Ranked: Electric Vehicle Sales by Model in 2023
Today, electric vehicle sales make up 18% of global vehicle sales. Here are the leading models by sales as of August 2023.

Ranked: Electric Vehicle Sales by Model in 2023
Electric vehicle (EV) sales are gaining momentum, reaching 18% of global vehicle sales in 2023.
As new competitors bring more affordable options and new performance features, the market continues to mature as customers increasingly look to electric options.
This graphic ranks the top-selling EVs worldwide as of August 2023, based on data from CleanTechnica.
The Best Selling EVs in 2023 (Through August)
Below, we show the world’s best selling fully electric vehicles from January to August 2023:
Model | Country | Vehicles Sold (Jan-Aug 2023) |
---|---|---|
Tesla Model Y | 🇺🇸 U.S. | 772,364 |
Tesla Model 3 | 🇺🇸 U.S. | 364,403 |
BYD Atto 3 / Yuan Plus | 🇨🇳 China | 265,688 |
BYD Dolphin | 🇨🇳 China | 222,825 |
GAC Aion S | 🇨🇳 China | 160,693 |
Wuling HongGuang Mini EV | 🇨🇳 China | 153,399 |
GAC Aion Y | 🇨🇳 China | 136,619 |
VW ID.4 | 🇩🇪 Germany | 120,154 |
BYD Seagull | 🇨🇳 China | 95,202 |
As we can see, Tesla‘s Model Y still holds a comfortable lead over the competition with 772,364 units sold. That’s more than double the sales of the #2 top selling vehicle, Tesla’s Model 3 (364,403)
But it’s hard to ignore the rising prevalence of Chinese EVs. The next five best selling EV vehicles are Chinese, including three from BYD. The automaker’s Atto 3 (or Yuan Plus, depending on market), is being sold in various countries including Germany, the UK, Japan, and India.
Meanwhile, Chinese automaker GAC Group also had two models of its Aion EV brand make the rankings, with the Aion S selling 160,693 units so far.
Regional market strength is also clear. For Volkswagen’s ID.4 model (120,154 units sold), Europe and China account for the majority of sales.
Given growing cost efficiencies and changing consumer behavior, global EV sales are projected to make up half of new car sales globally by 2035, according to forecasts from Goldman Sachs.
-
Countries6 days ago
Ranked: Share of Global Arms Exports in 2022
-
Maps2 weeks ago
Interactive Map: The World as 1,000 People
-
Retail2 weeks ago
Ranked: Average Black Friday Discounts for Major Retailers
-
Business1 week ago
Ranked: Fast Food Brands with the Most U.S. Locations
-
United States1 week ago
Visualizing 30 Years of Imports from U.S. Trading Partners
-
Markets1 week ago
Ranked: The Biggest Retailers in the U.S. by Revenue
-
Globalization1 week ago
The Top 50 Largest Importers in the World
-
Maps1 week ago
Mapped: Which Countries Recognize Israel or Palestine, or Both?