France vs United Kingdom: Cumulative CO₂ emissions
France
40.05 billion tonnes
in 2024
United Kingdom
80.08 billion tonnes
in 2024
France rank
8th
United Kingdom rank
5th
Cumulative CO₂ emissions over time
- France
- United Kingdom
How they compare
United Kingdom currently reports 80.08 billion tonnes against 40.05 billion tonnes in France, a difference of 40.03 billion tonnes.
That makes United Kingdom's figure about 2.0 times France's.
Across all 217 years both countries report, United Kingdom has been ahead every year.
France ranks 8th and United Kingdom ranks 5th of 215 countries.
United Kingdom has averaged higher in every one of the 23 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | France | United Kingdom | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1800s | 3.33 million tonnes | 875.41 million tonnes | 872.08 million tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1810s | 16.55 million tonnes | 1.27 billion tonnes | 1.26 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1820s | 47.11 million tonnes | 1.71 billion tonnes | 1.66 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1830s | 113.02 million tonnes | 2.31 billion tonnes | 2.20 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1840s | 242.43 million tonnes | 3.13 billion tonnes | 2.89 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1850s | 462.37 million tonnes | 4.28 billion tonnes | 3.82 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1860s | 857.41 million tonnes | 5.91 billion tonnes | 5.06 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1870s | 1.42 billion tonnes | 8.25 billion tonnes | 6.83 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1880s | 2.16 billion tonnes | 11.19 billion tonnes | 9.03 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1890s | 3.09 billion tonnes | 14.62 billion tonnes | 11.53 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1900s | 4.29 billion tonnes | 18.70 billion tonnes | 14.41 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1910s | 5.69 billion tonnes | 23.39 billion tonnes | 17.70 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1920s | 7.21 billion tonnes | 27.92 billion tonnes | 20.71 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1930s | 9.31 billion tonnes | 32.34 billion tonnes | 23.03 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1940s | 10.93 billion tonnes | 37.11 billion tonnes | 26.18 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1950s | 12.95 billion tonnes | 42.28 billion tonnes | 29.34 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1960s | 16.00 billion tonnes | 48.09 billion tonnes | 32.09 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1970s | 20.57 billion tonnes | 54.34 billion tonnes | 33.77 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1980s | 25.35 billion tonnes | 60.20 billion tonnes | 34.85 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1990s | 29.36 billion tonnes | 65.98 billion tonnes | 36.62 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 2000s | 33.42 billion tonnes | 71.67 billion tonnes | 38.25 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 2010s | 37.14 billion tonnes | 76.66 billion tonnes | 39.53 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 2020s | 39.49 billion tonnes | 79.45 billion tonnes | 39.96 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher cumulative co₂ emissions, France or United Kingdom?
- United Kingdom, at 80.08 billion tonnes against 40.05 billion tonnes in France as of 2024.
- What is the difference in cumulative co₂ emissions between France and United Kingdom?
- 40.03 billion tonnes, with United Kingdom ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for France and United Kingdom?
- 217 years are reported by both, from 1802 to 2024.
- How do France and United Kingdom rank globally for cumulative co₂ emissions?
- France ranks 8th and United Kingdom ranks 5th of 215 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Cumulative CO₂ emissions. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Total cumulative emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂), excluding land-use change, since the first year of available data, measured in tonnes.