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Environment and energy ยท ranked by Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions (excluding land use)

Countries with the highest carbon dioxide emissions

50 ranked ยท updated 2026-11-02
Number oneChina13.1k Mt CO2e
Ranking by Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions (excluding land use)
#NameCarbon dioxide (CO2) emissions (excluding land use)Change
1
China
13.1k Mt CO2enew
24,632.16 Mt CO2enew
33,153.83 Mt CO2enew
42,009.15 Mt CO2enew
5972.27 Mt CO2enew
6828.99 Mt CO2enew
7812.2 Mt CO2enew
8652.51 Mt CO2enew
9588.01 Mt CO2enew
10579.94 Mt CO2enew
Show positions 11โ€“50
11577.97 Mt CO2enew
12491.47 Mt CO2enew
13475.99 Mt CO2enew
14460.03 Mt CO2enew
15440.17 Mt CO2enew
16430.82 Mt CO2enew
17383.4 Mt CO2enew
18299.23 Mt CO2enew
19295.95 Mt CO2enew
20292.42 Mt CO2enew
21291.64 Mt CO2enew
22283.81 Mt CO2enew
23276.06 Mt CO2enew
24274.45 Mt CO2enew
25258.8 Mt CO2enew
26238.67 Mt CO2enew
27220.08 Mt CO2enew
28203.99 Mt CO2enew
29200.56 Mt CO2enew
30186.36 Mt CO2enew
31183.27 Mt CO2enew
32174.11 Mt CO2enew
33148.54 Mt CO2enew
34135.27 Mt CO2enew
35131.91 Mt CO2enew
36124.19 Mt CO2enew
37118.79 Mt CO2enew
38118.48 Mt CO2enew
39115.93 Mt CO2enew
4098.51 Mt CO2enew
4196.41 Mt CO2enew
4295.08 Mt CO2enew
4386.65 Mt CO2enew
4481.41 Mt CO2enew
4577.82 Mt CO2enew
4677.75 Mt CO2enew
4770.88 Mt CO2enew
4870.04 Mt CO2enew
4969.27 Mt CO2enew
5066.24 Mt CO2enew

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 highest carbon dioxide emissions, explained

Countries with the highest carbon dioxide emissions is a live ranking of the top 50 entries in environment and energy by Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions (excluding land use), built from public data published by World Bank Open Data. It was last refreshed on 2026-11-02. 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 13.1k Mt CO2e. United States is second with 4,632.16 Mt CO2e, which puts the leader 2.8 times ahead. India completes the top three with 3,153.83 Mt CO2e. Together the top three account for about 76% of the combined top-10 total, which gives a quick sense of how concentrated this ranking is.

How it is measured: Annual carbon dioxide emissions from agriculture, energy, waste and industry, excluding land use and forestry. World Bank indicator EN.GHG.CO2.MT.CE.AR5; most recent year available per country, regional and income aggregates excluded. Caveat: Countries report in different years; each shows its latest available figure. Source: World Bank Open Data (CC BY 4.0). 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 highest carbon dioxide emissions?
China is #1 with 13.1k Mt CO2e, as of 2026-11-02. United States is #2.
How is Countries with the highest carbon dioxide emissions ranked?
By Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions (excluding land use). Annual carbon dioxide emissions from agriculture, energy, waste and industry, excluding land use and forestry. World Bank indicator EN.GHG.CO2.MT.CE.AR5; most recent year available per country, regional and income aggregates excluded.
How often is this ranking updated?
It refreshes on a fixed schedule from World Bank Open Data. The latest snapshot was captured on 2026-11-02.
Where does the data come from?
World Bank Open Data. Source: World Bank Open Data (CC BY 4.0). The raw payload for every refresh is stored unchanged so any number can be traced back.