Which countries and industries emit the most greenhouse gases?

As governments gather for COP31, the basic numbers behind the climate negotiations are worth restating. The world emitted 54.1 billion tonnes of greenhouse gases in 2025, of which carbon dioxide accounted for 73.8 percent and methane 17.6 percent.

The toll of a warming world has been visible through 2026: Europe recorded around 30,000 excess deaths linked to extreme heat, Nepal suffered a destructive glacier-lake flood, and Typhoons Bavi and Maysak battered East Asia.

By sector, power generation produces about 30 percent of emissions, industry 21 percent and transport 16 percent. By country, China accounts for 29.5 percent of current annual emissions, the United States 11.1 percent and India 8.3 percent.

The picture shifts on a cumulative historical view: the United States is responsible for 23.5 percent of all emissions since industrialisation, against China's 15.4 percent - a gap at the heart of arguments over who should cut fastest and pay most.

China's President Xi Jinping has pledged to cut his country's emissions by 7 to 10 percent by 2035, a commitment negotiators at COP31 are watching closely as they press for deeper reductions.