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256C448 273.7 433.7 288 416 288H32C14.33 288 0 273.7 0 256zM416 448H32C14.33 448 0 433.7 0 416C0 398.3 14.33 384 32 384H416C433.7 384 448 398.3 448 416C448 433.7 433.7 448 416 448z"></path></svg></button></div></div></header><div class="alert-banner"><div class="content"><div class="text"><strong>COVID-19 vaccinations, cases, excess mortality, and much more</strong></div><a href="/coronavirus#explore-the-global-situation" data-track-note="covid-banner-click">Explore our COVID-19 data</a></div></div><main><article class="page no-sidebar thin-banner"><div class="offset-header"><header class="article-header"><div class="article-titles"><h1 class="entry-title">Where in the world do people have the highest CO2 emissions from flying?</h1></div></header></div><div class="content-wrapper"><div class="offset-content"><div class="content-and-footnotes"><div class="article-content"><section><div class="wp-block-columns is-style-sticky-right"><div class="wp-block-column"><div class="article-meta"><div class="excerpt">Globally, aviation accounts for around 2.5% of CO₂ emissions. But for many, it accounts for a much larger share.</div><div class="authors-byline"><a href="/team">by Hannah Ritchie</a></div><div class="published-updated"><time>November 09, 2020</time></div></div><p>Aviation accounts <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/co2-emissions-from-aviation" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">for around 2.5%</a> of global carbon dioxide (CO<sub>2</sub>) emissions. But if you are someone who does fly, air travel will make up a much larger share of your personal carbon footprint.</p><p>The fact that aviation is relatively small for global emissions as a whole, but of large importance for individuals that fly is due to large inequalities in the world. Most people in the world do not take flights. There is no global reliable figure, but often cited estimates suggest that more than 80% of the global population have never flown.<a id="ref-1" class="ref" href="#note-1"><sup>1</sup></a></p><p>How do emissions from aviation vary across the world? Where do people have the highest footprint from flying?</p></div><div class="wp-block-column"></div></div><div class="wp-block-columns is-style-sticky-right"><div class="wp-block-column"><h4 id="per-capita-emissions-from-domestic-flights">Per capita emissions from domestic flights<a class="deep-link" href="#per-capita-emissions-from-domestic-flights"></a></h4></div><div class="wp-block-column"></div></div><div class="wp-block-columns is-style-sticky-right">
<div class="wp-block-column">
<p>The first and most straightforward comparison is to look at emissions from <em>domestic</em> aviation – that is, flights that depart and arrive in the same country. </p>
<p>This is easiest to compare because domestic aviation is counted in each country’s inventory of greenhouse gas emissions. International flights, on the other hand, are not attributed to specific countries – partly because of contention as to who should take responsibility (should it be the country of departure or arrival? What about layover flights?).</p>
<p>In the chart here we see the average per capita emissions from domestic flights in 2018. This data is sourced from the <em>International Council on Clean Transportation</em> – we then used <a href="https://population.un.org/wpp/">UN population estimates</a> to calculate per capita figures.<a id="ref-2" class="ref" href="#note-2"><sup>2</sup></a><sup>,</sup><a id="ref-3" class="ref" href="#note-3"><sup>3</sup></a></p>
<p>We see large differences in emissions from domestic flights across the world. In the United States the average person emits around 386 kilograms of CO<sub>2</sub> each year from internal flights. This is followed by Australia (267 kg); Norway (209 kg); New Zealand (174 kg); and Canada (168 kg). Compare this with countries at the bottom of the table – many across Africa, Asia, and Eastern Europe in particular emit less than one kilogram per person – just 0.8 kilograms; or 0.14 kilograms in Rwanda. For very small countries where there are no internal commercial flights, domestic emissions are of course, zero.</p>
