New Zealand vs Sri Lanka: Annual CO₂ emissions from coal
New Zealand
5.87 million tonnes
in 2024
Sri Lanka
6.23 million tonnes
in 2024
New Zealand rank
57th
Sri Lanka rank
54th
Annual CO₂ emissions from coal over time
- New Zealand
- Sri Lanka
How they compare
Sri Lanka currently reports 6.23 million tonnes against 5.87 million tonnes in New Zealand, a difference of 366,450 tonnes.
That makes Sri Lanka's figure about 1.1 times New Zealand's.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 75 shared years of data; in 1950 it was New Zealand ahead.
New Zealand ranks 57th and Sri Lanka ranks 54th of 179 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, New Zealand averaged higher in 7 and Sri Lanka in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | New Zealand | Sri Lanka | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 5.73 million tonnes | 703,891 tonnes | 5.03 million tonnes | New Zealand |
| 1960s | 5.78 million tonnes | 329,760 tonnes | 5.45 million tonnes | New Zealand |
| 1970s | 4.91 million tonnes | 20,147 tonnes | 4.88 million tonnes | New Zealand |
| 1980s | 4.13 million tonnes | 19,420 tonnes | 4.11 million tonnes | New Zealand |
| 1990s | 4.70 million tonnes | 4,763 tonnes | 4.69 million tonnes | New Zealand |
| 2000s | 7.02 million tonnes | 153,520 tonnes | 6.86 million tonnes | New Zealand |
| 2010s | 5.49 million tonnes | 3.71 million tonnes | 1.78 million tonnes | New Zealand |
| 2020s | 5.11 million tonnes | 6.13 million tonnes | 1.02 million tonnes | Sri Lanka |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher annual co₂ emissions from coal, New Zealand or Sri Lanka?
- Sri Lanka, at 6.23 million tonnes against 5.87 million tonnes in New Zealand as of 2024.
- What is the difference in annual co₂ emissions from coal between New Zealand and Sri Lanka?
- 366,450 tonnes, with Sri Lanka ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for New Zealand and Sri Lanka?
- 75 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2024.
- How do New Zealand and Sri Lanka rank globally for annual co₂ emissions from coal?
- New Zealand ranks 57th and Sri Lanka ranks 54th of 179 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Annual CO₂ emissions from coal. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Annual emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from coal, measured in tonnes.