How UK Emissions Compare Globally

Steel Works, Swansea

Curious about where the UK stands in the global climate story? This page lines up the numbers, cuts through the noise, and shows how the UK compares with other countries. We look at total emissions, per person figures, and historical contributions using recognised, reliable data.

UK Emissions in Global Context

Headline picture

• The UK’s current share of annual global carbon dioxide emissions is between 1 percent and 1.5 percent. This share has been shrinking as the UK reduces emissions and other economies grow.
• By total annual output, the UK is far below the biggest emitters including China, the United States, India and the European Union as a bloc. It sits outside the global top ten but still among the top thirty.
• On a historical scale, the UK is in the top ten for cumulative emissions since the nineteenth century, reflecting its early industrialisation.

Why this matters

Today’s figures tell one story while historical data tell another. Industrial expansion in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries means the UK’s long term contribution is larger than its size today would suggest.

Many of Carbon Copy’s 25 big local actions link directly to reducing the UK’s share. These include improving building energy efficiency, expanding renewable electricity and creating walkable and cyclable neighbourhoods.

Per Capita Carbon Emissions

Per person emissions show how much carbon is associated with the average resident. This measure reflects consumption and energy use more directly than national totals.

According to Our World in Data (2023 figures):

• UK per capita emissions are about 4.7 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year.
• The global average is about 4.7 tonnes, meaning the UK is roughly equal to the world mean.
• The United States produces about 14.4 tonnes per person, which is more than 200 percent higher than the UK figure.
• Australia produces about 15 tonnes per person, which is over 220 percent higher than the UK.
• Countries with lower average incomes often produce less than 1 tonne per person, which is more than 80 percent lower than the UK’s rate.

The UK is close to the world average and well below many high income countries, but remains far above most countries with lower average incomes.

How the UK Is Reducing Emissions

The UK has cut greenhouse gas output by more than 40 percent since 1990, a faster rate than many other major economies. This progress is the result of coordinated policy, technological change, and local action, with several key shifts driving the decline.

1. Shutting down coal

Coal once powered most UK electricity generation. Over the last three decades, coal plants have closed or switched to alternative fuels, replaced by renewable sources and cleaner gas power. In 2023, coal supplied less than 2 percent of the UK’s electricity.

2. Scaling up renewables

The UK now leads Europe in offshore wind capacity and has expanded solar installations across both homes and businesses. Investment in tidal power and community energy projects is creating a more diverse low carbon supply.

3. Transforming transport

Electric vehicle registrations continue to rise each year, backed by expanding charging infrastructure. Local councils are rolling out zero emission bus fleets, improving cycling networks, and redesigning streets to make active travel safer and more attractive.

4. Boosting energy efficiency

Nationwide retrofit programmes are upgrading insulation, fitting heat pumps, and modernising heating systems. In industry, efficiency improvements have cut energy waste and operating costs.

5. Embedding climate targets in law

The UK was the first major economy to legislate a net zero by 2050 target. This legal framework underpins carbon budgets and obliges governments to plan for long term emissions reduction.

What the UK Still Needs to Improve

Reducing emissions further will require progress in sectors that are currently proving difficult to decarbonise. These areas are responsible for a significant share of the UK’s remaining carbon footprint and demand targeted solutions, sustained investment, and often international cooperation.

1. Aviation and shipping

Air travel demand has grown steadily over decades, and low carbon aviation fuels are not yet produced at the scale needed to make a significant impact. Shipping faces similar challenges, with only small pilot projects in green fuels currently underway. Achieving progress in these sectors will require major advances in fuel technology, infrastructure, and international cooperation.

2. Industrial emissions

Sectors like steel, cement, and chemicals rely on high heat processes that are difficult to decarbonise. Large-scale investment in electrification, hydrogen-based production, and carbon capture systems is needed. Collaboration between government and industry could help create industrial clusters where low carbon technologies and shared infrastructure are deployed at scale.

3. Agriculture and land use

Agriculture contributes methane from livestock and nitrous oxide from fertilisers, while land use changes can reduce soil carbon. Solutions include better manure management, precision farming, restoring peatlands, and increasing tree cover. Supporting farmers through training, incentives, and market access is essential for these changes to succeed.

4. Consumer related imports

Many goods consumed in the UK are produced overseas, with emissions generated during manufacturing and transport. These are known as consumption emissions or scope three emissions. Addressing them involves creating low carbon supply chains, introducing product standards, and encouraging reuse and recycling through circular economy initiatives.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much carbon does the UK emit compared to other countries?

By total annual emissions the UK now accounts for roughly between 1 percent and 1.5 percent of the world total. China produces more than twenty times the UK’s output, the United States about ten times more, and India roughly five times more.

What are the UK’s per capita emissions?

According to Our World in Data, the UK’s per capita emissions are about 4.7 tonnes of carbon dioxide per person per year. This is roughly equal to the global average, more than 80 percent lower than Australia’s, and more than 200 percent lower than the United States’.

Where has the UK made progress and where does it still lag?

Progress has been strongest in the power sector, efficiency gains and transport electrification. Areas that lag include aviation, shipping, some industrial processes and agriculture.

Who holds the UK to account for emissions?

The Climate Change Committee is the statutory adviser on UK emissions. It sets legally binding carbon budgets, reviews government progress, and publishes annual reports assessing whether current policies are on track to meet targets.

Sources:

• https://ourworldindata.org/co2-and-greenhouse-gas-emissions
• https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/the-uks-journey-to-a-coal-power-phase-out/

About Carbon Copy

Carbon Copy exists to turn individual concern for climate and nature into collective impact by helping people connect locally and create real change together. We believe the fastest way to create change is to share it. We tap into a powerful truth: copying is human nature. When action is visible and easy to replicate, it spreads. It’s about people stepping in, inspired by what others have done and copying what works. Carbon Copy offers a place to start, with a national collection of climate action stories, place-by-place climate and nature plans, a popular podcast and blog, and capacity building for organisations across public, private and third sectors.