France vs Germany: Greenhouse gas emissions by gas

France
32.58 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 2024
Germany
32.16 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 2024
France rank
15th
Germany rank
16th

Greenhouse gas emissions by gas over time

  • France
  • Germany
020.0M40.0M60.0M80.0M185019372024

How they compare

France currently reports 32.58 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents against 32.16 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in Germany, a difference of 421,500 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents.

The two have swapped places 5 times across 175 shared years of data; in 1850 it was Germany ahead.

France ranks 15th and Germany ranks 16th of 201 countries.

Across the 18 decades both report, France averaged higher in 1 and Germany in 17.

Head to head by decade

Decade France Germany Difference Ahead
1850s 3.21 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 4.91 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 1.70 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents Germany
1860s 3.45 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 5.30 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 1.84 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents Germany
1870s 4.14 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 6.28 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 2.14 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents Germany
1880s 5.15 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 7.70 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 2.55 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents Germany
1890s 6.55 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 9.68 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 3.13 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents Germany
1900s 7.53 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 11.22 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 3.69 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents Germany
1910s 7.54 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 11.48 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 3.94 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents Germany
1920s 8.43 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 12.85 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 4.42 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents Germany
1930s 10.41 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 15.48 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 5.07 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents Germany
1940s 18.39 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 25.48 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 7.09 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents Germany
1950s 31.49 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 41.67 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 10.18 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents Germany
1960s 50.11 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 62.83 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 12.72 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents Germany
1970s 64.48 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 74.99 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 10.51 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents Germany
1980s 67.34 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 73.62 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 6.28 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents Germany
1990s 58.13 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 65.50 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 7.37 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents Germany
2000s 42.11 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 44.45 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 2.34 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents Germany
2010s 38.38 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 39.76 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 1.38 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents Germany
2020s 34.58 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 34.23 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 353,780 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents France

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher greenhouse gas emissions by gas, France or Germany?
France, at 32.58 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents against 32.16 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in Germany as of 2024.
What is the difference in greenhouse gas emissions by gas between France and Germany?
421,500 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents, with France ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for France and Germany?
175 years are reported by both, from 1850 to 2024.
How do France and Germany rank globally for greenhouse gas emissions by gas?
France ranks 15th and Germany ranks 16th of 201 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Greenhouse gas emissions by gas. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
Greenhouse gas emissions by gas
Unit
tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
Source
Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
201 places, 35,175 data points, 1850–2024
Last refreshed

Measured in tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalents over a 100-year timescale.