Australia vs United Kingdom: Total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry
Australia
455.56 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 2024
United Kingdom
334.16 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 2024
Australia rank
16th
United Kingdom rank
19th
Total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry over time
- Australia
- United Kingdom
How they compare
Australia currently reports 455.56 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents against 334.16 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in United Kingdom, a difference of 121.40 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents.
That makes Australia's figure about 1.4 times United Kingdom's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 175 shared years of data; in 1850 it was United Kingdom ahead.
Australia ranks 16th and United Kingdom ranks 19th of 198 countries.
Across the 18 decades both report, Australia averaged higher in 2 and United Kingdom in 16.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Australia | United Kingdom | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850s | 1.32 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 175.52 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 174.20 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | United Kingdom |
| 1860s | 2.67 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 251.63 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 248.95 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | United Kingdom |
| 1870s | 4.24 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 326.14 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 321.90 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | United Kingdom |
| 1880s | 7.63 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 393.76 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 386.13 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | United Kingdom |
| 1890s | 11.29 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 448.35 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 437.05 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | United Kingdom |
| 1900s | 19.73 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 534.52 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 514.79 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | United Kingdom |
| 1910s | 31.06 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 580.34 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 549.29 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | United Kingdom |
| 1920s | 38.87 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 525.56 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 486.69 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | United Kingdom |
| 1930s | 40.40 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 546.93 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 506.53 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | United Kingdom |
| 1940s | 57.98 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 593.92 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 535.94 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | United Kingdom |
| 1950s | 93.49 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 674.46 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 580.98 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | United Kingdom |
| 1960s | 143.25 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 736.44 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 593.19 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | United Kingdom |
| 1970s | 213.37 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 753.65 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 540.27 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | United Kingdom |
| 1980s | 278.37 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 675.17 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 396.80 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | United Kingdom |
| 1990s | 366.15 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 678.50 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 312.35 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | United Kingdom |
| 2000s | 451.13 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 615.00 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 163.87 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | United Kingdom |
| 2010s | 485.51 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 459.14 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 26.38 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Australia |
| 2020s | 463.80 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 341.83 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 121.97 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Australia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry, Australia or United Kingdom?
- Australia, at 455.56 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents against 334.16 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in United Kingdom as of 2024.
- What is the difference in total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry between Australia and United Kingdom?
- 121.40 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents, with Australia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and United Kingdom?
- 175 years are reported by both, from 1850 to 2024.
- How do Australia and United Kingdom rank globally for total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry?
- Australia ranks 16th and United Kingdom ranks 19th of 198 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry. 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 of carbon dioxide-equivalents over a 100-year timescale.