<p>There are some obvious factors that explain some of these cross-country differences. Firstly, countries that are richer <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/per-capita-co2-domestic-aviation-vs-gdp">are more likely</a> to have higher emissions because people can afford to fly. Second, countries that have a larger land mass may have more internal flights – and indeed we see a <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/per-capita-co2-domestic-aviation-vs-land-area">correlation</a> between land area and domestic flight emissions; in small countries people are more likely to travel by other means such as car or train. And third, countries that are more geographically-isolated – such as Australia and New Zealand – may have more internal travel.</p>
</div>
<div class="wp-block-column">
<figure data-grapher-src="https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/per-capita-co2-domestic-aviation" class="grapherPreview">
<a href="https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/per-capita-co2-domestic-aviation" target="_blank">
<div><img src="https://ourworldindata.org/exports/per-capita-co2-domestic-aviation_v7_850x600.svg" width="850" height="600" loading="lazy" data-no-lightbox="" alt="Per capita co2 domestic aviation v7 850x600"></div>
<div class="interactionNotice">
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<path fill="currentColor" d="M448,344.59v96a40.36,40.36,0,0,1-1.06,9.16l-32,136A40,40,0,0,1,376,616.59H168a40,40,0,0,1-32.35-16.47l-128-176a40,40,0,0,1,64.7-47.06L104,420.58v-276a40,40,0,0,1,80,0v200h8v-40a40,40,0,1,1,80,0v40h8v-24a40,40,0,1,1,80,0v24h8a40,40,0,1,1,80,0Zm-256,80h-8v96h8Zm88,0h-8v96h8Zm88,0h-8v96h8Z" transform="translate(0 -0.41)"></path>
<path fill="currentColor" opacity="0.6" d="M239.76,234.78A27.5,27.5,0,0,1,217,192a87.76,87.76,0,1,0-145.9,0A27.5,27.5,0,1,1,25.37,222.6,142.17,142.17,0,0,1,1.24,143.17C1.24,64.45,65.28.41,144,.41s142.76,64,142.76,142.76a142.17,142.17,0,0,1-24.13,79.43A27.47,27.47,0,0,1,239.76,234.78Z" transform="translate(0 -0.41)"></path>
</svg></span>
<span class="label">Click to open interactive version</span>
</div>
</a>
</figure>
<h5>Related charts:</h5>
<div class="block-wrapper"><div class="wp-block-owid-prominent-link with-image" data-no-lightbox="true" data-style="is-style-thin" data-title="Total CO₂ emissions from domestic aviation"><a href="https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/co2-emissions-domestic-aviation" target="_blank"><figure><img src="https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/exports/co2-emissions-domestic-aviation.svg" alt="Co2 emissions domestic aviation" loading="lazy"></figure><div class="content-wrapper"><div class="title"><span>Total CO₂ emissions from domestic aviation</span><svg aria-hidden="true" focusable="false" data-prefix="fas" data-icon="arrow-right" class="svg-inline--fa fa-arrow-right " role="img" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 448 512"><path fill="currentColor" d="M438.6 278.6l-160 160C272.4 444.9 264.2 448 256 448s-16.38-3.125-22.62-9.375c-12.5-12.5-12.5-32.75 0-45.25L338.8 288H32C14.33 288 .0016 273.7 .0016 256S14.33 224 32 224h306.8l-105.4-105.4c-12.5-12.5-12.5-32.75 0-45.25s32.75-12.5 45.25 0l160 160C451.1 245.9 451.1 266.1 438.6 278.6z"></path></svg></div></div></a></div></div>
