What this calculator measures
We estimate your personal-lifestyle footprint: the emissions that come from choices you directly control. The questionnaire only asks about things you can change yourself.
- Transport — car, public transit, flights
- Home energy — electricity and gas you pay for
- Food — meat, dairy and plant-based meals
- Goods you buy — clothes, electronics, household items
- Digital — streaming and connected devices
Why there are several "average" numbers
When you read a per-capita carbon figure, it usually comes from one of three accounting methods. They can differ by 3–5 tonnes for the same country.
All emissions physically released inside a country, divided by population. Used in UN climate reporting. Ignores imports and exports.
Everything an average resident is responsible for, including their share of public services, government, infrastructure, capital investment, and the embodied carbon of imported goods.
Only what an individual directly controls: their transport, home energy, food, goods and digital use. Excludes shared public services and infrastructure.
The number we use, by country
The first column is the lifestyle benchmark we compare you against. The second is the consumption-based figure you'll often see quoted elsewhere — the gap is mostly shared public services and imported embodied carbon.
| Country | Lifestyle | Consumption | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🇬🇧United Kingdomyou | 8.5 | 11.7 | +3.2 |
| 🇺🇸United States | 13.0 | 17.6 | +4.6 |
| 🇩🇪Germany | 9.0 | 10.8 | +1.8 |
| 🇫🇷France | 7.0 | 9.0 | +2.0 |
| 🇪🇸Spain | 6.0 | 7.5 | +1.5 |
| 🇲🇽Mexico | 4.0 | 3.9 | +-0.1 |
All values in tonnes CO₂e per person per year.
Why we use the personal-lifestyle benchmark
A personal calculator can only ask about lifestyle choices — it has no way to measure your share of the NHS carbon budget, motorway construction, or naval operations. Comparing your lifestyle answers to a total-responsibility number would make every user look artificially low against the benchmark. The lifestyle figure is apples-to-apples with what we actually measure, and it's the number you can change.
What's NOT included in your number
These emissions are real, but no personal calculator can attribute them to you on the basis of lifestyle questions:
- Your share of public services (health, education, defence)
- Government and administrative operations
- Roads, hospitals, schools, public buildings
- Capital investment in industry and machinery
- Embodied carbon of imported goods beyond what you directly purchase
Sources
Every emission factor is anchored on a primary national dataset. Tap a country to open its source.
Limitations & uncertainty
Personal carbon estimates are directional. Typical uncertainty is around ±20% because individual purchases, supplier mixes and travel patterns vary a lot. Factors are reviewed annually against the underlying national datasets. Use this number to spot the biggest levers in your life, not as a precise audit.
Ready to see your number?
30 seconds. No account needed.
Start calculation