Australia vs Canada: Per capita greenhouse gas emissions
Australia
22.83 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person
in 2024
Canada
20.2 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person
in 2024
Australia rank
9th
Canada rank
11th
Per capita greenhouse gas emissions over time
- Australia
- Canada
How they compare
Australia currently reports 22.83 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person against 20.2 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in Canada, a difference of 2.63 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person.
That makes Australia's figure about 1.1 times Canada's.
The two have swapped places 6 times across 175 shared years of data; in 1850 it was Australia ahead.
Australia ranks 9th and Canada ranks 11th of 199 countries.
Across the 18 decades both report, Australia averaged higher in 12 and Canada in 6.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Australia | Canada | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850s | 54.86 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 29.94 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 24.92 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Australia |
| 1860s | 40.1 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 32.59 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 7.51 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Australia |
| 1870s | 42.87 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 30.75 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 12.12 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Australia |
| 1880s | 38.16 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 31.72 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 6.44 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Australia |
| 1890s | 35.24 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 29.43 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 5.81 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Australia |
| 1900s | 34.08 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 41.89 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 7.81 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Canada |
| 1910s | 32.2 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 47.87 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 15.67 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Canada |
| 1920s | 37.82 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 41.42 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 3.6 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Canada |
| 1930s | 26.51 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 35.6 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 9.09 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Canada |
| 1940s | 25.89 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 33.97 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 8.08 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Canada |
| 1950s | 34.68 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 37.43 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 2.75 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Canada |
| 1960s | 37.57 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 32.42 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 5.15 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Australia |
| 1970s | 32.67 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 31.98 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.6847 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Australia |
| 1980s | 32.36 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 29.86 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 2.5 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Australia |
| 1990s | 34.23 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 28.95 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 5.28 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Australia |
| 2000s | 35.59 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 28.46 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 7.13 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Australia |
| 2010s | 30.87 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 23.95 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 6.92 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Australia |
| 2020s | 23.62 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 20.88 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 2.73 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Australia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher per capita greenhouse gas emissions, Australia or Canada?
- Australia, at 22.83 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person against 20.2 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in Canada as of 2024.
- What is the difference in per capita greenhouse gas emissions between Australia and Canada?
- 2.63 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person, with Australia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and Canada?
- 175 years are reported by both, from 1850 to 2024.
- How do Australia and Canada rank globally for per capita greenhouse gas emissions?
- Australia ranks 9th and Canada ranks 11th of 199 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Jones et al. (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Per capita greenhouse gas emissions. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Greenhouse gas emissions are measured in tonnes per person of carbon dioxide-equivalents over a 100-year timescale.