<div class="block-wrapper"><div class="wp-block-owid-prominent-link with-image" data-no-lightbox="true" data-style="is-style-thin" data-title="Share of global CO₂ emissions from domestic aviation"><a href="https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/share-global-co2-domestic-aviation" target="_blank"><figure><img src="https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/exports/share-global-co2-domestic-aviation.svg" alt="Share global co2 domestic aviation" loading="lazy"></figure><div class="content-wrapper"><div class="title"><span>Share of global CO₂ emissions from domestic aviation</span><svg aria-hidden="true" focusable="false" data-prefix="fas" data-icon="arrow-right" class="svg-inline--fa fa-arrow-right " role="img" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 448 512"><path fill="currentColor" d="M438.6 278.6l-160 160C272.4 444.9 264.2 448 256 448s-16.38-3.125-22.62-9.375c-12.5-12.5-12.5-32.75 0-45.25L338.8 288H32C14.33 288 .0016 273.7 .0016 256S14.33 224 32 224h306.8l-105.4-105.4c-12.5-12.5-12.5-32.75 0-45.25s32.75-12.5 45.25 0l160 160C451.1 245.9 451.1 266.1 438.6 278.6z"></path></svg></div></div></a></div></div></div>
</div><div class="wp-block-columns is-style-sticky-right"><div class="wp-block-column"><h4 id="per-capita-emissions-from-international-flights">Per capita emissions from international flights<a class="deep-link" href="#per-capita-emissions-from-international-flights"></a></h4></div><div class="wp-block-column"></div></div><div class="wp-block-columns is-style-sticky-right">
<div class="wp-block-column">
<p>Allocating emissions from international flights is more complex. International databases report these emissions separately as a category termed ‘bunker fuels’. The term ‘bunker fuel’ is used to describe emissions which come from international transport – either aviation or shipping.</p>
<p>Because they are <a href="https://unfccc.int/topics/mitigation/workstreams/emissions-from-international-transport-bunker-fuels">not counted towards</a> any particular country these emissions are also not taken into account in the goals that are set by countries in international treaties like the Kyoto protocol or the Paris Agreement.<a id="ref-4" class="ref" href="#note-4"><sup>4</sup></a></p>
<p>But if we wanted to allocate them to a particular country, how would we do it? Who do emissions from international flights belong to: the country that owns the airline; the country of departure; the country of arrival?</p>
<p>Let’s first take a look at how emissions would compare if we allocated them to the country of <em>departure</em>. This means, for example, that emissions from any flight that departs from Spain are counted towards Spain’s total. In the chart here we see international aviation emissions in per capita terms.</p>
<p>Some of the largest emitters per person in 2018 were Iceland (3.5 tonnes of CO<sub>2</sub> per person); Qatar (2.5 tonnes); United Arab Emirates (2.2 tonnes); Singapore (1.7 tonnes); and Malta (992 kilograms). </p>
<p>Again, we see large inequalities in emissions across the world – in many lower-income countries per capita emissions are only a few kilograms: 6 kilograms in India, 4 kilograms in Nigeria; and only 1.4 kilograms in the Democratic Republic of Congo.</p>
</div>
<div class="wp-block-column">
<figure data-grapher-src="https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/per-capita-co2-international-aviation?stackMode=absolute&time=latest&region=World" class="grapherPreview">
<a href="https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/per-capita-co2-international-aviation?stackMode=absolute&time=latest&region=World" target="_blank">
<div><img src="https://ourworldindata.org/exports/per-capita-co2-international-aviation-fcdab97ef7d944541ef75f3271312362_v14_850x600.svg" width="850" height="600" loading="lazy" data-no-lightbox="" alt="Per capita co2 international aviation fcdab97ef7d944541ef75f3271312362 v14 850x600"></div>
<div class="interactionNotice">
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<path fill="currentColor" d="M448,344.59v96a40.36,40.36,0,0,1-1.06,9.16l-32,136A40,40,0,0,1,376,616.59H168a40,40,0,0,1-32.35-16.47l-128-176a40,40,0,0,1,64.7-47.06L104,420.58v-276a40,40,0,0,1,80,0v200h8v-40a40,40,0,1,1,80,0v40h8v-24a40,40,0,1,1,80,0v24h8a40,40,0,1,1,80,0Zm-256,80h-8v96h8Zm88,0h-8v96h8Zm88,0h-8v96h8Z" transform="translate(0 -0.41)"></path>
<path fill="currentColor" opacity="0.6" d="M239.76,234.78A27.5,27.5,0,0,1,217,192a87.76,87.76,0,1,0-145.9,0A27.5,27.5,0,1,1,25.37,222.6,142.17,142.17,0,0,1,1.24,143.17C1.24,64.45,65.28.41,144,.41s142.76,64,142.76,142.76a142.17,142.17,0,0,1-24.13,79.43A27.47,27.47,0,0,1,239.76,234.78Z" transform="translate(0 -0.41)"></path>
