Global greenhouse gas emissions reached 59 GtCO2e in 2019, with CO2 making up 76% of the total. Since then, energy-related emissions rose to 37.4 GtCO2e in 2022 after dipping to 36.8 GtCO2e in 2021. The article maps how power and transport drive the totals and how methane, efficiency, and mitigation shifts change the picture across sectors.
Key Takeaways
- 59 GtCO2e global greenhouse-gas emissions in 2019
- 76% of global greenhouse-gas emissions in 2019 were CO2
- 36.8 GtCO2e in 2022 global methane emissions
- Oil and gas methane emissions were 9.0–10.0 MtCH4 in 2023 (high estimate range)
- Global emissions from buildings were 37% of energy-related CO2 emissions in 2022
- Industry accounted for 24% of global energy-related CO2 emissions in 2022
- Global coal-related CO2 emissions were 14.5 Gt in 2022
- Global oil-related CO2 emissions were 10.8 Gt in 2022
- Global natural gas-related CO2 emissions were 6.0 Gt in 2022
- Global average CO2 emissions per unit of electricity decreased slightly to 0.42 tCO2/MWh in 2023
- In 2022, energy intensity improved by 1.0% in emerging market and developing economies
- Industrial energy intensity improved by 1.2% in 2022
- In 2023, heat pumps were responsible for about 10% of new space heating equipment sales in the EU
- In 2023, global EV stock surpassed 40 million vehicles
- In 2023, renewable energy added 510 GW of capacity globally
In 2022, energy related CO2 reached 37.4 Gt, while 2023 saw EV growth and renewables adding 510 GW.
Related reading
01 · Category
Global Emissions6 stats
01
59 GtCO2e global greenhouse-gas emissions in 2019https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/syr/downloads/report/IPCC_AR6_SYR_SPM.pdf
02
76% of global greenhouse-gas emissions in 2019 were CO2https://ourworldindata.org/emissions-by-sector
03
36.8 GtCO2e in 2022 global methane emissionshttps://www.globalmethane.org/infographic/
04
37.4 GtCO2e global energy-related CO2 emissions in 2022https://www.iea.org/reports/global-energy-review-2023/emissions
05
36.8 GtCO2e global energy-related CO2 emissions in 2021https://www.iea.org/reports/global-energy-review-2022/emissions
06
37.0 GtCO2e global energy-related CO2 emissions in 2020https://www.iea.org/reports/global-energy-review-2021/emissions
Interpretation
Global Emissions Interpretation
Within the Global Emissions picture, total greenhouse-gas emissions reached 59 GtCO2e in 2019 and then energy related CO2 emissions dipped from 37.0 GtCO2e in 2020 to 36.8 GtCO2e in 2021 before edging up to 37.4 GtCO2e in 2022, showing only modest year to year movement even as methane alone stayed at 36.8 GtCO2e in 2022.
02 · Category
Sector Breakdown8 stats
01
Oil and gas methane emissions were 9.0–10.0 MtCH4 in 2023 (high estimate range)https://www.iea.org/reports/global-methane-tracker-2024
02
Global emissions from buildings were 37% of energy-related CO2 emissions in 2022https://www.iea.org/reports/buildings
03
Industry accounted for 24% of global energy-related CO2 emissions in 2022https://www.iea.org/reports/coal-2024/executive-summary
04
Transport accounted for 24% of global energy-related CO2 emissions in 2022https://www.iea.org/reports/transport-sector-emissions
05
Power sector accounted for 42% of global energy-related CO2 emissions in 2022https://www.iea.org/reports/power-sector-emissions
06
Road transport produced 72% of transport sector CO2 in 2019https://www.iea.org/reports/tracking-transport-2020
07
Steel production accounted for 7.2% of global energy-related CO2 emissions in 2020https://www.iea.org/reports/iron-and-steel-technology-roadmap/executive-summary
08
Cement production accounted for about 6% of global CO2 emissions in 2021https://www.iea.org/reports/cement
Interpretation
Sector Breakdown Interpretation
From a sector breakdown perspective, power is the biggest source of energy related CO2 at 42% in 2022, matching the combined prominence of transport and industry at 24% each, while road transport makes up 72% of transport sector CO2 in 2019.
