Compare emissions, forests, air pollution, freshwater pressure, and access to safely managed drinking water across countries.
How to use the Environment Explorer
Pick an environmental indicator from the menu and the map colors every country by its latest value. Click a country, or search for it, to compare its emissions, forests, air quality, and water resources in one profile.
What the indicators mean
- CO₂ emissions per person – the carbon dioxide released in a country, mainly from burning coal, oil, and gas and from industry, divided by its population. Measured in tonnes per person, it doesn’t include emissions from land use, such as deforestation.
- Forest area – the share of land covered by forest.
- PM2.5 air pollution – the average yearly concentration of fine particles smaller than 2.5 micrometers, in micrograms per cubic meter of air. These tiny particles can travel deep into the lungs.
- Freshwater withdrawals – the share of a country’s internal renewable freshwater that is taken out each year for farming, industry, and homes.
- Renewable freshwater per person – how much fresh water is naturally renewed each year, in cubic meters per person.
- Safely managed drinking water – the share of people with clean water at home, available when needed and free from contamination.
What the latest data shows
- CO₂ per person in 2024 was about 13.6 tonnes in the United States, 11.4 in South Korea, 9.3 in China, 7.8 in Japan, and 6.9 in Germany, but only about 2.2 in India and 0.6 in Nigeria. China emits the most in total, but because its population is so large, its emissions per person are lower than those of the US or Korea.
- Forests cover about 68% of Japan and 64% of South Korea, two of the most forested developed countries, and about 58% of Brazil, home to much of the Amazon rainforest.
- Air pollution is most serious in parts of South Asia and West Africa. In 2023, average PM2.5 exposure was about 54 µg/m³ in India and 66 in Nigeria, compared with 7 in the United States. The World Health Organization’s guideline is just 5 µg/m³.
Total vs. per person
Per-person numbers help compare countries of different sizes, but total emissions show who has the biggest effect on the climate. Both views matter. When you compare countries, also think about history: today’s wealthy countries have released most of the CO₂ emitted since the Industrial Revolution.
Where the data comes from
Figures come from the World Bank’s World Development Indicators, which draw on the EDGAR emissions database, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (forests and water), the Global Burden of Disease study (air pollution), and the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (drinking water). Each value shows the latest available year.
Common questions
Why is CO₂ measured “excluding land use”?
Emissions and absorption from forests and land are hard to measure and can swing a lot from year to year, so they are usually reported separately.
What can one person do?
The biggest individual choices usually involve transport, home heating and cooling, and diet. Use the map to see how your country compares.
Explore more
- Energy Explorer – how countries produce electricity
- Climate & Weather Explorer – today’s weather anywhere
- Agriculture & Food Explorer – farmland and food production