Year-on-year change in CO₂ emissions in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Year-on-year change in CO₂ emissions was 5.08 million tonnes in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
5.08 million tonnes
Change on year
up 254.3%
World rank
17th
of 215 countries
All-time high
220.28 million tonnes
in 1927
All-time low
-199.93 million tonnes
in 1926
Years of data
274
1751–2024
Year-on-year change in CO₂ emissions in United Kingdom, 1751–2024
Source: Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
United Kingdom recorded 5.08 million tonnes for year-on-year change in co₂ emissions in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 254.3% on the previous year and up 113.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, year-on-year change in co₂ emissions in United Kingdom peaked at 220.28 million tonnes in 1927 and was at its lowest, -199.93 million tonnes, in 1926.
That places United Kingdom 17th out of 215 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1750s | 114,769 tonnes | 59,888 tonnes | 184,022 tonnes | 9 |
| 1760s | 244,122 tonnes | 175,477 tonnes | 314,427 tonnes | 10 |
| 1770s | 275,516 tonnes | 184,631 tonnes | 326,505 tonnes | 10 |
| 1780s | 432,452 tonnes | 343,491 tonnes | 577,196 tonnes | 10 |
| 1790s | 699,524 tonnes | -281,806 tonnes | 4.33 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1800s | 766,753 tonnes | -2.14 million tonnes | 4.49 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1810s | 879,397 tonnes | -452,504 tonnes | 2.50 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1820s | 992,638 tonnes | -749,308 tonnes | 1.95 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1830s | 2.25 million tonnes | -3.29 million tonnes | 14.48 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1840s | 4.16 million tonnes | -4.28 million tonnes | 8.37 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1850s | 3.24 million tonnes | -8.84 million tonnes | 23.65 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1860s | 7.40 million tonnes | -5.58 million tonnes | 18.25 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1870s | 4.89 million tonnes | -7.47 million tonnes | 14.30 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1880s | 7.24 million tonnes | -8.63 million tonnes | 24.48 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1890s | 6.95 million tonnes | -36.80 million tonnes | 45.89 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1900s | 5.15 million tonnes | -11.60 million tonnes | 20.22 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1910s | -995,496 tonnes | -34.32 million tonnes | 42.44 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1920s | 2.21 million tonnes | -199.93 million tonnes | 220.28 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1930s | -391,712 tonnes | -29.83 million tonnes | 33.01 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1940s | 3.33 million tonnes | -36.60 million tonnes | 25.79 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1950s | 3.88 million tonnes | -16.38 million tonnes | 44.56 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1960s | 8.20 million tonnes | -26.01 million tonnes | 37.54 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.61 million tonnes | -42.40 million tonnes | 39.78 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | -6.29 million tonnes | -65.47 million tonnes | 30.54 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | -1.99 million tonnes | -24.05 million tonnes | 20.60 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | -6.75 million tonnes | -50.82 million tonnes | 11.35 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | -12.94 million tonnes | -42.19 million tonnes | 17.80 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | -10.37 million tonnes | -38.49 million tonnes | 16.10 million tonnes | 5 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More climate change data for United Kingdom
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.7% (2100)
- Population growth 0.3% (2025)
- Population, total 69.49 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 0.4% (2025)
- Urban population 57.90 million (2025)
- Urban population 83.3% (2025)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 4.53 tonnes per person (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions 80.08 billion tonnes (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita 4.53 tonnes per person (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 4.53 tonnes per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is year-on-year change in co₂ emissions in United Kingdom?
- Year-on-year change in co₂ emissions in United Kingdom was 5.08 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 United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 220.28 million tonnes in 1927.
- What is the lowest year-on-year change in co₂ emissions recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was -199.93 million tonnes in 1926.
- How does United Kingdom rank for year-on-year change in co₂ emissions?
- United Kingdom ranks 17th out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
- Is year-on-year change in co₂ emissions rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is up 113.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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 — 274 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.