03 · Category
Energy & Fuel3 stats
01
Global coal-related CO2 emissions were 14.5 Gt in 2022https://www.iea.org/reports/coal-2024
02
Global oil-related CO2 emissions were 10.8 Gt in 2022https://www.iea.org/reports/oil-2024
03
Global natural gas-related CO2 emissions were 6.0 Gt in 2022https://www.iea.org/reports/gas-2024
Interpretation
Energy & Fuel Interpretation
Under the Energy and Fuel lens, coal remains the biggest driver of 2022 emissions at 14.5 Gt CO2, far ahead of oil at 10.8 Gt and natural gas at 6.0 Gt.
More related reading
04 · Category
Energy Efficiency5 stats
01
Global average CO2 emissions per unit of electricity decreased slightly to 0.42 tCO2/MWh in 2023https://ember-climate.org/data/global-electricity-review/
02
In 2022, energy intensity improved by 1.0% in emerging market and developing economieshttps://www.iea.org/reports/world-energy-efficiency
03
Industrial energy intensity improved by 1.2% in 2022https://www.iea.org/reports/industry-energy-efficiency
04
Transportation energy intensity improved by 1.1% in 2022https://www.iea.org/reports/transport-energy-efficiency
05
In 2023, LED lighting penetration reached 70% globally (IEA estimate)https://www.iea.org/reports/energy-efficient-lighting
Interpretation
Energy Efficiency Interpretation
Energy efficiency progress is evident as global CO2 emissions per unit of electricity slipped to 0.42 tCO2/MWh in 2023 and multiple sectors improved in 2022, with industrial energy intensity up 1.2%, transportation up 1.1%, and LED lighting reaching 70% penetration globally by 2023.
05 · Category
Technology & Mitigation7 stats
01
In 2023, heat pumps were responsible for about 10% of new space heating equipment sales in the EUhttps://www.iea.org/reports/heat-pumps
02
In 2023, global EV stock surpassed 40 million vehicleshttps://www.iea.org/reports/global-ev-outlook-2024
03
In 2023, renewable energy added 510 GW of capacity globallyhttps://www.irena.org/Publications/2024/Apr/Renewable-Power-Generation-Costs-in-2023
04
In 2023, global DACCS capacity was about 0.017 MtCO2/year (IEA estimate)https://www.iea.org/reports/direct-air-capture
05
In 2023, the global CO2 removals market reached $2.2 billionhttps://www.peci.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/State-of-the-Voluntary-Carbon-Markets-2023.pdf
06
In 2023, average prices for carbon credits in voluntary markets were $4.11per tCO2e (median/average per report)https://www.ecosystemmarketplace.com/assets/esm/uploads/State-of-the-Voluntary-Carbon-Markets-2024.pdf
07
In 2023, global capacity for solar PV was about 1,486 GWhttps://www.irena.org/Statistics/View-Data-by-Topic/Capacity-and-Generation
Interpretation
Technology & Mitigation Interpretation
Technology and mitigation are scaling quickly in 2023, with renewable power adding 510 GW worldwide and global EV stocks topping 40 million while heat pumps took about 10% of new space heating sales and DACCS reached roughly 0.017 MtCO2 per year.
report visual · Projection
Carbon emissions levels (energy-related CO2) over time
Energy-related CO2 emissions change over recent years, providing a quick time-series view.
37 GtCO2e
Start
+0.54%
CAGR · 2y
37.4 GtCO2e
Projected
20222024
source-verifiediea.org2022
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Aisha Okonkwo. (2026, February 13). Carbon Emissions Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/carbon-emissions-statistics
MLA
Aisha Okonkwo. "Carbon Emissions Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/carbon-emissions-statistics.
Chicago
Aisha Okonkwo. 2026. "Carbon Emissions Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/carbon-emissions-statistics.
Sources & references
29 datasets cited across this report
+21 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)