Carbon dioxide emissions by income level, per square kilometre in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Carbon dioxide emissions by income level, per square kilometre was 1,293 tonnes per square kilometre in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
1,293 tonnes per square kilometre
Change on year
up 1.7%
World rank
30th
of 204 countries
All-time high
2,730 tonnes per square kilometre
in 1971
All-time low
1,272 tonnes per square kilometre
in 2023
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Carbon dioxide emissions by income level, per square kilometre in United Kingdom, 1961–2024
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in tonnes per square kilometre.
Analysis
United Kingdom recorded 1,293 tonnes per square kilometre for carbon dioxide emissions by income level, per square kilometre in 2024.
The figure is up 1.7% on the previous year and down 28.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, carbon dioxide emissions by income level, per square kilometre in United Kingdom peaked at 2,730 tonnes per square kilometre in 1971 and was at its lowest, 1,272 tonnes per square kilometre, in 2023.
United Kingdom ranks 30th of 204 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 64 years of available data.
Carbon dioxide emissions by income level, per square kilometre in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | tonnes per square kilometre | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 2,433 tonnes per square kilometre | — |
| 1962 | 2,451 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.7% |
| 1963 | 2,494 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.8% |
| 1964 | 2,513 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.7% |
| 1965 | 2,571 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.3% |
| 1966 | 2,555 tonnes per square kilometre | -0.6% |
| 1967 | 2,447 tonnes per square kilometre | -4.2% |
| 1968 | 2,507 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.4% |
| 1969 | 2,597 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.6% |
| 1970 | 2,697 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.9% |
| 1971 | 2,730 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.2% |
| 1972 | 2,679 tonnes per square kilometre | -1.9% |
| 1973 | 2,726 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.8% |
| 1974 | 2,551 tonnes per square kilometre | -6.4% |
| 1975 | 2,494 tonnes per square kilometre | -2.3% |
| 1976 | 2,474 tonnes per square kilometre | -0.8% |
| 1977 | 2,498 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.0% |
| 1978 | 2,500 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.1% |
| 1979 | 2,664 tonnes per square kilometre | +6.6% |
| 1980 | 2,393 tonnes per square kilometre | -10.2% |
| 1981 | 2,317 tonnes per square kilometre | -3.2% |
| 1982 | 2,266 tonnes per square kilometre | -2.2% |
| 1983 | 2,255 tonnes per square kilometre | -0.5% |
| 1984 | 2,187 tonnes per square kilometre | -3.0% |
| 1985 | 2,313 tonnes per square kilometre | +5.8% |
| 1986 | 2,350 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.6% |
| 1987 | 2,363 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.5% |
| 1988 | 2,357 tonnes per square kilometre | -0.2% |
| 1989 | 2,404 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.0% |
| 1990 | 2,488 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.5% |
| 1991 | 2,519 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.2% |
| 1992 | 2,455 tonnes per square kilometre | -2.6% |
| 1993 | 2,396 tonnes per square kilometre | -2.4% |
| 1994 | 2,373 tonnes per square kilometre | -1.0% |
| 1995 | 2,340 tonnes per square kilometre | -1.4% |
| 1996 | 2,425 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.6% |
| 1997 | 2,326 tonnes per square kilometre | -4.1% |
| 1998 | 2,350 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.0% |
| 1999 | 2,322 tonnes per square kilometre | -1.2% |
| 2000 | 2,352 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.3% |
| 2001 | 2,389 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.6% |
| 2002 | 2,316 tonnes per square kilometre | -3.1% |
| 2003 | 2,363 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.0% |
| 2004 | 2,370 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 2,357 tonnes per square kilometre | -0.5% |
| 2006 | 2,347 tonnes per square kilometre | -0.4% |
| 2007 | 2,313 tonnes per square kilometre | -1.5% |
| 2008 | 2,252 tonnes per square kilometre | -2.6% |
| 2009 | 2,042 tonnes per square kilometre | -9.3% |
| 2010 | 2,116 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.6% |
| 2011 | 1,942 tonnes per square kilometre | -8.2% |
| 2012 | 2,015 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.8% |
| 2013 | 1,974 tonnes per square kilometre | -2.0% |
| 2014 | 1,814 tonnes per square kilometre | -8.1% |
| 2015 | 1,746 tonnes per square kilometre | -3.7% |
| 2016 | 1,651 tonnes per square kilometre | -5.5% |
| 2017 | 1,601 tonnes per square kilometre | -3.0% |
| 2018 | 1,570 tonnes per square kilometre | -2.0% |
| 2019 | 1,508 tonnes per square kilometre | -3.9% |
| 2020 | 1,349 tonnes per square kilometre | -10.6% |
| 2021 | 1,415 tonnes per square kilometre | +4.9% |
| 2022 | 1,286 tonnes per square kilometre | -9.1% |
| 2023 | 1,272 tonnes per square kilometre | -1.1% |
| 2024 | 1,293 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.6% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 1,293 tonnes per square kilometre is above the median for high income countries, which is 658.19 tonnes per square kilometre, 2.0× the median. (74 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 1,293 tonnes per square kilometre is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 383.68 tonnes per square kilometre, 3.4× the median. (52 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2,508 tonnes per square kilometre | 2,433 tonnes per square kilometre | 2,597 tonnes per square kilometre | 9 |
| 1970s | 2,601 tonnes per square kilometre | 2,474 tonnes per square kilometre | 2,730 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1980s | 2,321 tonnes per square kilometre | 2,187 tonnes per square kilometre | 2,404 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1990s | 2,399 tonnes per square kilometre | 2,322 tonnes per square kilometre | 2,519 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2000s | 2,310 tonnes per square kilometre | 2,042 tonnes per square kilometre | 2,389 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2010s | 1,794 tonnes per square kilometre | 1,508 tonnes per square kilometre | 2,116 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2020s | 1,323 tonnes per square kilometre | 1,272 tonnes per square kilometre | 1,415 tonnes per square kilometre | 5 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
- 27 Antigua and Barbuda 1,511 tonnes per square kilometre compare
- 28 Seychelles 1,428 tonnes per square kilometre compare
- 29 China 1,309 tonnes per square kilometre compare
- 31 British Virgin Islands 1,275 tonnes per square kilometre compare
- 32 Vietnam 1,183 tonnes per square kilometre compare
- 33 Grenada 1,096 tonnes per square kilometre compare
More climate change data for United Kingdom
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 37,706 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 8,697 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 29,008 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 32.82 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 1,036 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 7,083 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 7,027 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 55.89 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 26.52 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 2 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is carbon dioxide emissions by income level, per square kilometre in United Kingdom?
- Carbon dioxide emissions by income level, per square kilometre in United Kingdom was 1,293 tonnes per square kilometre in 2024, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest carbon dioxide emissions by income level, per square kilometre recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 2,730 tonnes per square kilometre in 1971.
- What is the lowest carbon dioxide emissions by income level, per square kilometre recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,272 tonnes per square kilometre in 2023.
- How does United Kingdom rank for carbon dioxide emissions by income level, per square kilometre?
- United Kingdom ranks 30th out of 204 countries with data for 2024.
- Is carbon dioxide emissions by income level, per square kilometre rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 28.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Carbon dioxide emissions by income level, per square kilometre. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 64 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
Carbon dioxide emissions by income level divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
Carbon dioxide emissions by income level ÷ Land area (sq. km)
Computed from
- Carbon dioxide emissions by income level Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
- Land area FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
Carbon dioxide emissions by income level divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.