Annual carbon dioxide emissions in Australia
Australia: Annual carbon dioxide emissions was 181.03 million in 2026. ▼ Falling
Annual carbon dioxide emissions in Australia, 2003–2026
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2026, annual carbon dioxide emissions in Australia stood at 181.03 million. That is the lowest value across all 24 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 55.1% on the previous year and down 34.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual carbon dioxide emissions in Australia peaked at 986.00 million in 2012 and was at its lowest, 181.03 million, in 2026.
That places Australia 7th out of 248 countries with data for 2026, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Annual carbon dioxide emissions in Australia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 367.90 million | — |
| 2004 | 606.93 million | +65.0% |
| 2005 | 319.78 million | -47.3% |
| 2006 | 585.30 million | +83.0% |
| 2007 | 530.18 million | -9.4% |
| 2008 | 306.02 million | -42.3% |
| 2009 | 433.23 million | +41.6% |
| 2010 | 193.66 million | -55.3% |
| 2011 | 901.32 million | +365.4% |
| 2012 | 986.00 million | +9.4% |
| 2013 | 333.42 million | -66.2% |
| 2014 | 490.13 million | +47.0% |
| 2015 | 455.61 million | -7.0% |
| 2016 | 274.23 million | -39.8% |
| 2017 | 510.15 million | +86.0% |
| 2018 | 567.99 million | +11.3% |
| 2019 | 588.97 million | +3.7% |
| 2020 | 312.55 million | -46.9% |
| 2021 | 284.05 million | -9.1% |
| 2022 | 281.70 million | -0.8% |
| 2023 | 727.47 million | +158.2% |
| 2024 | 350.74 million | -51.8% |
| 2025 | 402.90 million | +14.9% |
| 2026 | 181.03 million | -55.1% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 181.03 million is above the median for high income countries, which is 44,368, 4080.2× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Australia's 181.03 million is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 162,516, 1113.9× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 449.91 million | 306.02 million | 606.93 million | 7 |
| 2010s | 530.15 million | 193.66 million | 986.00 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 362.92 million | 181.03 million | 727.47 million | 7 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More climate change data for Australia
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 1.30 billion kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 118,578 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 34,162 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 84,416 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 128.91 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 3,015 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 12,473 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 10,966 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 1,507 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 41.38 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual carbon dioxide emissions in Australia?
- Annual carbon dioxide emissions in Australia was 181.03 million in 2026, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual carbon dioxide emissions recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 986.00 million in 2012.
- What is the lowest annual carbon dioxide emissions recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 181.03 million in 2026.
- How does Australia rank for annual carbon dioxide emissions?
- Australia ranks 7th out of 248 countries with data for 2026.
- Is annual carbon dioxide emissions rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 34.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Annual carbon dioxide emissions. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).