Total Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions: We’re Number 2; Per Capita Emissions: We’re Number 2

Together, India, China, and the United States contribute 42.6 percent of total emissions; the bottom 100 countries account for just 2.9 percent of emissions. Though India is a major GHG contributor, on a per capita basis this largest country in the world falls well below many industrialized countries. This ranking incorporates the twenty-seven nations of the European Union into one entity. The United States ranks second in both the total amount of GHG emissions and second in per capita emissions. Canada, ranking tenth in total emissions, ranks number one in greenhouse emissions per capita.

In 2022, China led the way with 12,795 Metric tons of CO2, ranking 6th per capita. The United States emitted less than half (6,001 Metric tons) of China’s emissions, but ranked 2nd per capita. India was third in total emissions (3,994), but 10th in per capita emissions. While Canada had the highest greenhouse emissions per capita, when looking at countries outside of the OECD, Saudi Arabia had a much higher per capita emissions than Canada.

Sources: “Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Government of Canada, https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/environmental-indicators/global-greenhouse-gas-emissions.html; World Resources Institute, https://www.wri.org/insights/interactive-chart-shows-changes-worlds-top-10-emitters.