Which country emits more CO₂ per person?
Which country emits more carbon dioxide per resident? Compare per-person emissions in tonnes and choose higher or lower. This is emissions divided by population, so large emitters with large populations often sit lower than small, energy-intensive ones.
How to play
- Two countries appear side by side (stacked on a phone). The first shows its CO₂ per person; the second keeps its value hidden.
- Decide whether the second one is higher or lower and press Higher or Lower.
- The hidden value counts up and your answer is judged. When you are right, the second card moves across and a new one takes its place.
- One wrong answer ends the run. There is no timer, and values stay fixed for the whole run. Countries without a value for this measure sit out, and two countries whose values read the same are never paired.
- Your result is saved in this browser. Once enough people have played a game, the results also show how your score ranks, and you can copy or share an image of your result, or replay.
Understanding the comparison
Per person reorders the familiar list. China leads on total emissions but several Gulf states, Australia and the United States are far higher per resident. Countries running on hydro or nuclear power score low despite being wealthy, which puts Switzerland, Sweden and France well below their neighbours.
CO₂ per person by country: all 181 countries ranked
Show the full ranking (181 countries)
| Rank | Country | CO₂ per person, 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Qatar | 47.33 t |
| 2 | Bahrain | 23.90 t |
| 3 | Kuwait | 23.67 t |
| 4 | Brunei | 20.24 t |
| 5 | Trinidad and Tobago | 19.58 t |
| 6 | Oman | 18.65 t |
| 7 | Saudi Arabia | 18.48 t |
| 8 | United Arab Emirates | 18.26 t |
| 9 | Australia | 14.10 t |
| 10 | Canada | 14.01 t |
| 11 | Russia | 13.98 t |
| 12 | United States | 13.62 t |
| 13 | Kazakhstan | 12.57 t |
| 14 | South Korea | 11.36 t |
| 15 | Turkmenistan | 10.86 t |
| 16 | Luxembourg | 10.56 t |
| 17 | Singapore | 9.75 t |
| 18 | China | 9.32 t |
| 19 | Iran | 9.05 t |
| 20 | Libya | 8.66 t |
| 21 | Iceland | 8.52 t |
| 22 | Malaysia | 8.32 t |
| 23 | Mongolia | 7.85 t |
| 24 | Japan | 7.84 t |
| 25 | Estonia | 7.76 t |
| 26 | Poland | 7.55 t |
| 27 | Belgium | 7.31 t |
| 28 | Seychelles | 7.24 t |
| 29 | Norway | 7.18 t |
| 30 | Czechia | 7.13 t |
| 31 | Germany | 6.94 t |
| 32 | South Africa | 6.88 t |
| 33 | Netherlands | 6.60 t |
| 34 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 6.45 t |
| 35 | Austria | 6.32 t |
| 36 | Slovenia | 6.27 t |
| 37 | Ireland | 6.04 t |
| 38 | New Zealand | 6.01 t |
| 39 | Belarus | 5.94 t |
| 40 | Israel | 5.77 t |
| 41 | Finland | 5.54 t |
| 42 | Slovakia | 5.51 t |
| 43 | Cyprus | 5.40 t |
| 44 | Türkiye | 5.38 t |
| 45 | Bulgaria | 5.31 t |
| 46 | Iraq | 5.18 t |
| 47 | Italy | 5.08 t |
| 48 | Greece | 5.05 t |
| 49 | Croatia | 4.83 t |
| 50 | Guyana | 4.56 t |
| 51 | Spain | 4.51 t |
| 52 | Lithuania | 4.49 t |
| 53 | Hungary | 4.46 t |
| 54 | Denmark | 4.28 t |
| 55 | Vietnam | 4.27 t |
| 56 | United Kingdom | 4.22 t |
| 57 | Uzbekistan | 4.09 t |
| 58 | Suriname | 4.06 t |
| 59 | Argentina | 4.01 t |
| 60 | France | 4.00 t |
