According to the authoritative data involving social economic indicators and greenhouse gas （GHG） emission from the international universal database, the levels and processes of economic development and GHG emission in major economic groups, nations and regions of the world are simultaneously analyzed. Obtaining Gross Domestic Product （GDP） and emission per capita from various countries and regions in the past 40 years as the standard, countries and regions in the world are divided into six groups： countries with low emission per capita and low economic level （IA）, countries with low emission per capita and medium economic level （IIA）, countries with low emission per capita and high economic level （IIIA）, countries with high emission per capita and medium economic level （liB）, countries with high emission per capita and high economic level （IIIB）, countries with high emission per capita and low economic level （IB）. Countries belong to IB are quite rare in the study period, while the first five groups correspond to the poor regions, main developing countries, economically transitional countries with rapid economic development, rich islands and developed North America and Europe respectively. Data analysis shows that there is a close relationship between emission and economic development of different countries and regions. The composition relationship between economic development of different countries and regions is relatively stable over a long period of time. From 1970 to 2005, rising trends existed in the economic development of most countries and regions. However, the emission had a significant increase in a small part of countries and regions. In other words, for those with high emission, the emission level is always high. But for those with low GHG emission, the emission does not increase too much. The main processes of the change of countries pattern from IA to IIA and from II B to IIIB, occurring in the 1970s and from the late 1970s to the 1980s respectively. That result has .a significant enlightening effect in understanding the relationship between emission and eco- nomic development and its historical process of various countries and in choosing the position of our country in the future climate diplomatic negotiations.