The following is a list of major countries or territories ranked by their fossil CO2 emissions per square kilometer in the year of 2017 (in tonnes of CO2), based on the latest database released by Global Carbon Project on 5 December 2018. For each nation or territory, the value of total fossil CO2 emissions in the year (in million tonnes of CO2) is also presented. Those nations or territories with less than 50 tonnes of fossil CO2 emissions per square kilometer and those with a total of less than 10 million tonnes of fossil CO2 emissions are not included into the table. Globally, on average, the estimate of fossil CO2 emissions per square kilometer is 242.7 tonnes. In total, there are 87 nations or territories with the amount of fossil CO2 emissions per square kilometer above the average. It should be noted that the average value is not a value that meet the WHO’s standards for healthy quality of air.
Nation or Territory
CO2 emissions per km2
(tonnes of CO2)
Total fossil CO2 emissions
(million tonnes of CO2)
1. Singapore
89764.5
64.8
2. Bahrain
44689.6
34.5
3. Hong Kong
38978.8
43.0
4. Qatar
11180.3
129.8
5. Trinidad and Tobago
7933.2
40.7
6. Taiwan
7502.1
271.5
7. South Korea
6148.1
616.1
8. Kuwait
5858.2
104.4
9. Netherlands
3859.2
164.0
10. Belgium
3279.5
100.1
11. Israel
3204.3
66.6
12. Japan
3189.4
1205.1
13. United Arab Emirates
2796.5
231.8
14. Germany
2239.0
799.4
15. Lebanon
1879.5
19.5
16. Brunei Darussalam
1772.4
10.2
17. United Kingdom
1571.4
384.7
18. Czech Republic
1368.1
107.9
19. Italy
1180.0
355.5
20. Poland
1044.5
326.6
21. China
1025.2
9838.8
22. Switzerland
970.6
40.1
23. Austria
833.9
69.9
24. Denmark
801.7
34.6
25. Malaysia
772.0
254.6
26. India
750.3
2466.8
27. Slovakia
724.5
35.4
28. Slovenia
720.6
14.6
29. France
651.3
356.3
30. Bangladesh
611.5
88.1
31. Viet Nam
603.3
198.8
32. Portugal
593.8
54.9
33. Greece
576.0
76.0
34. Turkey
573.8
447.9
35. Ireland
565.4
39.7
36. Spain
557.5
281.4
37. USA
547.1
5269.5
38. Hungary
541.2
50.3
39. Bosnia and Herzegovina
521.2
26.6
40. Serbia
510.3
45.1
41. North Korea
481.3
58.0
42. Iraq
444.9
194.5
43. Bulgaria
442.4
49.1
44. Azerbaijan
441.2
38.2
45. Estonia
438.0
19.8
46. Dominican Republic
436.5
21.3
47. Philippines
425.4
127.6
48. Iran
408.0
672.3
49. South Africa
374.1
456.3
50. Sri Lanka
352.7
23.1
51. Ukraine
351.4
212.1
52. Thailand
350.1
330.8
53. Romania
336.8
80.0
54. Cuba
329.3
36.5
55. Saudi Arabia
323.9
635.0
56. Oman
306.8
65.2
57. Croatia
303.9
17.2
58. Belarus
295.6
61.4
59. Indonesia
253.6
486.8
60. Mexico
248.6
490.3
61. Pakistan
247.3
198.8
62. Jordan
231.4
21.4
63. Uzbekistan
221.3
99.0
64. Egypt
218.3
218.7
65. Lithuania
205.4
13.4
66. Guatemala
191.7
20.9
67. Venezuela
175.0
159.6
68. Tunisia
172.0
28.1
69. Georgia
157.1
11.0
70. Syria
150.7
27.9
71. Turkmenistan
148.9
72.7
72. Morocco
140.5
62.7
73. Norway
138.3
44.8
74. Ecuador
136.8
38.8
75. Finland
135.9
46.0
76. New Zealand
134.0
36.0
77. Panama
128.6
10.1
78. Nigeria
116.2
107.3
79. Chile
111.8
84.6
80. Kazakhstan
107.7
292.6
81. Russian Federation
99.1
1692.8
82. Honduras
95.2
10.7
83. Sweden
92.2
41.5
84. Argentina
73.8
204.3
85. Colombia
71.3
81.2
86. Ghana
70.0
16.8
87. Algeria
63.2
150.6
88. Canada
57.4
572.8
89. Brazil
55.9
476.1
90. Australia
53.7
413.1
91. Kyrgyzstan
52.6
10.4
92. Peru
50.4
64.8
The Whole World
242.7
36153.3
Note: Those nations or territories with less than 50 tonnes of fossil CO2 emissions per square kilometer and those with a total of less than 10 million tonnes of fossil CO2 emissions are not included.
For full information, please read the following post:
Looking at that report, the USA has 5269.5 has million tonnes of CO2 emissions. That’s the largest out of any country in the world and the next closest is India with 2466.8 which is less than half of the USA.
What is relevant when comparing different country’s emissions is each country’s emissions per sq km – 𝗻𝗼𝘁 their total emissions. Yes, the US produces more CO2 than Singapore; but each sq km of Singapore (and their corresponding sovereign air space) generates 164 times more pollution that each sq km of the US.
Looking at that report, the USA has 5269.5 has million tonnes of CO2 emissions. That’s the largest out of any country in the world and the next closest is India with 2466.8 which is less than half of the USA.
Look at China. It’s much higher than USA – 9838.8 million tonnes.
What is relevant when comparing different country’s emissions is each country’s emissions per sq km – 𝗻𝗼𝘁 their total emissions. Yes, the US produces more CO2 than Singapore; but each sq km of Singapore (and their corresponding sovereign air space) generates 164 times more pollution that each sq km of the US.