China, India, and the U.S. Account for 52% of Global CO2 Emissions

According to the global Carbon Atlas, the world's top polluters are China, India, and the U.S., which accounted for 52% of the world's CO2 in 2021. Note that these countries are also the biggest in terms of population.

In terms of CO2 emissions per capita (tons), the U.S. is relatively high at 15.32, while China and India rank lower at 7.44 and 1.89 respectively.

Given their massive populations, and the fact that countries typically increase their emissions as they become more developed, it's possible that China and India will grow their shares even further. For example, the International Energy Agency (IEA) forecasts that India's share of global emissions could rise to 10% by 2030.