The Countries That Have Contributed Most to Global Warming

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Which countries have contributed the largest share of global CO2 emissions since 1750?

Lewis Hine/ National Child Labor Committee collection, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division

Which countries have contributed the largest share of global CO2 emissions since 1750?

Before 1750, carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel combustion were negligible. The world’s first industrialized nation, the United Kingdom, became the world’s first CO2 emitter in the mid-1700s, when industrialization began.

Since then, cumulative CO2 emissions in the world total more than 1.5 trillion metric tons, 3,600 times more than in 1751, according to Our World in Data, and enough to significantly warm the planet. Of that, the U.K. has emitted 78.16 billion metric tons, about 4.61% of the global total. The U.S., however, is responsible for nearly 25% of the global cumulative total, more than any other country in the world, and twice more than China, the world’s second largest national contributor, according to Our World in Data. As a region, Europe is also historically a large contributor, at 22% of the cumulative total. It’s only over the past 50 years that growth in South America, Asia and Africa have increased these regions’ share of total contribution.

These are the countries that have contributed the largest share of global CO2 emissions since 1750, or the year that historical data was first available, (which is indicated for each) according to Our World in Data.

1. United States

Since: 1800

Cumulative CO2 emissions: 416.72 billion metric tons

Global share: 24.56%

2. China

Since: 1899

Cumulative CO2 emissions: 235.56 billion metric tons

Global share: 13.89%

3. Russia

Since: 1830

Cumulative CO2 emissions: 115.34 billion metric tons

Global share: 6.80%

4. Germany

Since: 1792

Cumulative CO2 emissions: 92.64 billion metric tons

Global share: 5.46%

5. United Kingdom

Since: 1750

Cumulative CO2 emissions: 78.16 billion metric tons

Global share: 4.61%

6. Japan

Since: 1868

Cumulative CO2 emissions: 65.63 billion metric tons

Global share: 3.87%

7. India

Since: 1858

Cumulative CO2 emissions: 54.42 billion metric tons

Global share: 3.21%

8. International transport

Since: 1950

Cumulative CO2 emissions: 42.24 billion metric tons

Global share: 2.49%

9. France

Since: 1802

Cumulative CO2 emissions: 38.73 billion metric tons

Global share: 2.28%

10. Canada

Since: 1785

Cumulative CO2 emissions: 33.58 billion metric tons

Global share: 1.98%

11. Ukraine

Since: 1830

Cumulative CO2 emissions: 30.56 billion metric tons

Global share: 1.80%

12. Poland

Since: 1800

Cumulative CO2 emissions: 27.86 billion metric tons

Global share: 1.64%

13. Italy

Since: 1860 2

Cumulative CO2 emissions: 24.74 billion metric tons

Global share: 1.46%

14. South Africa

Since: 1884

Cumulative CO2 emissions: 21.16 billion metric tons

Global share: 1.25%

15. Mexico

Since: 1891

Cumulative CO2 emissions: 20.08 billion metric tons

Global share: 1.18%

16. Iran

Since: 1906

Cumulative CO2 emissions: 18.91 billion metric tons

Global share: 1.11%

17. Australia

Since: 1860

Cumulative CO2 emissions: 18.64 billion metric tons

Global share: 1.10%

18. South Korea

Since: 1905

Cumulative CO2 emissions: 18.34 billion metric tons

Global share: 1.08%

19. Brazil

Since: 1901

Cumulative CO2 emissions: 16.24 billion metric tons

Global share: 0.96%

20. Saudi Arabia

Since: 1936

Cumulative CO2 emissions: 15.94 billion metric tons

Global share: 0.94%

21. Spain

Since: 1830

Cumulative CO2 emissions: 14.85 billion metric tons

Global share: 0.88%

Related: The Race for Solar Energy: Which Countries Are Winning?

22. Indonesia

Since: 1889

Cumulative CO2 emissions: 14.40 billion metric tons

Global share: 0.85%

23. Kazakhstan

Since: 1830

Cumulative CO2 emissions: 13.91 billion metric tons

Global share: 0.82%

24. Belgium

Since: 1802

Cumulative CO2 emissions: 12.54 billion metric tons

Global share: 0.74%

25. Czechia

Since: 1860

Cumulative CO2 emissions: 11.92 billion metric tons

Global share: 0.70%

26. Netherlands

Since: 1846

Cumulative CO2 emissions: 11.74 billion metric tons

Global share: 0.69%

27. Turkey

Since: 1865

Cumulative CO2 emissions: 10.84 billion metric tons

Global share: 0.64%

28. Taiwan

Since: 1896

Cumulative CO2 emissions: 9.05 billion metric tons

Global share: 0.53%

29. Romania

Since: 1858

Cumulative CO2 emissions: 8.49 billion metric tons

Global share: 0.50%

30. Argentina

Since: 1887

Cumulative CO2 emissions: 8.43 billion metric tons

Global share: 0.50%

You can learn more about this data and look up other countries’ cumulative CO2 at Our World in Data. (CC 4.0 Hannah Ritchie, Our World in Data)


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