Global CO2 emissions from fuel combustion 2019-2021, by country
China is the world's largest carbon dioxide emitter by far. In 2021, fossil fuel combustion in China released 10.39 billion metric tons of CO2 (GtCO2) - an increase of 6.3 percent from the previous year. Many of the world's biggest polluters experienced emissions growth in 2021 compared to 2020. This was mainly due to COVID-19-related lockdowns and restrictions being eased. CO2 emissions in the U.S. plummeted 11 percent in 2020, but rebounded six percent in 2021 to 4.6 GtCO2.
