Countries' Share of Global Warming, 1851-2024

What this chart shows. The 20 countries responsible for the largest shares of the rise in global mean surface temperature caused by greenhouse gases emitted from 1851 to 2024. The United States accounts for 17.65 per cent, China for 12.95 per cent and Russia for 7.03 per cent; together they account for 37.6 per cent.

How the data is collected. The figures come from the dataset "National contributions to climate change" by Jones and colleagues, processed by Our World in Data. It converts each country's cumulative emissions of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide, including land use, into warming using a CO2-equivalent method called GWP*.

Background. In this data greenhouse gases had warmed the planet by 1.68°C by 2024. Brazil and Indonesia rank 4th and 6th because land-use CO2 and methane are counted, ahead of industrial countries such as Germany and the United Kingdom.

Limits. Shares depend on modelling choices, such as how short-lived methane is converted into warming, and on uncertain land-use estimates. Emissions are assigned to countries by today's borders.