</svg></span>
<span class="label">Click to open interactive version</span>
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</a>
</figure>
<h5>Related charts:</h5>
<div class="block-wrapper"><div class="wp-block-owid-prominent-link with-image" data-no-lightbox="true" data-style="is-style-thin" data-title="Total CO₂ emissions from international aviation"><a href="https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/co2-international-aviation" target="_blank"><figure><img src="https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/exports/co2-international-aviation.svg" alt="Co2 international aviation" loading="lazy"></figure><div class="content-wrapper"><div class="title"><span>Total CO₂ emissions from international aviation</span><svg aria-hidden="true" focusable="false" data-prefix="fas" data-icon="arrow-right" class="svg-inline--fa fa-arrow-right " role="img" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 448 512"><path fill="currentColor" d="M438.6 278.6l-160 160C272.4 444.9 264.2 448 256 448s-16.38-3.125-22.62-9.375c-12.5-12.5-12.5-32.75 0-45.25L338.8 288H32C14.33 288 .0016 273.7 .0016 256S14.33 224 32 224h306.8l-105.4-105.4c-12.5-12.5-12.5-32.75 0-45.25s32.75-12.5 45.25 0l160 160C451.1 245.9 451.1 266.1 438.6 278.6z"></path></svg></div></div></a></div></div>
<div class="block-wrapper"><div class="wp-block-owid-prominent-link with-image" data-no-lightbox="true" data-style="is-style-thin" data-title="Share of global CO₂ emissions from international aviation"><a href="https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/share-co2-international-aviation" target="_blank"><figure><img src="https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/exports/share-co2-international-aviation.svg" alt="Share co2 international aviation" loading="lazy"></figure><div class="content-wrapper"><div class="title"><span>Share of global CO₂ emissions from international aviation</span><svg aria-hidden="true" focusable="false" data-prefix="fas" data-icon="arrow-right" class="svg-inline--fa fa-arrow-right " role="img" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 448 512"><path fill="currentColor" d="M438.6 278.6l-160 160C272.4 444.9 264.2 448 256 448s-16.38-3.125-22.62-9.375c-12.5-12.5-12.5-32.75 0-45.25L338.8 288H32C14.33 288 .0016 273.7 .0016 256S14.33 224 32 224h306.8l-105.4-105.4c-12.5-12.5-12.5-32.75 0-45.25s32.75-12.5 45.25 0l160 160C451.1 245.9 451.1 266.1 438.6 278.6z"></path></svg></div></div></a></div></div></div>
</div><div class="wp-block-columns is-style-sticky-right"><div class="wp-block-column"><h4 id="per-capita-emissions-from-international-flights-adjusted-for-tourism">Per capita emissions from international flights – adjusted for tourism<a class="deep-link" href="#per-capita-emissions-from-international-flights-adjusted-for-tourism"></a></h4></div><div class="wp-block-column"></div></div><div class="wp-block-columns is-style-sticky-right">
<div class="wp-block-column">
<p>The above allocation of international aviation emissions to the country of <em>departure</em> raises some issues. It is not an accurate reflection of the local population of countries that rely a lot on tourism, for example. Most of the departing flights from these countries are carrying visiting tourists rather than locals. </p>
<p>One way to correct for this is to adjust these figures for the ratio of inbound to outbound travellers. This approach was applied <a href="https://theicct.org/blog/staff/not-every-tonne-of-aviation-CO2">in an analysis</a> by Sola Zheng for the <em>International Council on Clean Transportation</em>. This attempts to distinguish between locals traveling abroad and foreign visitors traveling to that country on the same flight.<a id="ref-5" class="ref" href="#note-5"><sup>5</sup></a> For example, if we calculated that Spain had 50% more incoming than outgoing travellers, we would reduce its per capita footprint from flying by 50%. If the UK had 75% more outgoing travellers than incoming, we’d increase its footprint by 75%.</p>
