By Bruno Venditti
Carbon taxes are designed to discourage CO2 emissions by increasing the cost of carbon-intensive activities and incentivizing the adoption of cleaner energy alternatives.
In this graphic we list the top 15 countries by carbon tax revenue as of 2022. The data is from the World Bank’s State and Trends of Carbon Pricing Report, published in April 2023.
France and Canada Lead in Global Carbon Tax Revenue
In 2022, the top 15 countries generated approximately $30 billion in revenue from carbon taxes.
France and Canada lead in this regard, accounting for over half of the total amount. Both countries have implemented comprehensive carbon pricing systems that cover a wide range of sectors, including transportation and industry, and they have set relatively high carbon tax rates.
| Country | Government revenue in 2022 ($ billions) |
|---|---|
 France |
$8.9 |
 Canada |
$7.8 |
 Sweden |
$2.3 |
 Norway |
$2.1 |
 Japan |
$1.8 |
 Finland |
$1.7 |
 Switzerland |
$1.6 |
 United Kingdom |
$0.9 |
 Ireland |
$0.7 |
 Denmark |
$0.5 |
 Portugal |
$0.5 |
 Argentina |
$0.3 |
 Mexico |
$0.2 |
 Singapore |
$0.1 |
 South Africa |
$0.1 |
In Canada, the total carbon tax revenue includes both national and provincial taxes.
A recent study has shown that carbon pricing must be supported by other policy measures and innovations. According to a report from Queen’s University, there is no feasible carbon pricing scenario that is high enough to limit emissions sufficiently to achieve anything below 2.4°C warming on its own.
Source: Visual Capitalist
