Year-on-year change in CO₂ emissions in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Year-on-year change in CO₂ emissions was 1.66 million tonnes in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
1.66 million tonnes
Change on year
up 110.3%
World rank
31st
of 215 countries
All-time high
3.16 million tonnes
in 2016
All-time low
-2.45 million tonnes
in 2022
Years of data
74
1951–2024
Year-on-year change in CO₂ emissions in Sri Lanka, 1951–2024
Source: Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
The most recent figure for year-on-year change in co₂ emissions in Sri Lanka is 1.66 million tonnes, measured in 2024.
The figure is up 110.3% on the previous year and down 43.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, year-on-year change in co₂ emissions in Sri Lanka peaked at 3.16 million tonnes in 2016 and was at its lowest, -2.45 million tonnes, in 2022.
That places Sri Lanka 31st out of 215 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Year-on-year change in CO₂ emissions in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1951 | -80,875 tonnes | — |
| 1952 | 392,078 tonnes | -584.8% |
| 1953 | 128,210 tonnes | -67.3% |
| 1954 | -282,188 tonnes | -320.1% |
| 1955 | -120,882 tonnes | -57.2% |
| 1956 | -245,548 tonnes | +103.1% |
| 1957 | 901,493 tonnes | -467.1% |
| 1958 | -370,182 tonnes | -141.1% |
| 1959 | 106,195 tonnes | -128.7% |
| 1960 | 201,550 tonnes | +89.8% |
| 1961 | 76,974 tonnes | -61.8% |
| 1962 | 227,138 tonnes | +195.1% |
| 1963 | -29,252 tonnes | -112.9% |
| 1964 | -260,144 tonnes | +789.3% |
| 1965 | 384,660 tonnes | -247.9% |
| 1966 | 3,694 tonnes | -99.0% |
| 1967 | 285,346 tonnes | +7624.6% |
| 1968 | 293,002 tonnes | +2.7% |
| 1969 | 1.08 million tonnes | +267.6% |
| 1970 | -721,986 tonnes | -167.0% |
| 1971 | -402,640 tonnes | -44.2% |
| 1972 | 341,391 tonnes | -184.8% |
| 1973 | 142,525 tonnes | -58.3% |
| 1974 | -759,928 tonnes | -633.2% |
| 1975 | -36,858 tonnes | -95.1% |
| 1976 | -96,577 tonnes | +162.0% |
| 1977 | 114,605 tonnes | -218.7% |
| 1978 | 513,607 tonnes | +348.2% |
| 1979 | 371,194 tonnes | -27.7% |
| 1980 | -420,574 tonnes | -213.3% |
| 1981 | 612,261 tonnes | -245.6% |
| 1982 | 459,592 tonnes | -24.9% |
| 1983 | 394,535 tonnes | -14.2% |
| 1984 | -1.00 million tonnes | -354.3% |
| 1985 | 57,592 tonnes | -105.7% |
| 1986 | -257,528 tonnes | -547.2% |
| 1987 | 365,351 tonnes | -241.9% |
| 1988 | -558,211 tonnes | -252.8% |
| 1989 | -10,470 tonnes | -98.1% |
| 1990 | 382,755 tonnes | -3755.7% |
| 1991 | 304,430 tonnes | -20.5% |
| 1992 | 929,112 tonnes | +205.2% |
| 1993 | -123,778 tonnes | -113.3% |
| 1994 | 429,513 tonnes | -447.0% |
| 1995 | 375,538 tonnes | -12.6% |
| 1996 | 1.15 million tonnes | +205.1% |
| 1997 | 538,211 tonnes | -53.0% |
| 1998 | 220,362 tonnes | -59.1% |
| 1999 | 760,032 tonnes | +244.9% |
| 2000 | 1.61 million tonnes | +111.7% |
| 2001 | 167,314 tonnes | -89.6% |
| 2002 | 629,055 tonnes | +276.0% |
| 2003 | -25,309 tonnes | -104.0% |
| 2004 | 1.15 million tonnes | -4631.2% |
| 2005 | -238,496 tonnes | -120.8% |
| 2006 | -166,799 tonnes | -30.1% |
| 2007 | 340,696 tonnes | -304.3% |
| 2008 | -195,394 tonnes | -157.4% |
| 2009 | 924,213 tonnes | -573.0% |
| 2010 | 124,309 tonnes | -86.5% |
| 2011 | 1.78 million tonnes | +1331.4% |
| 2012 | 913,224 tonnes | -48.7% |
| 2013 | -1.25 million tonnes | -236.5% |
| 2014 | 2.93 million tonnes | -335.3% |
| 2015 | 2.10 million tonnes | -28.3% |
| 2016 | 3.16 million tonnes | +50.3% |
| 2017 | -171,208 tonnes | -105.4% |
| 2018 | -2.03 million tonnes | +1086.4% |
| 2019 | 968,814 tonnes | -147.7% |
| 2020 | -693,168 tonnes | -171.5% |
| 2021 | 410,680 tonnes | -159.2% |
| 2022 | -2.45 million tonnes | -695.6% |
| 2023 | 789,060 tonnes | -132.3% |
| 2024 | 1.66 million tonnes | +110.3% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 1.66 million tonnes is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 98,432 tonnes, 16.9× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 1.66 million tonnes is above the median for South Asia, which is 1.04 million tonnes, 1.6× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Year-on-year change in CO₂ emissions in Sri Lanka changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | +7624.6% | 3,694 tonnes | 285,346 tonnes |
| 2004 | +4631.2% | -25,309 tonnes | 1.15 million tonnes |
| 1990 | +3755.7% | -10,470 tonnes | 382,755 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 47,589 tonnes | -370,182 tonnes | 901,493 tonnes | 9 |
| 1960s | 225,995 tonnes | -260,144 tonnes | 1.08 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1970s | -53,467 tonnes | -759,928 tonnes | 513,607 tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | -36,089 tonnes | -1.00 million tonnes | 612,261 tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 496,186 tonnes | -123,778 tonnes | 1.15 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 419,111 tonnes | -238,496 tonnes | 1.61 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 853,311 tonnes | -2.03 million tonnes | 3.16 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | -56,008 tonnes | -2.45 million tonnes | 1.66 million tonnes | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More climate change data for Sri Lanka
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 327.09 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 3,418 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 618.46 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 2,800 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 2.33 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 100 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 4,168 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 2,071 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 2,097 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 7.82 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is year-on-year change in co₂ emissions in Sri Lanka?
- Year-on-year change in co₂ emissions in Sri Lanka was 1.66 million tonnes in 2024, according to Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest year-on-year change in co₂ emissions recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 3.16 million tonnes in 2016.
- What is the lowest year-on-year change in co₂ emissions recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was -2.45 million tonnes in 2022.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for year-on-year change in co₂ emissions?
- Sri Lanka ranks 31st out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
- Is year-on-year change in co₂ emissions rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 43.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Year-on-year change in CO₂ emissions. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Annual growth in total emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂), excluding land-use change, measured in tonnes.