<p>We have replicated this approach and applied this adjustment to these figures by calculating the <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/ratio-of-inbound-to-outbound-tourists">inbound:outbound tourist ratio</a> based on flight departures and arrival data from the <a href="https://datacatalog.worldbank.org/dataset/world-development-indicators">World Bank</a>. </p>
<p>How does this affect per capita emissions from international flights? The adjusted figures are shown in the chart here.</p>
<p>As we would expect, countries which are tourist hotspots see the largest change. Portugal’s emissions, for example, fall from 388 to just 60 kilograms per person. Portugese locals are responsible for much fewer travel emissions than outgoing tourists. Spanish emissions fall from 335 to 77 kilograms per person.</p>
<p>On the other hand, countries where the locals travel elsewhere see a large increase. In the UK, they almost double from 422 to 818 kilograms.</p>
</div>
<div class="wp-block-column">
<figure data-grapher-src="https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/per-capita-co2-international-flights-adjusted?stackMode=absolute&time=latest&region=World" class="grapherPreview">
<a href="https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/per-capita-co2-international-flights-adjusted?stackMode=absolute&time=latest&region=World" target="_blank">
<div><img src="https://ourworldindata.org/exports/per-capita-co2-international-flights-adjusted-fcdab97ef7d944541ef75f3271312362_v10_850x600.svg" width="850" height="600" loading="lazy" data-no-lightbox="" alt="Per capita co2 international flights adjusted fcdab97ef7d944541ef75f3271312362 v10 850x600"></div>
<div class="interactionNotice">
<span class="icon"><svg aria-hidden="true" focusable="false" data-prefix="fas" data-icon="hand-pointer" class="svg-inline--fa fa-hand-pointer fa-w-14" role="img" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 448 617">
<path fill="currentColor" d="M448,344.59v96a40.36,40.36,0,0,1-1.06,9.16l-32,136A40,40,0,0,1,376,616.59H168a40,40,0,0,1-32.35-16.47l-128-176a40,40,0,0,1,64.7-47.06L104,420.58v-276a40,40,0,0,1,80,0v200h8v-40a40,40,0,1,1,80,0v40h8v-24a40,40,0,1,1,80,0v24h8a40,40,0,1,1,80,0Zm-256,80h-8v96h8Zm88,0h-8v96h8Zm88,0h-8v96h8Z" transform="translate(0 -0.41)"></path>
<path fill="currentColor" opacity="0.6" d="M239.76,234.78A27.5,27.5,0,0,1,217,192a87.76,87.76,0,1,0-145.9,0A27.5,27.5,0,1,1,25.37,222.6,142.17,142.17,0,0,1,1.24,143.17C1.24,64.45,65.28.41,144,.41s142.76,64,142.76,142.76a142.17,142.17,0,0,1-24.13,79.43A27.47,27.47,0,0,1,239.76,234.78Z" transform="translate(0 -0.41)"></path>
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<span class="label">Click to open interactive version</span>
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</a>
</figure>
</div>
</div><div class="wp-block-columns is-style-sticky-right"><div class="wp-block-column"><h4 id="per-capita-emissions-from-domestic-and-international-flights">Per capita emissions from domestic <em>and </em>international flights<a class="deep-link" href="#per-capita-emissions-from-domestic-and-international-flights"></a></h4></div><div class="wp-block-column"></div></div><div class="wp-block-columns is-style-sticky-right">
<div class="wp-block-column">
<p>Let’s combine per capita emissions from domestic and international travel to compare the total footprint from flying.</p>
<p>This is shown in the interactive map <em>[we’ve taken the adjusted international figures – you can find the combined figures without tourism-adjustment </em><a href="https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/per-capita-co2-aviation"><strong><em>here</em></strong></a><em>]. </em></p>
<p>The global average emissions from aviation were 103 kilograms. The inequality in emissions across the world becomes clear when this is broken down by country. </p>
