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Our World in Data is a free, nonprofit website with a mission to increase understanding of the world’s largest problems and drive informed action to solve them.
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How much CO2 can the world emit while limiting global temperature rise?
In 2015, countries worldwide signed the Paris Agreement, aiming to keep the global temperature rise “well below 2°C” and to limit it to 1.5°C.
To meet these targets, there are limits to the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) that can be emitted. These are called carbon budgets. Every year we emit more CO2, these budgets shrink.
In the chart, you can see estimates for how much CO2 the world can emit while staying below different levels of warming. This is based on a 50% likelihood of staying below it; if we wanted to guarantee we wouldn’t exceed these temperatures, our budget would be much smaller.
For perspective, we’ve compared each budget with the projected amount of CO2 that the world is expected to emit in 2026. This tells us how many years we have left if emissions stay at their current levels.
At current emission rates, the 1.5°C budget would run out around 2030. It seems implausible that global emissions will fall quickly enough to avoid this.
The 2°C budget would last until mid-century. By taking action on climate change, we buy ourselves more time and can avoid this level of warming.
(written by @_HannahRitchie and Pablo Rosado)
In 2015, countries worldwide signed the Paris Agreement, aiming to keep the global temperature rise “well below 2°C” and to limit it to 1.5°C.
To meet these targets, there are limits to the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) that can be emitted. These are called carbon budgets. Every year we emit more CO2, these budgets shrink.
In the chart, you can see estimates for how much CO2 the world can emit while staying below different levels of warming. This is based on a 50% likelihood of staying below it; if we wanted to guarantee we wouldn’t exceed these temperatures, our budget would be much smaller.
For perspective, we’ve compared each budget with the projected amount of CO2 that the world is expected to emit in 2026. This tells us how many years we have left if emissions stay at their current levels.
At current emission rates, the 1.5°C budget would run out around 2030. It seems implausible that global emissions will fall quickly enough to avoid this.
The 2°C budget would last until mid-century. By taking action on climate change, we buy ourselves more time and can avoid this level of warming.
(written by @_HannahRitchie and Pablo Rosado)
What does poverty look like beyond income?
Someone can live above an income poverty line and still go without electricity, clean drinking water, or schooling.
The global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI), from the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative and the UN Development Programme, counts the deprivations people face at the same time. We recently updated our 16 charts with the 2026 release, published in October, which adds new surveys for 13 countries.
The MPI looks at ten indicators in three areas, using data from household surveys: health (nutrition and child mortality), education (years of schooling and school attendance), and living standards (cooking fuel, sanitation, drinking water, electricity, housing, and assets). People deprived in a third or more of the weighted indicators count as “multidimensionally poor”. You can read more about how the MPI works in our article.
The chart shows this for Nigeria, which has a new survey from 2024. About half of Nigerians live in a household without electricity, about half in one without adequate sanitation, and more than three-quarters in one that cooks with solid fuels like wood or charcoal. 12% live in a household where a child has died in the previous five years.
(This data update was led by @parriagadap.)
Someone can live above an income poverty line and still go without electricity, clean drinking water, or schooling.
The global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI), from the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative and the UN Development Programme, counts the deprivations people face at the same time. We recently updated our 16 charts with the 2026 release, published in October, which adds new surveys for 13 countries.
The MPI looks at ten indicators in three areas, using data from household surveys: health (nutrition and child mortality), education (years of schooling and school attendance), and living standards (cooking fuel, sanitation, drinking water, electricity, housing, and assets). People deprived in a third or more of the weighted indicators count as “multidimensionally poor”. You can read more about how the MPI works in our article.
The chart shows this for Nigeria, which has a new survey from 2024. About half of Nigerians live in a household without electricity, about half in one without adequate sanitation, and more than three-quarters in one that cooks with solid fuels like wood or charcoal. 12% live in a household where a child has died in the previous five years.
(This data update was led by @parriagadap.)
