Per capita CO₂ emissions in G20 countries 2023

Saudi Arabia is the largest per capita emitter of fossil carbon dioxide (CO₂) among G20 countries. In 2023, emissions in the Middle Eastern country amounted to just over 17 metric tons per person (tCO₂/cap). Meanwhile, India had the lowest per capita CO₂ emissions, at around 2.1 tCO₂/cap.

Population vs emissions

Despite being the most populated G20 country, India has the lowest per capita CO₂ emissions of them all. This is mainly due to India’s economy being largely agrarian. Additionally, per capita energy consumption in the South Asian country is relatively low compared to many developed nations. On the other hand, Canada, which has a small population size of roughly 38 million, had the second-largest emissions per capita in the G20. The North American country’s oil and gas industry is a key factor for this. 

Emissions from oil and gas production

Other major oil and gas producers, such as Saudi Arabia, the U.S., and Russia, are also among the biggest per capita emitters globally. Russia alone accounted for nearly a quarter of global GHG emissions from oil and gas production in 2022, while the U.S. contributed almost 20 percent.