Germany vs Japan: CO₂ emissions embedded in trade

Germany
174.72 million tonnes
in 2023
Japan
155.39 million tonnes
in 2023
Germany rank
3rd
Japan rank
4th

CO₂ emissions embedded in trade over time

  • Germany
  • Japan
100.0M150.0M200.0M250.0M300.0M199020062023

How they compare

Germany currently reports 174.72 million tonnes against 155.39 million tonnes in Japan, a difference of 19.33 million tonnes.

That makes Germany's figure about 1.1 times Japan's.

The two have swapped places 5 times across 34 shared years of data; in 1990 it was Japan ahead.

Germany ranks 3rd and Japan ranks 4th of 120 countries.

Japan has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Germany Japan Difference Ahead
1990s 187.02 million tonnes 272.64 million tonnes 85.62 million tonnes Japan
2000s 173.80 million tonnes 241.00 million tonnes 67.20 million tonnes Japan
2010s 131.50 million tonnes 161.61 million tonnes 30.12 million tonnes Japan
2020s 158.05 million tonnes 158.76 million tonnes 706,500 tonnes Japan

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher co₂ emissions embedded in trade, Germany or Japan?
Germany, at 174.72 million tonnes against 155.39 million tonnes in Japan as of 2023.
What is the difference in co₂ emissions embedded in trade between Germany and Japan?
19.33 million tonnes, with Germany ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Germany and Japan?
34 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2023.
How do Germany and Japan rank globally for co₂ emissions embedded in trade?
Germany ranks 3rd and Japan ranks 4th of 120 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as CO₂ emissions embedded in trade. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
CO₂ emissions embedded in trade
Unit
tonnes
Source
Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
120 places, 4,063 data points, 1990–2023
Last refreshed

Annual net carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions embedded in trade, measured in tonnes.