Global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from fossil fuels are projected to fall by around 0.4% in 2026. This is based on the latest preliminary estimates from the Global Carbon Project, published today.
This is a small reduction within an overall upward trend. Emissions have grown more slowly over the past decade than in previous decades, but they have not yet peaked or begun a consistent decline.
This fall mostly came from a reduction in oil consumption and a small decline in gas. Coal use increased slightly.
Among the major emitters, emissions are projected to fall in China, the United States, the European Union, and Japan. But they’re expected to increase by around 4% in India.
Why did emissions fall? The authors cite three key factors.
The deployment of clean energy (particularly solar and wind) displaced some fossil fuel use that would have otherwise been required to meet growing energy demand. Electric vehicles also reduced oil demand. Finally, the war in Iran and its impact on oil prices led to reduced demand, which has inadvertently reduced emissions.
Emissions from land-use change are more uncertain but are projected to increase this year due to peat fires and forest degradation in Southeast Asia.
(written by @_HannahRitchie and Pablo Rosado)
This is a small reduction within an overall upward trend. Emissions have grown more slowly over the past decade than in previous decades, but they have not yet peaked or begun a consistent decline.
This fall mostly came from a reduction in oil consumption and a small decline in gas. Coal use increased slightly.
Among the major emitters, emissions are projected to fall in China, the United States, the European Union, and Japan. But they’re expected to increase by around 4% in India.
Why did emissions fall? The authors cite three key factors.
The deployment of clean energy (particularly solar and wind) displaced some fossil fuel use that would have otherwise been required to meet growing energy demand. Electric vehicles also reduced oil demand. Finally, the war in Iran and its impact on oil prices led to reduced demand, which has inadvertently reduced emissions.
Emissions from land-use change are more uncertain but are projected to increase this year due to peat fires and forest degradation in Southeast Asia.
(written by @_HannahRitchie and Pablo Rosado)
We have updated our topic page on migration!
Hundreds of millions of people live in a country that is different from the one where they were born. In some countries, the majority of the population was born abroad.
International migration can affect both the countries people leave and move to. For example, remittances (money sent back to family or friends by immigrants) can be an important source of income in their country of origin. In destination countries, migration can fill employment and skills gaps and contribute to economic growth.
But migration is also among the top concerns for the public in many countries. In politics, it is often divisive and controversial. People are often concerned about the effects on jobs and employment, public services, crime, and local culture.
Understanding these benefits and challenges requires us to first have a clear picture of migration itself. This page provides a starting point, with writing, data, and visualizations on the global scale of international migration.
On this new version of our topic page, we first look at the types of migration people often think of when the term comes up: irregular or illegal migration. We move on to international migration overall: residents, annual flows, and the number of asylum seekers and refugees. We then look at the demographics of migrants and the scale of remittances — money migrants send to their countries of origin.
(This topic update was led by @_HannahRitchie, @EOrtizOspina, and Tuna Acisu.)
Hundreds of millions of people live in a country that is different from the one where they were born. In some countries, the majority of the population was born abroad.
International migration can affect both the countries people leave and move to. For example, remittances (money sent back to family or friends by immigrants) can be an important source of income in their country of origin. In destination countries, migration can fill employment and skills gaps and contribute to economic growth.
But migration is also among the top concerns for the public in many countries. In politics, it is often divisive and controversial. People are often concerned about the effects on jobs and employment, public services, crime, and local culture.
Understanding these benefits and challenges requires us to first have a clear picture of migration itself. This page provides a starting point, with writing, data, and visualizations on the global scale of international migration.
On this new version of our topic page, we first look at the types of migration people often think of when the term comes up: irregular or illegal migration. We move on to international migration overall: residents, annual flows, and the number of asylum seekers and refugees. We then look at the demographics of migrants and the scale of remittances — money migrants send to their countries of origin.
(This topic update was led by @_HannahRitchie, @EOrtizOspina, and Tuna Acisu.)
