Denmark vs Sweden: Cumulative CO₂ emissions from coal
Denmark
1.86 billion tonnes
in 2024
Sweden
1.53 billion tonnes
in 2024
Denmark rank
34th
Sweden rank
37th
Cumulative CO₂ emissions from coal over time
- Denmark
- Sweden
How they compare
Denmark currently reports 1.86 billion tonnes against 1.53 billion tonnes in Sweden, a difference of 326.06 million tonnes.
That makes Denmark's figure about 1.2 times Sweden's.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 182 shared years of data; in 1843 it was Sweden ahead.
Denmark ranks 34th and Sweden ranks 37th of 179 countries.
Across the 19 decades both report, Denmark averaged higher in 8 and Sweden in 11.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Denmark | Sweden | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1840s | 751,119 tonnes | 592,521 tonnes | 158,598 tonnes | Denmark |
| 1850s | 3.74 million tonnes | 2.62 million tonnes | 1.13 million tonnes | Denmark |
| 1860s | 10.35 million tonnes | 10.21 million tonnes | 136,307 tonnes | Denmark |
| 1870s | 21.41 million tonnes | 24.83 million tonnes | 3.42 million tonnes | Sweden |
| 1880s | 40.27 million tonnes | 52.33 million tonnes | 12.06 million tonnes | Sweden |
| 1890s | 70.59 million tonnes | 100.14 million tonnes | 29.55 million tonnes | Sweden |
| 1900s | 121.64 million tonnes | 183.23 million tonnes | 61.60 million tonnes | Sweden |
| 1910s | 199.92 million tonnes | 305.58 million tonnes | 105.66 million tonnes | Sweden |
| 1920s | 293.49 million tonnes | 412.42 million tonnes | 118.92 million tonnes | Sweden |
| 1930s | 425.39 million tonnes | 576.61 million tonnes | 151.23 million tonnes | Sweden |
| 1940s | 587.25 million tonnes | 746.05 million tonnes | 158.79 million tonnes | Sweden |
| 1950s | 755.89 million tonnes | 897.73 million tonnes | 141.84 million tonnes | Sweden |
| 1960s | 903.99 million tonnes | 1.00 billion tonnes | 99.00 million tonnes | Sweden |
| 1970s | 1.01 billion tonnes | 1.07 billion tonnes | 58.38 million tonnes | Sweden |
| 1980s | 1.19 billion tonnes | 1.14 billion tonnes | 46.62 million tonnes | Denmark |
| 1990s | 1.45 billion tonnes | 1.25 billion tonnes | 200.07 million tonnes | Denmark |
| 2000s | 1.67 billion tonnes | 1.36 billion tonnes | 302.93 million tonnes | Denmark |
| 2010s | 1.81 billion tonnes | 1.46 billion tonnes | 347.79 million tonnes | Denmark |
| 2020s | 1.85 billion tonnes | 1.52 billion tonnes | 333.70 million tonnes | Denmark |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher cumulative co₂ emissions from coal, Denmark or Sweden?
- Denmark, at 1.86 billion tonnes against 1.53 billion tonnes in Sweden as of 2024.
- What is the difference in cumulative co₂ emissions from coal between Denmark and Sweden?
- 326.06 million tonnes, with Denmark ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Denmark and Sweden?
- 182 years are reported by both, from 1843 to 2024.
- How do Denmark and Sweden rank globally for cumulative co₂ emissions from coal?
- Denmark ranks 34th and Sweden ranks 37th of 179 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Cumulative CO₂ emissions from coal. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Cumulative emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from coal since the first year of available data, measured in tonnes.