<p>At the top of the table lies the United Arab Emirates – each person emits close to two tonnes – 1950 kg – of CO<sub>2</sub> from flying each year. That’s 200 times the global average. This was followed by Singapore (1173 kilograms); Iceland (1070 kg); Finland (1000 kg); and Australia (878 kilograms). </p>
<p>To put this into perspective: a return flight (in economy class) from London to Dubai/United Arab Emirates would emit around one tonne of CO<sub>2</sub>.<a id="ref-6" class="ref" href="#note-6"><sup>6</sup></a> So the two-tonne average for the UAE is equivalent to around two return trips to London.</p>
<p>In many countries, most people do not fly at all. The average Indian emits just 18 kilograms from aviation – this is much, much less than even a short-haul flight which confirms that most did not take a flight.</p>
<p>In fact, we can compare just the aviation emissions for the top countries to the <em>total</em> carbon footprint of citizens elsewhere. The average UAE citizen emits 1950 kilograms of CO<sub>2</sub> from flying. This is the same as the <em>total</em> <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/explorers/co2?tab=chart&xScale=linear&yScale=linear&stackMode=absolute&endpointsOnly=0&year=latest&time=1858..2018&country=~India&region=World&Gas%20=CO%E2%82%82&Accounting%20=Production-based&Fuel%20=Total&Count%20=Per%20capita&Relative%20to%20world%20total%20=">CO<sub>2</sub> footprint of the average Indian</a> (including everything from electricity to road transport, heating and industry). Or, to take a more extreme example, 200 times the total footprint of the average Nigerien, Ugandan or Ethiopian, which <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/explorers/co2?tab=chart&xScale=linear&yScale=linear&stackMode=absolute&endpointsOnly=0&year=latest&time=1958..2018&country=Niger~Uganda~Ethiopia&region=World&Gas%20=CO%E2%82%82&Accounting%20=Production-based&Fuel%20=Total&Count%20=Per%20capita&Relative%20to%20world%20total%20=">have per capita emissions</a> of around 100 kilograms. </p>
<p>This again emphasises the large difference between the global average and the individual emissions of people who fly. Aviation contributes a few percent of total CO<sub>2</sub> emissions each year – this is not insignificant, but far from being the largest sector to tackle. Yet from the perspective of the individual, flying <em>is</em> often one of the largest chunks of our carbon footprint. The average rich person emits tonnes of CO<sub>2</sub> from flying each year – this is equivalent to the <em>total</em> carbon footprint of tens or hundreds of people in many countries of the world.</p>
</div>
<div class="wp-block-column">
<figure data-grapher-src="https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/per-capita-co2-aviation-adjusted?stackMode=absolute&region=World" class="grapherPreview">
<a href="https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/per-capita-co2-aviation-adjusted?stackMode=absolute&region=World" target="_blank">
<div><img src="https://ourworldindata.org/exports/per-capita-co2-aviation-adjusted-7a4f71bf69be1d8579832bd759b18cd0_v7_850x600.svg" width="850" height="600" loading="lazy" data-no-lightbox="" alt="Per capita co2 aviation adjusted 7a4f71bf69be1d8579832bd759b18cd0 v7 850x600"></div>
<div class="interactionNotice">
<span class="icon"><svg aria-hidden="true" focusable="false" data-prefix="fas" data-icon="hand-pointer" class="svg-inline--fa fa-hand-pointer fa-w-14" role="img" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 448 617">
<path fill="currentColor" d="M448,344.59v96a40.36,40.36,0,0,1-1.06,9.16l-32,136A40,40,0,0,1,376,616.59H168a40,40,0,0,1-32.35-16.47l-128-176a40,40,0,0,1,64.7-47.06L104,420.58v-276a40,40,0,0,1,80,0v200h8v-40a40,40,0,1,1,80,0v40h8v-24a40,40,0,1,1,80,0v24h8a40,40,0,1,1,80,0Zm-256,80h-8v96h8Zm88,0h-8v96h8Zm88,0h-8v96h8Z" transform="translate(0 -0.41)"></path>
<path fill="currentColor" opacity="0.6" d="M239.76,234.78A27.5,27.5,0,0,1,217,192a87.76,87.76,0,1,0-145.9,0A27.5,27.5,0,1,1,25.37,222.6,142.17,142.17,0,0,1,1.24,143.17C1.24,64.45,65.28.41,144,.41s142.76,64,142.76,142.76a142.17,142.17,0,0,1-24.13,79.43A27.47,27.47,0,0,1,239.76,234.78Z" transform="translate(0 -0.41)"></path>
