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Carbon footprint and territorial emissions

Two complementary methods can be used to assess a country's pressure on the climate :

National inventories (territorial approach) record the quantities of GHGs physically emitted within the country by households (cars and housing) and economic activities (fossil fuel consumption, industrial processes and agricultural emissions). Data from inventories, compiled annually to meet UNFCCC standards, are the most common and currently the preferred basis for international comparisons.
The carbon footprint is an estimate of the GHG emissions induced by a country's domestic final demand (final consumption and investments). The footprint is made up of direct household emissions (housing and vehicles), emissions from domestic production (excluding exports) and emissions from foreign economic activities whose production is destined for imports into the country.

Comparison of France's carbon footprint and the national inventory in 2024

Note: the footprint and inventory (see glossary) cover all GHGs excluding LULUCF.
Scope: "Kyoto" perimeter (metropolitan France and EU overseas territories).
Sources: Insee; Eurostat; Citepa; OECD; Customs. Processing: SDES-Insee, 2025

France's carbon footprint is significantly higher than its domestic emissions: 563 Mt CO₂ eq vs 369 Mt CO₂ eq, i.e. 52% more emissions in 2024.

Emissions associated with exports represented 27% of emissions on national territory, while those associated with imports accounted for 50% of the carbon footprint in 2024.

International comparison of CO₂ emissions by approach

Source: Global Carbon Budget 2024. Processing: SDES, 2025

In 2022, for OECD countries, emissions estimated using the territorial inventory method were 1.7 gigatons (Gt) of CO₂ lower than those obtained using the footprint approach. Conversely, in non-OECD countries, emissions estimated using the inventory approach exceeded those estimated using the footprint approach by 1.7 Gt of CO₂. This means that part of the CO₂ emitted in non-OECD countries is transferred to OECD countries via the production of goods and services imported and consumed by people living in OECD countries. Thus, in 2022, the EU at 27 imported 0.7 Gt CO₂ and North America 0.6 Gt, while China exported 1 Gt CO₂.

Between 1990 and 2022, CO₂ emissions from OECD countries remained stable overall. They decreased by 3% according to the inventory approach, whereas they increased by 4% according to the footprint approach. Over this period, emissions in non-OECD countries increased by a factor of around 2.5, irrespective of the approach used. In 2022, however, the inhabitants of these countries had a footprint three times smaller than that of the inhabitants of OECD countries.

International comparison of carbon footprints in 2022

Sources: for French data: Insee-SDES estimates and Insee for population size; for other countries: Eurostat estimates (FIGARO) and Eurostat or UN for population size.

International comparisons of carbon footprints, estimated using the international input-output tables developed by Eurostat, reveal significant disparities between countries.

The average carbon footprint is 6.4 t of CO₂ eq per person worldwide in 2022. Some countries (North America, Middle East) have carbon footprints of around 20 t of CO₂ eq per person, while others are below 3 t of CO₂ eq per person.

So, on average, the lifestyle of an American has a climate impact almost 8 times greater than that of an Indian. The average carbon footprint of a French person exceeds the world average by 42%, but remains slightly below the average for the EU at 27 (10.7 t CO₂ eq per person) and for a Chinese.

Evolution of France's carbon footprint

Note: data from 1990 to 2009 are back-calculated from 2010. Data for 2024 are provisional estimates. The footprint and inventory (see glossary) cover all GHGs excluding LULUCF.
Scope: "Kyoto" perimeter (metropolitan France and EU overseas territories).
Sources: Insee; Eurostat; Citepa; OECD; Customs. Processing: SDES-Insee, 2025

In 2024, France's carbon footprint is estimated at 563 Mt CO₂ eq, down 3.4% on 2023. After the drop in emissions in 2020 linked to the Covid-19 pandemic, the level of the footprint rebounded in 2021, then remained virtually stable in 2022. After a significant drop in 2023 (-6.1%), the footprint decreased again in 2024, reaching a level 11.7% below that of 2019.

Since 1990, the carbon footprint has decreased by 20%, while domestic final demand, the volume of which partly determines the level of the footprint, has increased by 64%. This reduction in the footprint reflects two distinct dynamics: a 34% reduction in domestic emissions and a slight 2% increase in emissions associated with imports. By 2024, imported emissions accounted for 50% of total footprint emissions.

On a per capita basis, the carbon footprint is estimated at 8.2 tonnes of CO₂ eq per person in 2024, down 32% on 1990.

Carbon footprint of France's final demand by consumption item in 2023

In 2023, the average carbon footprint of a French person was 8.5 tonnes of CO₂ eq. Direct household emissions and those associated with the 64 goods and services making up final demand can be allocated to different consumption items: travel, housing, food, equipment and services.

Travel, food and housing account for 68% of the GHG emissions of a French person's carbon footprint: 24% for travel (2.1 t CO₂ eq/cap), 23% for food (2.0 t CO₂ eq/cap), 21% for housing (1.8 t CO₂ eq/cap). Over 1 t CO₂ eq/capita of CO₂ is allocated to mainly public services (administration, health, education, social action). These emissions take into account those associated with investments, particularly those made by public authorities for the construction of public facilities.