There is no single, strictly comparable global figure for how many people deny the human origin of climate change, because surveys ask different questions (e.g., "mainly human" vs. "mainly natural" or "not happening"). This analysis uses recent official and academic sources and reports, by country or region, the best available approximation to that working definition.
In the European Union, the June 2025 Eurobarometer indicates that 84% of Europeans agree that climate change is caused by human activity. Consequently, up to 16% do not attribute it to human causes (because they disagree or do not respond), providing a higher threshold for denial of human origins at the EU level.
In the United States, the Yale/George Mason Fall 2024 survey, published in February 2025, shows that 60% believe global warming is primarily caused by human activities; 28% think it is primarily due to natural changes; and 14% believe it is 'not happening.' Conservatively, these figures imply that the proportion who do not attribute global warming primarily to human causes ranges from 28% (if only 'mostly natural' is considered) to around 42% (if those who say it is not happening are also included).
In Colombia, the EIB Climate Survey 2023 (European Investment Bank) reports that 80% of Colombians recognize that human actions such as the burning of fossil fuels are the main driver of climate change. This implies that around 20% do not attribute the phenomenon primarily to human activity.
In Canada, the Government of Canada's PARCA program (Impact Canada) indicates that, as of March 2025, approximately 74% of Canadians agree (fully or partially) that human activity is the primary cause of climate change. Additionally, academic syntheses of public opinion indicate variations by year and by polling firm, but they converge in that denial of human origins is clearly in the minority.
In conclusion, depending on the source and the wording of the questions, denial of the human origin of climate change varies across contexts. With the most recent measurements, it is around "up to 16%" in the EU; between 28% and ~42% in the US (depending on whether those who believe it is "not happening" are included); close to 20% in Colombia; and around a quarter in Canada (complementing the 74% who attribute the primary cause to humans). These estimates should be read with caution due to questionnaire differences, but they provide a factual and comparative basis for public debate.
Sources cited:
1) [European Commission — Eurobarometer (June 2025)](https://europa.eu/eurobarometer/surveys/detail/3472)
2) [Yale Program on Climate Change Communication — Climate Change in the American Mind (February 2025)](https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/climate-change-in-the-american-mind-beliefs-attitudes-fall-2024/toc/2/)
3) [European Investment Bank — EIB Climate Survey (September 2023, Colombia)](https://www.eib.org/en/press/all/2023-307-9-colombians-in-10-demand-stricter-climate-policies-eib-survey-reveals)
4) [Impact Canada (Government of Canada) — PARCA Wave 3&4 (March 2025)](https://impact.canada.ca/en/behavioural-science/parca/wave3_4)