</svg></span>
<span class="label">Click to open interactive version</span>
</div>
</a>
</figure>
<h5>Related charts:</h5>
<div class="block-wrapper"><div class="wp-block-owid-prominent-link with-image" data-no-lightbox="true" data-style="is-style-thin" data-title="Per capita CO₂ emissions from aviation (without tourism adjustment)"><a href="https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/per-capita-co2-aviation" target="_blank"><figure><img src="https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/exports/per-capita-co2-aviation.svg" alt="Per capita co2 aviation" loading="lazy"></figure><div class="content-wrapper"><div class="title"><span>Per capita CO₂ emissions from aviation (without tourism adjustment)</span><svg aria-hidden="true" focusable="false" data-prefix="fas" data-icon="arrow-right" class="svg-inline--fa fa-arrow-right " role="img" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 448 512"><path fill="currentColor" d="M438.6 278.6l-160 160C272.4 444.9 264.2 448 256 448s-16.38-3.125-22.62-9.375c-12.5-12.5-12.5-32.75 0-45.25L338.8 288H32C14.33 288 .0016 273.7 .0016 256S14.33 224 32 224h306.8l-105.4-105.4c-12.5-12.5-12.5-32.75 0-45.25s32.75-12.5 45.25 0l160 160C451.1 245.9 451.1 266.1 438.6 278.6z"></path></svg></div></div></a></div></div>
<div class="block-wrapper"><div class="wp-block-owid-prominent-link with-image" data-no-lightbox="true" data-style="is-style-thin" data-title="Total CO₂ emissions from aviation"><a href="https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/co2-emissions-aviation" target="_blank"><figure><img src="https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/exports/co2-emissions-aviation.svg" alt="Co2 emissions aviation" loading="lazy"></figure><div class="content-wrapper"><div class="title"><span>Total CO₂ emissions from aviation</span><svg aria-hidden="true" focusable="false" data-prefix="fas" data-icon="arrow-right" class="svg-inline--fa fa-arrow-right " role="img" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 448 512"><path fill="currentColor" d="M438.6 278.6l-160 160C272.4 444.9 264.2 448 256 448s-16.38-3.125-22.62-9.375c-12.5-12.5-12.5-32.75 0-45.25L338.8 288H32C14.33 288 .0016 273.7 .0016 256S14.33 224 32 224h306.8l-105.4-105.4c-12.5-12.5-12.5-32.75 0-45.25s32.75-12.5 45.25 0l160 160C451.1 245.9 451.1 266.1 438.6 278.6z"></path></svg></div></div></a></div></div>
<div class="block-wrapper"><div class="wp-block-owid-prominent-link with-image" data-no-lightbox="true" data-style="is-style-thin" data-title="Share of global CO₂ emissions from aviation"><a href="https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/share-co2-emissions-aviation" target="_blank"><figure><img src="https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/exports/share-co2-emissions-aviation.svg" alt="Share co2 emissions aviation" loading="lazy"></figure><div class="content-wrapper"><div class="title"><span>Share of global CO₂ emissions from aviation</span><svg aria-hidden="true" focusable="false" data-prefix="fas" data-icon="arrow-right" class="svg-inline--fa fa-arrow-right " role="img" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 448 512"><path fill="currentColor" d="M438.6 278.6l-160 160C272.4 444.9 264.2 448 256 448s-16.38-3.125-22.62-9.375c-12.5-12.5-12.5-32.75 0-45.25L338.8 288H32C14.33 288 .0016 273.7 .0016 256S14.33 224 32 224h306.8l-105.4-105.4c-12.5-12.5-12.5-32.75 0-45.25s32.75-12.5 45.25 0l160 160C451.1 245.9 451.1 266.1 438.6 278.6z"></path></svg></div></div></a></div></div></div>
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<p>Our World in Data presents the data and research to make progress against the world’s largest problems.<br>This blog post draws on data and research discussed in our entries on <strong><a href="https://ourworldindata.org/co2-and-other-greenhouse-gas-emissions" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">CO<sub>2</sub> and Greenhouse Gas Emissions</a></strong> and <strong><a href="https://ourworldindata.org/energy" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Energy</a></strong>.</p>
