Highest carbon dioxide emissions per capita

According to a report published by EDGAR (Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research) on 9 Sep 2020, the country with the highest fossil-fuel carbon emissions per capita is the tiny Pacific island nation of Palau, which produced 59.88 tonnes of CO2 per person in 2019.

Palau (population 17,907) owes its position in this ranking largely to its two diesel-fired power stations, though the use of private vehicles, boats and aircraft to navigate the country's many small islands also contributes to the high per-capita figure. The country with the next highest per capita emissions is the similarly small French overseas collectivity of New Caledonia (population 271,407), which produces 55.9 tonnes of CO2 per person. After that comes Qatar (population 2,795,484), which produces 38.82 tonnes of CO2 per person.

EDGAR is an independent global database that tracks anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases and air pollution. It is a joint project of the European Commission Joint Research Centre and the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency. The data tracks carbon emissions resulting from the combustion of fossil fuels and some other industrial processes, most notably the production of cement. It does not attempt to quantify the much more complex carbon impact of shifting patterns of land use and deforestation.