India’s total greenhouse gas emissions are approximately 3.19 billion tons of CO2 per year — making it the third-largest global emitter.
According to Ritchie and Rosado (2025), India’s total greenhouse gas emissions are 3.19 billion tons of CO₂ annually, accounting for approximately 8.27% of global CO₂ emissions. The global emission total is 53.2 gigatons (Gt), with fossil CO₂ making up roughly 74.5% of the total. In India, CO2 emissions per capita increased from 2023 to 2024 to 2.20 tons per person, while the global average is approximately 4.80 tons per person. The main reason for India’s increase in greenhouse gas emissions is economic expansion driven by population growth and its dependence on coal for electricity and heat.
The largest emitting sector in India is electricity and heat, which emits 1.55 billion tons of total greenhouse gas emissions. Coal-fired electricity generation is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in India. In 2024, coal accounted for 747.33 megatons of CO₂ in India’s total emissions, far exceeding oil (149.35 Mt CO₂) and gas (−100.37 Mt CO₂, a net sink). Coal-fired electricity is responsible for over 70% of the country’s CO₂ emissions.
The second largest emitter of greenhouse gas emission is expansion of agricultural/ pastoral lands causing deforestation. This land-use change accounts for 809 million tons of CO₂ emissions. Deforestation not only accelerates climate change but is also a serious threat to biodiversity.
India’s original Paris Agreement target for emissions intensity was to reduce emissions intensity of GDP by 33–35% from 2005 levels by 2030. Ahead of the original 2030 target, India has achieved an approximately 36% reduction in emissions per unit of GDP by 2020. India also crossed the 50% non-fossil share of installed capacity by mid-2025, driven mostly by solar expansion (from ~3 GW in 2014 to over 110 GW by 2025). Non-fossil sources now supply about 52.57% of installed capacity, but renewables contribute only 22% of actual electricity generation. Coal remains the dominant source of electricity and heat.
India has not yet set a formal net-zero target for 2050, but it committed to net-zero by 2070 at COP26. The current policy and technology pathways are not designed to meet the 2050 net-zero goal. The greatest impediment to India’s greater reductions in greenhouse gas emissions is economic growth pressure, coal dominance, and technological and cost barriers, which can be remedied by decarbonization, if scaled quickly, and investment in renewable energy.
The main sources used to compile this information are authoritative sources or summaries. Our World in Data compiles data from sources such as the Global Carbon Project and other international datasets. Climate Change Tracker summarizes emissions data and climate indicators. InsightsIAS summarizes climate policy developments. Lastly, McKinsey provides research and scenario analysis on decarbonization pathways.
This Post was submitted by Climate Scorecard India Country Manager Sudha Balajapalli.
Learn More Resources:
- Hannah Ritchie and Pablo Rosado (2025) – “CO₂ and Greenhouse Gas Emissions” Published online at OurWorldinData.org. Retrieved from: ‘https://ourworldindata.org/profile/co2/india’ [Online Resource]
- Climate Change Tracker. 2026. India’s Sources of CO₂ Emissions | Climate Change Tracker.
- InsightsIAS. 2026. insightsonindia.com/2026/01/08/indias-progress-on-its-climate-targets
- Decarbonising India: Charting a pathway for sustainable growth. 2022. Decarbonising India: Charting a pathway for sustainable growth | McKinsey