Share of CO₂ emissions covered by a carbon price in United Kingdom

United Kingdom: Share of CO₂ emissions covered by a carbon price was 32.6% in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
32.6%
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
44th
of 200 countries
All-time high
49.8%
in 2006
All-time low
0.0%
in 1989
Years of data
37
1989–2025

Share of CO₂ emissions covered by a carbon price in United Kingdom, 1989–2025

010203040501989200720251989: 0 %1990: 0 %1991: 0 %1992: 0 %1993: 0 %1994: 0 %1995: 0 %1996: 0 %1997: 0 %1998: 0 %1999: 0 %2000: 0 %2001: 0 %2002: 0 %2003: 0 %2004: 0 %2005: 48.8 %2006: 49.8 %2007: 49.3 %2008: 48.6 %2009: 46.4 %2010: 46.5 %2011: 47.1 %2012: 47.9 %2013: 46.6 %2014: 44.9 %2015: 41.1 %2016: 36.6 %2017: 34.8 %2018: 33.5 %2019: 32.5 %2020: 32.2 %2021: 31.6 %2022: 32.6 %2023: 32.6 %2024: 32.6 %2025: 32.6 %

Source: Dolphin and Merkle (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2025, share of co₂ emissions covered by a carbon price in United Kingdom stood at 32.6%.

That represents a change of down 20.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of co₂ emissions covered by a carbon price in United Kingdom peaked at 49.8% in 2006 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1989.

United Kingdom ranks 44th of 200 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1
1990s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 10
2000s 24.3% 0.0% 49.8% 10
2010s 41.2% 32.5% 47.9% 10
2020s 32.3% 31.6% 32.6% 6

Countries ranked near United Kingdom

  1. 41 Canada 37.8% compare
  2. 42 Belgium 36.2% compare
  3. 43 Hungary 33.3% compare
  4. 45 Lithuania 28.6% compare
  5. 46 Latvia 23.6% compare
  6. 47 Colombia 20.3% compare

See the full ranking of 200 places →

More climate change data for United Kingdom

All data for United Kingdom →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of co₂ emissions covered by a carbon price in United Kingdom?
Share of co₂ emissions covered by a carbon price in United Kingdom was 32.6% in 2025, according to Dolphin and Merkle (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of co₂ emissions covered by a carbon price recorded in United Kingdom?
The highest recorded value was 49.8% in 2006.
What is the lowest share of co₂ emissions covered by a carbon price recorded in United Kingdom?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1989.
How does United Kingdom rank for share of co₂ emissions covered by a carbon price?
United Kingdom ranks 44th out of 200 countries with data for 2025.
Is share of co₂ emissions covered by a carbon price rising or falling in United Kingdom?
Over the last ten years it is down 20.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
The figures come from Dolphin and Merkle (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of CO₂ emissions covered by a carbon price. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 37 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Share of CO₂ emissions covered by a carbon price
Unit
%
Source
Dolphin and Merkle (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
200 places, 7,400 data points, 1989–2025
Last refreshed

Carbon dioxide emissions are included in this figure if they are covered by a carbon tax or trading system.