Greenhouse Gas Emissions Per Person: The 10 Highest Among Major Emitters
Saudi Arabia, Australia and Canada have the highest emissions per person among the 15 major emitters listed by EDGAR. India has the lowest figure in the table, at less than half the world average.
Quick Answer
Among the world's biggest emitting countries, Saudi Arabia has the highest greenhouse gas emissions per person: 22.7 tonnes of CO2 equivalent in 2025. Australia follows at 21.5, then Canada (19.5), Russia (18.1) and the United States (17.5). The world average is 6.6 tonnes per person.
Total emissions show which countries release the most greenhouse gases, but dividing by population shows how much each person's country emits on average. This ranking uses Table 1 of the European Commission's EDGAR 2026 report, which lists the countries that each produced more than 1% of world greenhouse gas emissions in 2025 and gives emissions per person for each. Figures are tonnes of CO2 equivalent per person and include all greenhouse gases (fossil CO2, methane, nitrous oxide and fluorinated gases) from human activities, excluding land use, land-use change and forestry. The ranking covers 15 countries, not every country in the world, and the 2025 values are EDGAR estimates. Per-person figures are national averages, so they do not describe how emissions vary between individuals or regions inside a country.
This is not a ranking of every country
EDGAR's Table 1 includes only countries that each emit more than 1% of the world total, so smaller countries with high emissions per person do not appear here. Germany is also not listed separately in that table because it is counted within the EU27 total, which averages 7.1 tonnes per person. This article ranks the 10 highest of the 15 individually listed countries.
Greenhouse gas emissions per person in 2025, tonnes of CO2 equivalent
Source: EDGAR 2026 report, Table 1 (European Commission Joint Research Centre)Tap any country to jump to its full breakdown below.
Ranked #10 to #1
Türkiye
611 Mt total · 1.1% of world emissions- Emissions per person:
- 7.1 t
- Category:
- Europe and Asia
Türkiye emits 7.1 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per person, approximately equal to the EU27 average and just above the world average of 6.6. The European Commission reported that Türkiye had the highest relative increase in emissions among major emitters in 2025, at 4.2%.
Türkiye's per-person figure is approximately equal to the EU27's at the displayed precision, but its total emissions rose 4.2% in 2025 while the EU's fell 0.2%.
Source: EDGAR 2026 report; Joint Research Centre
Japan
1,063 Mt total · 2.0% of world emissions- Emissions per person:
- 8.6 t
- Category:
- Asia
Japan emits 8.6 tonnes per person, about 2 tonnes above the world average. The European Commission lists Japan among the major emitters that reduced emissions in 2025.
Japan's per-person emissions are about 1.5 tonnes above the EU27's 7.1 tonnes.
Source: EDGAR 2026 report; Joint Research Centre
China
15,981 Mt total · 29.5% of world emissions- Emissions per person:
- 11.1 t
- Category:
- Asia
China is the world's largest emitter in total but ranks eighth per person among these countries, at 11.1 tonnes. That is about 1.7 times the world average and roughly 63% of the US figure.
China's per-person emissions are higher than Japan's and the EU27's, even though its total is more than 15 times Japan's.
Source: EDGAR 2026 report
Iran
1,119 Mt total · 2.1% of world emissions- Emissions per person:
- 12.9 t
- Category:
- Middle East
Iran emits 12.9 tonnes per person, almost twice the world average. The European Commission lists Iran among the countries with notable emissions increases in 2025.
Iran emits more per person than China, which ranks first in total emissions.
Source: EDGAR 2026 report; Joint Research Centre
South Korea
696 Mt total · 1.3% of world emissions- Emissions per person:
- 13.3 t
- Category:
- Asia
South Korea emits 13.3 tonnes per person, about twice the world average of 6.6 tonnes.
South Korea's per-person figure is more than four times India's 3.1 tonnes.
Source: EDGAR 2026 report
United States
6,018 Mt total · 11.1% of world emissions- Emissions per person:
- 17.5 t
- Category:
- North America
The United States emits 17.5 tonnes per person, about 2.7 times the world average. Its total emissions rose 2.2% in 2025, the largest absolute increase of any country worldwide, according to the European Commission.
India emits 3.1 tonnes per person, compared with 18.1 in Russia and 17.5 in the United States, so Russia's figure is about 5.8 times India's and the US figure about 5.6 times.
Source: EDGAR 2026 report; Joint Research Centre
Russia
2,574 Mt total · 4.8% of world emissions- Emissions per person:
- 18.1 t
- Category:
- Europe and Asia
Russia emits 18.1 tonnes per person, about 2.7 times the world average. EDGAR's report says Russia's per-person emissions "remain among the highest worldwide."
Russia ranks fourth in total emissions but also fourth per person among these countries, ahead of the United States.
Source: EDGAR 2026 report
Canada
765 Mt total · 1.4% of world emissions- Emissions per person:
- 19.5 t
- Category:
- North America
Canada emits 19.5 tonnes per person, nearly three times the world average. Its total of 765 million tonnes is small next to the largest emitters, but its relatively small population puts it third per person in this ranking.
Canada emits about 2 tonnes more per person than the United States.
Source: EDGAR 2026 report
Australia
578 Mt total · 1.1% of world emissions- Emissions per person:
- 21.5 t
- Category:
- Oceania
Australia emits 21.5 tonnes per person, more than three times the world average. The European Commission lists Australia among the major emitters that reduced emissions in 2025.
Australia's total emissions are less than 4% of China's, yet it emits about twice as much per person.
Source: EDGAR 2026 report; Joint Research Centre
Saudi Arabia
845 Mt total · 1.6% of world emissions- Emissions per person:
- 22.7 t
- Category:
- Middle East
Saudi Arabia emits 22.7 tonnes per person, the highest among these 15 countries and about 3.4 times the world average. The European Commission lists Saudi Arabia among the countries with notable emissions increases in 2025.
Saudi Arabia's per-person emissions are more than seven times India's.
Source: EDGAR 2026 report; Joint Research Centre
What the numbers tell us
Saudi Arabia emits about 7.3 times as much per person as India. The world average is 6.6 tonnes per person, up from 6.0 in 1990, and the EU27 average is 7.1 tonnes. Nine of the 15 countries in EDGAR's table have reported per-person emissions at least about 2 tonnes above the displayed world average, while India, Indonesia, Mexico, Vietnam and Brazil are below it.
- Data period:
- Calendar year 2025; EDGAR 2026 report, published September 2026
- Last updated:
- October 17, 2026
- Sources:
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre: EDGAR (Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research), GHG emissions of all world countries, 2026 report, Table 1
Countries are ranked by total greenhouse gas emissions per person in 2025, in tonnes of CO2 equivalent, as reported in Table 1 of the EDGAR 2026 report. The table covers the countries that each emit more than 1% of the world total; Germany is part of the EU27 row and is not listed separately, and we did not rank the EU27 because it is a group of countries. Totals cover fossil CO2, methane, nitrous oxide and fluorinated gases from all human activities, converted to CO2 equivalent using global warming potentials from the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report, and exclude land use, land-use change and forestry. The report text we reviewed does not state which population dataset EDGAR uses for per-person figures. The 2025 values are EDGAR estimates. Comparisons such as ratios to the world average and between countries are our own calculations from the published values. Because smaller emitters are not in the table, this is a ranking among major emitters and not among all countries.
Figures marked as estimates are based on publicly available information and may vary from other published sources.
Frequently Asked Questions
Saudi Arabia, at 22.7 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per person in 2025, followed by Australia (21.5) and Canada (19.5). This covers the 15 countries that each emit more than 1% of the world total.