Estimating the French carbon footprint from 1990 to 2024 - an official statistics methodology based on FIGARO  Insee Méthodes n° 148 - septembre 2026

This working paper details the methodology used by INSEE and France’s Ministry of the Environment to estimate the national greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint, as published in October 2025. It adopts a so-called simplified Single-country National Accounts Consistent (s-SNAC) approach, leveraging Eurostat’s FIGARO Multi-Regional Input-Output (MRIO) tables. The paper targets two audiences: expert users seeking insights into data sources and assumptions, and international footprint compilers interested in technical innovations.

The methodology addresses key challenges in adapting global MRIOs to national contexts, including statistical consistency (reconciling national and global economic data), valuation discrepancies (aligning basic prices in MRIOs with CIF prices in national accounts), and timeliness (using nowcasting to estimate footprints for year N-1). France’s approach builds on prior work but introduces novel solutions, such as revaluing imports to basic prices and extending FIGARO’s coverage.

The paper outlines the simplified SNAC framework, data implementation and results, including sensitivity analyses (e.g., comparing the results obtained using EDGAR, PRIMAP-CR, and PRIMAP-TP emission databases). It also discusses innovations related to the presentation of the results, such as purchaser-price valuation of final demand and clarifying GHG content embedded in imports/exports. This work aims to integrate GHG footprints into France’s annual national accounts, ensuring alignment with monetary results.