Japan vs United Kingdom: Cumulative CO₂ emissions
Japan
69.61 billion tonnes
in 2024
United Kingdom
80.08 billion tonnes
in 2024
Japan rank
6th
United Kingdom rank
5th
Cumulative CO₂ emissions over time
- Japan
- United Kingdom
How they compare
United Kingdom currently reports 80.08 billion tonnes against 69.61 billion tonnes in Japan, a difference of 10.47 billion tonnes.
That makes United Kingdom's figure about 1.2 times Japan's.
Across all 157 years both countries report, United Kingdom has been ahead every year.
Japan ranks 6th and United Kingdom ranks 5th of 215 countries.
United Kingdom has averaged higher in every one of the 17 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Japan | United Kingdom | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1860s | 20,152 tonnes | 6.74 billion tonnes | 6.74 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1870s | 2.75 million tonnes | 8.25 billion tonnes | 8.25 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1880s | 25.36 million tonnes | 11.19 billion tonnes | 11.16 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1890s | 98.50 million tonnes | 14.62 billion tonnes | 14.52 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1900s | 306.37 million tonnes | 18.70 billion tonnes | 18.40 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1910s | 740.57 million tonnes | 23.39 billion tonnes | 22.64 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1920s | 1.45 billion tonnes | 27.92 billion tonnes | 26.47 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1930s | 2.36 billion tonnes | 32.34 billion tonnes | 29.97 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1940s | 3.59 billion tonnes | 37.11 billion tonnes | 33.52 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1950s | 4.77 billion tonnes | 42.28 billion tonnes | 37.52 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1960s | 7.38 billion tonnes | 48.09 billion tonnes | 40.71 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1970s | 14.25 billion tonnes | 54.34 billion tonnes | 40.09 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1980s | 23.45 billion tonnes | 60.20 billion tonnes | 36.75 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1990s | 34.26 billion tonnes | 65.98 billion tonnes | 31.72 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 2000s | 46.73 billion tonnes | 71.67 billion tonnes | 24.94 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 2010s | 59.19 billion tonnes | 76.66 billion tonnes | 17.47 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 2020s | 67.63 billion tonnes | 79.45 billion tonnes | 11.82 billion tonnes | United Kingdom |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher cumulative co₂ emissions, Japan or United Kingdom?
- United Kingdom, at 80.08 billion tonnes against 69.61 billion tonnes in Japan as of 2024.
- What is the difference in cumulative co₂ emissions between Japan and United Kingdom?
- 10.47 billion tonnes, with United Kingdom ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and United Kingdom?
- 157 years are reported by both, from 1868 to 2024.
- How do Japan and United Kingdom rank globally for cumulative co₂ emissions?
- Japan ranks 6th and United Kingdom ranks 5th of 215 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Cumulative CO₂ emissions. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Total cumulative emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂), excluding land-use change, since the first year of available data, measured in tonnes.