Average Carbon Footprints by Country
Annual fossil CO₂ emissions per person in 2024, from the Global Carbon Budget via Our World in Data. These count emissions produced inside each country and leave out other greenhouse gases and land use, so they are not the same scope as the calculator above; treat the comparison as rough.
| Country | Tonnes CO₂/year | vs Global Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | 14.5 t | +206% |
| United States | 14.2 t | +200% |
| Canada | 13.4 t | +184% |
| Russia | 12.3 t | +160% |
| China | 8.7 t | +83% |
| Japan | 7.8 t | +64% |
| Germany | 6.8 t | +43% |
| Global average | 4.7 t | Baseline |
| United Kingdom | 4.5 t | −4% |
| France | 4.0 t | −16% |
| Brazil | 2.3 t | −52% |
| India | 2.2 t | −53% |
| 1.5 °C lifestyle target, 2030 | 2.5 t CO₂e | Goal |
| 1.5 °C lifestyle target, 2050 | 0.7 t CO₂e | Goal |
The targets come from the 1.5-Degree Lifestyles report (IGES, Aalto University and partners, 2019), which estimated the average lifestyle footprint per person compatible with the Paris Agreement's 1.5 °C goal.
Emission factors we use
| Source | Factor | From |
|---|---|---|
| Short-haul flight, return | 281 kg | 2 × 1,100 km × 0.128 kg per passenger-km (with radiative forcing), DESNZ 2025 |
| Long-haul flight, return | 1,987 kg | 2 × 6,500 km × 0.153 kg per passenger-km (with radiative forcing), DESNZ 2025 |
| Petrol / diesel / hybrid car | 0.163 / 0.173 / 0.128 kg per km | Average car, DESNZ 2025 |
| Plug-in hybrid | 0.092 kg per km + 0.066 kWh | DESNZ 2025, electricity at your grid |
| Electric car | 0.207 kWh per km | Implied by DESNZ 2025 (0.0366 kg per km at the UK grid factor of 0.177) |
| Electricity | 28 to 670 g per kWh | Ember via Our World in Data, 2025, by country |
| Natural gas | 2.067 kg per m³ | DESNZ 2025 |
| Diet | 0.90 to 3.74 t a year | Scarborough et al. 2023, 55,504 UK adults, per 2,000 kcal |
Worked example. The default household: flights 2 × 281 + 1,987 = 2,549 kg. Car: 12,000 km × 0.16272 = 1,953 kg. Electricity: 3,500 kWh × 0.384 = 1,345 kg, half of it (two people) is 673 kg. Gas: 800 m³ × 2.067 = 1,653 kg, half is 827 kg. Diet: 7.04 kg a day × 365 = 2,570 kg. Total: 2,549 + 1,953 + 673 + 827 + 2,570 = 8,572 kg, or 8.6 tonnes.
What this calculator leaves out
A full footprint also includes the things you buy (clothes, electronics, furniture), services, public transport, heating oil or wood, and the emissions from making your car and home. Fuel production ("well-to-tank") is also excluded. For many people in rich countries these add several tonnes, so the true total is usually higher than the number above.
Top Ways to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint
The largest cuts usually come from flying less, driving less or switching to an electric car on a clean grid, heating with a heat pump instead of gas, and eating less red meat. In the diet study behind our factors, vegans had about a quarter of the dietary emissions of people eating 100 g or more of meat a day. The "Biggest cuts for you" box above works these out from your own numbers.
| Action | Saving (t CO₂e/yr) | For whom |
|---|---|---|
| Skip one long-haul return flight | about 2.0 t | 6,500 km each way |
| Skip one short-haul return flight | about 0.3 t | 1,100 km each way |
| Go car-free (replace 12,000 km of petrol driving) | up to 2.0 t | minus bus, train or bike emissions |
| Switch petrol car to EV, 12,000 km on the US grid | about 1.0 t | more on a cleaner grid |
| Average omnivore to vegetarian | about 1.0 t | 7.04 vs 4.16 kg a day |
| Average omnivore to vegan | about 1.7 t | 7.04 vs 2.47 kg a day |