</div><h3 id="endnotes">Endnotes</h3><ol class="endnotes"><li id="note-1"><p>There is no global database available on <em>who</em> in the world flies each year. Passenger information is maintained by private airlines. Therefore, deriving estimates of this exact percentage is challenging. The most-cited estimate I’ve seen on this is that around 80% of the world population have never flown. This figure seems to circle back to a <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2017/12/07/boeing-ceo-80-percent-of-people-never-flown-for-us-that-means-growth.html#:~:text=%E2%80%9CLess%20than%2020%20percent%20of,the%20entire%20economy%2C%20Muilenburg%20said.">quoted estimate</a> from the Boeing CEO.<br><br>Even in some of the world’s richest countries, a large share of the population do not fly frequently. Gallup <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/1579/airlines.aspx">survey data</a> from the United States suggests that in 2015, half of the population did not take a flight. Survey data from the UK <a href="http://publicapps.caa.co.uk/docs/33/CAA%20Aviation%20Consumer%20survey%20--%205th%20wave%20report%20FINAL%20(2).pdf">provides similar estimates</a>: 46% had not flown in the previous year.</p></li><li id="note-2"><p>Graver, B., Zhang, K., & Rutherford, D. (2019). <a href="https://theicct.org/publications/co2-emissions-commercial-aviation-2018">CO2 emissions from commercial aviation, 2018</a>. <em>The International Council of Clean Transportation</em>.</p></li><li id="note-3"><p>Note that this gives us <em>mean</em> per capita emissions, which does not account for in-country inequalities in the amount of flights people take.</p></li><li id="note-4"><p>Larsson, J., Kamb, A., Nässén, J., & Åkerman, J. (2018). <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195925517303116">Measuring greenhouse gas emissions from international air travel of a country’s residents methodological development and application for Sweden</a>. <em>Environmental Impact Assessment Review</em>, <em>72</em>, 137-144.</p></li><li id="note-5"><p>A country with a ratio greater than one will have more incoming travellers than outgoing locals i.e. they are more of a hotspot for tourism.</p></li><li id="note-6"><p>We can calculate this by taking the standard CO2 conversion factors for travel, used in the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/greenhouse-gas-reporting-conversion-factors-2019">UK greenhouse gas accounting framework</a>. For a long-haul flight in economy class, around 0.079 kilograms of CO<sub>2</sub> <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/co2-transport-mode">are emitted</a> per passenger-kilometer. This means that you would travel around 12,600 kilometers to emit one tonne [1,000,000 / 0.079 kg = 12,626 kilometers]. Since we’re taking a return flight, the travel distance would be half of that figure: around 6300 kilometers. The direct distance from <a href="https://www.distance.to/London/Dubai,ARE">London to Dubai</a> is around 5,500 kilometers. Depending on the flight path, it’s likely to be slightly longer than this, and in the range of 5500 to 6500 kilometers.</p>
<p>Note that in this case we’re looking at CO<sub>2</sub> emissions <em>without</em> the extra warming effects of these emissions at high altitudes. This is to allow us to compare with the ICCT figures by country presented in this article. You find additional data on how the footprint of flying is impacted by non-CO<sub>2</sub> warming effects<a href="https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/carbon-footprint-travel-mode"> <strong>here</strong></a>.</p></li></ol><h3 id="licence">Reuse our work freely</h3><p>All visualizations, data, and code produced by Our World in Data are completely open access under the <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Creative Commons BY license</a>. 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