| 60 | North Macedonia | 4.00 t |
| 62 | Algeria | 3.98 t |
| 63 | Thailand | 3.96 t |
| 64 | Chile | 3.94 t |
| 65 | Azerbaijan | 3.81 t |
| 66 | Antigua and Barbuda | 3.80 t |
| 67 | Switzerland | 3.75 t |
| 68 | Romania | 3.72 t |
| 69 | Latvia | 3.65 t |
| 70 | Mexico | 3.64 t |
| 70 | Bahamas | 3.64 t |
| 72 | Sweden | 3.57 t |
| 72 | Maldives | 3.57 t |
| 74 | Mauritius | 3.54 t |
| 75 | Georgia | 3.53 t |
| 76 | Moldova | 3.42 t |
| 77 | Venezuela | 3.39 t |
| 78 | Laos | 3.35 t |
| 79 | Portugal | 3.32 t |
| 80 | Malta | 3.18 t |
| 81 | Ukraine | 3.13 t |
| 82 | Dominican Republic | 2.99 t |
| 83 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 2.88 t |
| 84 | Indonesia | 2.87 t |
| 85 | Jamaica | 2.84 t |
| 86 | Panama | 2.74 t |
| 86 | Botswana | 2.74 t |
| 88 | Ecuador | 2.64 t |
| 89 | Tunisia | 2.62 t |
| 90 | Uruguay | 2.57 t |
| 91 | Equatorial Guinea | 2.55 t |
| 92 | Barbados | 2.52 t |
| 93 | Egypt | 2.50 t |
| 93 | North Korea | 2.50 t |
| 95 | Armenia | 2.47 t |
| 96 | Brazil | 2.32 t |
| 97 | Bolivia | 2.29 t |
| 98 | India | 2.17 t |
| 99 | Jordan | 2.09 t |
| 100 | Gabon | 2.05 t |
| 101 | Peru | 2.02 t |
| 102 | Bhutan | 2.01 t |
| 103 | Cuba | 1.91 t |
| 104 | Lebanon | 1.90 t |
| 105 | Morocco | 1.84 t |
| 106 | Colombia | 1.80 t |
| 107 | Albania | 1.79 t |
| 108 | Saint Lucia | 1.71 t |
| 109 | Costa Rica | 1.63 t |
| 109 | Tonga | 1.63 t |
| 111 | Fiji | 1.62 t |
| 112 | Samoa | 1.60 t |
| 113 | El Salvador | 1.51 t |
| 114 | Philippines | 1.50 t |
| 114 | Grenada | 1.50 t |
| 116 | Kyrgyzstan | 1.49 t |
| 117 | Republic of the Congo | 1.34 t |
| 118 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 1.31 t |
| 119 | Cape Verde | 1.29 t |
| 120 | Syria | 1.27 t |
| 120 | Dominica | 1.27 t |
| 122 | Namibia | 1.20 t |
| 123 | Paraguay | 1.16 t |
| 124 | Honduras | 1.14 t |
| 125 | Guatemala | 1.11 t |
| 126 | Cambodia | 1.10 t |
| 127 | Sri Lanka | 1.06 t |
| 128 | Mauritania | 0.97 t |
| 129 | Belize | 0.93 t |
| 130 | Tajikistan | 0.92 t |
| 131 | Eswatini | 0.88 t |
| 132 | Vanuatu | 0.87 t |
| 133 | Nicaragua | 0.83 t |
| 134 | Pakistan | 0.81 t |
| 135 | Zimbabwe | 0.77 t |
| 135 | Senegal | 0.77 t |
| 135 | Djibouti | 0.77 t |
| 138 | Angola | 0.74 t |
| 139 | Bangladesh | 0.72 t |
| 140 | Ghana | 0.70 t |
| 141 | Sao Tome and Principe | 0.63 t |
| 142 | Kiribati | 0.59 t |
| 142 | Ivory Coast | 0.59 t |
| 144 | Myanmar | 0.58 t |
| 145 | Nigeria | 0.57 t |
| 146 | Zambia | 0.54 t |
| 146 | Nepal | 0.54 t |
| 148 | Papua New Guinea | 0.52 t |
| 149 | Comoros | 0.51 t |
| 150 | Timor-Leste | 0.50 t |
| 151 | Benin | 0.49 t |
| 152 | Sudan | 0.43 t |
| 152 | Lesotho | 0.43 t |
| 154 | Solomon Islands | 0.38 t |
| 154 | Kenya | 0.38 t |
| 156 | Cameroon | 0.35 t |
| 156 | Guinea | 0.35 t |
| 158 | Togo | 0.31 t |
| 158 | Tanzania | 0.31 t |
| 160 | Mali | 0.30 t |
| 160 | Haiti | 0.30 t |
| 162 | Mozambique | 0.29 t |
| 163 | Afghanistan | 0.28 t |
| 164 | Burkina Faso | 0.27 t |
| 165 | Yemen | 0.26 t |
| 166 | Malawi | 0.22 t |
| 166 | Eritrea | 0.22 t |
| 168 | Gambia | 0.18 t |
| 169 | Sierra Leone | 0.17 t |
| 169 | Uganda | 0.17 t |
| 171 | Rwanda | 0.16 t |
| 171 | Guinea-Bissau | 0.16 t |
| 173 | Liberia | 0.15 t |
