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World and society · ranked by Share of global annual CO₂ emissions

Countries with the largest share of global CO₂ emissions

50 ranked · updated 2026-10-29
Number oneChina31.84 %
Ranking by Share of global annual CO₂ emissions
#NameShare of global annual CO₂ emissionsChange
1
China
31.84 %new
212.71 %new
38.27 %new
44.61 %new
52.49 %new
62.1 %new
72.05 %new
81.79 %new
91.51 %new
101.48 %new
Show positions 11–50
111.38 %new
121.33 %new
131.25 %new
141.19 %new
151.14 %new
161 %new
170.96 %new
180.81 %new
190.78 %new
200.75 %new
210.74 %new
220.71 %new
230.69 %new
240.68 %new
250.68 %new
260.67 %new
270.61 %new
280.58 %new
290.57 %new
300.51 %new
310.47 %new
320.45 %new
330.44 %new
340.37 %new
350.36 %new
360.35 %new
370.34 %new
380.33 %new
390.3 %new
400.3 %new
410.28 %new
420.24 %new
430.22 %new
440.21 %new
450.21 %new
460.2 %new
470.2 %new
480.18 %new
490.18 %new
500.18 %new

History

How the top 10 has moved

Positions of today's top 10 across every published snapshot.

History appears once this ranking has at least two published snapshots.

About this ranking

Countries with the largest share of global CO₂ emissions, explained

Countries with the largest share of global CO₂ emissions is a live ranking of the top 50 entries in world and society by Share of global annual CO₂ emissions, built from public data published by Our World in Data. It was last refreshed on 2026-10-29. This is the first published snapshot; from the next refresh onwards the page will also show movers, new entries and a rank history chart.

China currently holds #1 with 31.84 %. United States is second with 12.71 %, which puts the leader 2.5 times ahead. India completes the top three with 8.27 %. Together the top three account for about 77% of the combined top-10 total, which gives a quick sense of how concentrated this ranking is.

How it is measured: Share of global annual CO₂ emissions. Carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from fossil fuels and industry. Land-use change emissions are not included. Our World in Data chart "annual-share-of-co2-emissions"; most recent year per country within the last five years of data, regional aggregates excluded. Caveat: Years differ by country; the chart page documents the original source and its limitations. Data from Our World in Data (CC BY 4.0) and the sources it cites. The full top 50 is on this page, with positions 11 to 50 one click away, and each entry links to its own profile showing every ranking it appears in.

Use this page to check who is number one right now, compare any two entries head to head, or test yourself with the quiz, which asks you to name all ten in three minutes. Year-end archives are available for 2026, freezing the ranking as it stood at the close of each year. Top10Earth never estimates or edits a value: each number is fetched from its source, hashed, stored and ranked by software, then checked by a quality gate before it is published. If a refresh fails the gate, the previous snapshot stays live and the problem is reviewed by a person.

Frequently asked questions

Who is #1 in Countries with the largest share of global CO₂ emissions?
China is #1 with 31.84 %, as of 2026-10-29. United States is #2.
How is Countries with the largest share of global CO₂ emissions ranked?
By Share of global annual CO₂ emissions. Share of global annual CO₂ emissions. Carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from fossil fuels and industry. Land-use change emissions are not included. Our World in Data chart "annual-share-of-co2-emissions"; most recent year per country within the last five years of data, regional aggregates excluded.
How often is this ranking updated?
It refreshes on a fixed schedule from Our World in Data. The latest snapshot was captured on 2026-10-29.
Where does the data come from?
Our World in Data. Data from Our World in Data (CC BY 4.0) and the sources it cites. The raw payload for every refresh is stored unchanged so any number can be traced back.