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The race to emit the most CO2 from power plants

Race · 30 Oct 2026

Bar chart race of CO2 emissions from power plants, 1990 to 2024, for the 14 biggest emitters. The US leads until China passes it in 2006; China ends at 6.6 billion tonnes. India, in gold, starts eighth with 216 million tonnes and climbs past Germany, Japan, Russia and, in 2024, the US, ending second with 1.51 billion tonnes.

India passes the US in CO2 from power plants, 1990 to 2024: 1.51 billion tonnes

CO2 emissions from the power sector in India, China, the US and 11 other big emitters, 1990 to 2024.

In 1990 India's power plants emitted 216 million tonnes of CO2, about a ninth of the US figure. India passed Germany in 1996, Japan in 1998 and Russia in 2013. In 2024 it reached 1.51 billion tonnes, a whisker ahead of the US, where power emissions have fallen from a 2001 peak of 2.56 billion as coal gave way to gas and renewables. China, at 6.58 billion, emits more than the next four together.

Source: World Bank (EDGAR), 2024