Three Decades of Consumption-Based CO2 Emissions in Europe

This infographic visualizes 30 years of per capita consumption-based CO2 emissions in Europe, highlighting how consumption patterns have evolved across countries. Consumption-based emissions are calculated by adjusting a country's emissions for trade—subtracting those from exports and adding those from imports. Per capita emissions reflect the average emissions per person in a country or region, calculated by dividing total emissions by the population. Generally, Eastern European countries have lower per capita consumption-based CO2 emissions than Western Europe.

The infographic also includes data on whether each country is a net importer or exporter of CO2. If a country’s consumption-based emissions exceed its production emissions, it imports more CO2 than it exports; if they are lower, it exports more than it imports. These comparisons help determine whether countries have reduced emissions by simply offshoring carbon-intensive production.

Data: Global Carbon Budget (2023); Population based on various sources (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data