Carbon Emissions
(asked on 8th September 2026) - View Source
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of global carbon emissions are created by (1) China, (2) the United States, (3) the EU, and (4) the UK.
Answered by
Baroness Curran
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Estimates show China accounted for more than a quarter (26%) of global greenhouse gas emissions in 2023. The United States accounted for around 11% of the 2023 global total, the European Union around 6%, and the UK less than 1%. Nearly half of annual global GHG emissions were from countries which individually accounted for 3% or less of the global total. UK GHG emissions per capita were slightly lower than the global average in 2023. Over the period 1850-2023, the UK accounted for around 4% of cumulative global CO2 emissions. Figures include emissions from the land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF) sector and are rounded to the nearest 100MtCO2e.
| Latest annual emissions | Cumulative emissions (1850-2023) | |||
| Emissions in 2023 (MtCO2e) | % of global emissions (2023) | Emissions per capita in 2023 (tCO2e) | 1850-2023 total (MtCO2) | Share of cumulative emissions |
World | 50,800 | 100% | 6.3 | 2,263,800 | 100% |
China | 13,200 | 26% | 9.3 | 345,900 | 15% |
US | 5,400 | 11% | 15.8 | 471,700 | 21% |
EU | 3,100 | 6% | 7.0 | 311,800 | 14% |
UK | 400 | 1% | 5.9 | 80,600 | 4% |
Sources and caveats: 2023 GHG emission data reported by Climate Watch, DESNZ GHG inventory for the UK. Historic CO2 emissions data sourced from the PRIMAP-hist v2.7 CO₂ emissions dataset. Population estimates are based on data from the UN World Population Prospects. Emissions estimates may differ from country’s official inventories reported to the UNFCCC.