| 173 | Ethiopia | 0.15 t |
| 173 | Madagascar | 0.15 t |
| 176 | Chad | 0.14 t |
| 177 | Niger | 0.12 t |
| 178 | Burundi | 0.07 t |
| 179 | Central African Republic | 0.06 t |
| 179 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | 0.06 t |
| 181 | Somalia | 0.05 t |
World Bank indicator EN.GHG.CO2.PC.CE.AR5 for 2024, as used in the game. Values that read the same share a rank. Andorra, Kosovo, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Montenegro, Nauru, Palestine, San Marino, Serbia, South Sudan, Taiwan, Tuvalu and Vatican City have no figure for this measure and sit out. The Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Palau also sit out: their World Bank figures are far from independent estimates.
Frequently asked questions
Does the biggest emitter have the highest emissions per person?
No. China emits the most in total, but several Gulf states, Australia and the United States emit far more per resident.
Which country emits the most CO₂ per person?
Qatar, at 47.33 t (World Bank, 2024).
Which country emits the least CO₂ per person?
Somalia, at 0.05 t (World Bank, 2024).
Where does the data come from?
The World Bank’s open data, 2024 figures from indicator EN.GHG.CO2.PC.CE.AR5. 181 of the 197 countries in our list have a figure in the game. Andorra, Kosovo, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Montenegro, Nauru, Palestine, San Marino, Serbia, South Sudan, Taiwan, Tuvalu and Vatican City have no figure for this measure and sit out. The Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Palau also sit out: their World Bank figures are far from independent estimates.
Per-person emissions are not total emissions
The per-person figure divides a country’s reported CO₂ emissions by its population. A small population with energy-intensive production can rank highly on this measure without being one of the largest emitters in total.
This is the World Bank series excluding land use, land-use change and forestry. It is not a complete greenhouse-gas footprint or a consumption-based estimate for a typical household. Trade can move the place where goods are consumed away from the place where their production emissions are recorded.
How this measure is defined
Tonnes of carbon dioxide per resident, counted where the fuel is burned. Emissions embodied in imported goods are attributed to the country that produced them, so import-heavy economies look cleaner than a consumption-based count would show. Land use change and non-CO₂ greenhouse gases are excluded.
Sources
Source: World Bank · Data period: 2024 · Collected: (UTC)
Tonnes of carbon dioxide emitted per resident, counted where fuel is burned. Emissions embedded in imported goods count towards the exporting country. The Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Palau sit out: their World Bank figures are far from independent estimates.
The collection date tells you when we retrieved the source, not when every underlying observation was made. A failed refresh does not advance that date. For comparisons, the snapshot loaded for your run supplies the answers.
Found an incorrect answer or a source that needs updating? Send a correction with the game name and a reference.