EU GHG footprint of goods and services: 9t of CO₂-eq per capita in 2023 and 4 Gt of CO₂-eq in total

"In 2023, the greenhouse gas footprint of goods and services consumed in the EU amounted to 9t of CO₂ equivalents per capita, down approximately 1t compared with 2022", according to a statistical note from Eurostat released on 19/02/2026.

"This indicator considers emissions generated throughout the production chains of products consumed in the EU, regardless of where they occur and therefore includes emissions embedded in imported goods and services", specifies Eurostat.

Among EU countries :
• "The lowest greenhouse gas footprints were recorded in Portugal (6.5t of CO₂-eq per capita), Bulgaria (6.8t) and Sweden and Romania (each 6.9t) ;
• by contrast, the highest footprints per capita were recorded in Cyprus (14.8t), Ireland (14t) and Luxembourg (12.7t)".

Eurostat stresses that in 2023, "the total greenhouse gas footprint of all goods and services consumed in the EU reached 4 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalents (Gt of CO₂-eq). At the same time, emissions generated by production in the EU amounted to 3.3Gt".

"Both consumption and production-based greenhouse gas emissions decreased from 2013 to 2023, by 12.9% and 18.6%, respectively. However, in 2020, there was a sharp drop in emissions due to the pandemic, but by 2023, the greenhouse gas consumption emissions were at the same level as in 2020, while the production-based emissions had further declined by 3.5%".