emissions of air pollutants in Australia
Australia: emissions of air pollutants was 1.56 million tonnes in 2022. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2022)
1.56 million tonnes
Change on year
down 2.8%
World rank
42nd
of 220 countries
All-time high
5.69 million tonnes
in 1990
All-time low
0 tonnes
in 1750
Years of data
273
1750–2022
emissions of air pollutants in Australia, 1750–2022
Source: Hoesly et al. (2024) – Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
The most recent figure for emissions of air pollutants in Australia is 1.56 million tonnes, measured in 2022.
The figure is down 2.8% on the previous year and down 27.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, emissions of air pollutants in Australia peaked at 5.69 million tonnes in 1990 and was at its lowest, 0 tonnes, in 1750.
That places Australia 42nd out of 220 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
emissions of air pollutants in Australia, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1750 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1751 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1752 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1753 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1754 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1755 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1756 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1757 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1758 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1759 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1760 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1761 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1762 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1763 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1764 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1765 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1766 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1767 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1768 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1769 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1770 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1771 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1772 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1773 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1774 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1775 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1776 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1777 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1778 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1779 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1780 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1781 | 16.8 tonnes | — |
| 1782 | 33.6 tonnes | +99.9% |
| 1783 | 50.38 tonnes | +49.9% |
| 1784 | 67.14 tonnes | +33.3% |
| 1785 | 83.9 tonnes | +25.0% |
| 1786 | 100.64 tonnes | +20.0% |
| 1787 | 117.37 tonnes | +16.6% |
| 1788 | 134.09 tonnes | +14.2% |
| 1789 | 150.79 tonnes | +12.5% |
| 1790 | 167.49 tonnes | +11.1% |
| 1791 | 205.97 tonnes | +23.0% |
| 1792 | 244.42 tonnes | +18.7% |
| 1793 | 282.84 tonnes | +15.7% |
| 1794 | 321.22 tonnes | +13.6% |
| 1795 | 359.57 tonnes | +11.9% |
| 1796 | 397.89 tonnes | +10.7% |
| 1797 | 436.17 tonnes | +9.6% |
| 1798 | 474.42 tonnes | +8.8% |
| 1799 | 512.64 tonnes | +8.1% |
| 1800 | 550.82 tonnes | +7.4% |
| 1801 | 678.33 tonnes | +23.1% |
| 1802 | 805.71 tonnes | +18.8% |
| 1803 | 932.96 tonnes | +15.8% |
| 1804 | 1,060 tonnes | +13.6% |
| 1805 | 1,187 tonnes | +12.0% |
| 1806 | 1,314 tonnes | +10.7% |
| 1807 | 1,441 tonnes | +9.6% |
| 1808 | 1,567 tonnes | +8.8% |
| 1809 | 1,694 tonnes | +8.1% |
| 1810 | 1,820 tonnes | +7.5% |
| 1811 | 2,268 tonnes | +24.6% |
| 1812 | 2,716 tonnes | +19.7% |
| 1813 | 3,163 tonnes | +16.5% |
| 1814 | 3,609 tonnes | +14.1% |
| 1815 | 4,055 tonnes | +12.4% |
| 1816 | 4,501 tonnes | +11.0% |
| 1817 | 4,945 tonnes | +9.9% |
| 1818 | 5,390 tonnes | +9.0% |
| 1819 | 5,834 tonnes | +8.2% |
| 1820 | 6,277 tonnes | +7.6% |
| 1821 | 7,718 tonnes | +23.0% |
| 1822 | 9,156 tonnes | +18.6% |
| 1823 | 10,593 tonnes | +15.7% |
| 1824 | 12,027 tonnes | +13.5% |
| 1825 | 13,460 tonnes | +11.9% |
| 1826 | 14,890 tonnes | +10.6% |
| 1827 | 16,319 tonnes | +9.6% |
| 1828 | 17,745 tonnes | +8.7% |
| 1829 | 19,170 tonnes | +8.0% |
| 1830 | 20,592 tonnes | +7.4% |
| 1831 | 23,609 tonnes | +14.6% |
| 1832 | 26,620 tonnes | +12.8% |
| 1833 | 29,627 tonnes | +11.3% |
| 1834 | 32,628 tonnes | +10.1% |
| 1835 | 35,625 tonnes | +9.2% |
| 1836 | 38,617 tonnes | +8.4% |
| 1837 | 41,604 tonnes | +7.7% |
| 1838 | 44,585 tonnes | +7.2% |
| 1839 | 47,562 tonnes | +6.7% |
| 1840 | 50,534 tonnes | +6.2% |
| 1841 | 59,794 tonnes | +18.3% |
| 1842 | 69,036 tonnes | +15.5% |
| 1843 | 78,260 tonnes | +13.4% |
| 1844 | 87,467 tonnes | +11.8% |
| 1845 | 96,655 tonnes | +10.5% |
| 1846 | 105,825 tonnes | +9.5% |
| 1847 | 114,978 tonnes | +8.6% |
| 1848 | 124,112 tonnes | +7.9% |
| 1849 | 133,229 tonnes | +7.3% |
| 1850 | 140,379 tonnes | +5.4% |
| 1851 | 160,750 tonnes | +14.5% |
| 1852 | 181,091 tonnes | +12.7% |
| 1853 | 201,399 tonnes | +11.2% |
| 1854 | 221,671 tonnes | +10.1% |
| 1855 | 241,902 tonnes | +9.1% |
| 1856 | 273,364 tonnes | +13.0% |
| 1857 | 304,779 tonnes | +11.5% |
| 1858 | 336,144 tonnes | +10.3% |
| 1859 | 367,456 tonnes | +9.3% |
| 1860 | 395,759 tonnes | +7.7% |
| 1861 | 412,561 tonnes | +4.2% |
| 1862 | 429,183 tonnes | +4.0% |
| 1863 | 447,063 tonnes | +4.2% |
| 1864 | 465,536 tonnes | +4.1% |
| 1865 | 484,905 tonnes | +4.2% |
| 1866 | 506,705 tonnes | +4.5% |
| 1867 | 526,878 tonnes | +4.0% |
| 1868 | 543,449 tonnes | +3.1% |
| 1869 | 567,214 tonnes | +4.4% |
| 1870 | 586,477 tonnes | +3.4% |
| 1871 | 619,059 tonnes | +5.6% |
| 1872 | 651,796 tonnes | +5.3% |
| 1873 | 685,017 tonnes | +5.1% |
| 1874 | 718,196 tonnes | +4.8% |
| 1875 | 750,911 tonnes | +4.6% |
| 1876 | 780,152 tonnes | +3.9% |
| 1877 | 810,406 tonnes | +3.9% |
| 1878 | 839,805 tonnes | +3.6% |
| 1879 | 871,124 tonnes | +3.7% |
| 1880 | 903,774 tonnes | +3.7% |
| 1881 | 941,797 tonnes | +4.2% |
| 1882 | 982,866 tonnes | +4.4% |
| 1883 | 1.03 million tonnes | +4.4% |
| 1884 | 1.07 million tonnes | +4.2% |
| 1885 | 1.11 million tonnes | +4.0% |
| 1886 | 1.15 million tonnes | +3.4% |
| 1887 | 1.19 million tonnes | +3.4% |
| 1888 | 1.23 million tonnes | +3.4% |
| 1889 | 1.27 million tonnes | +3.0% |
| 1890 | 1.30 million tonnes | +3.0% |
| 1891 | 1.28 million tonnes | -1.5% |
| 1892 | 1.26 million tonnes | -1.7% |
| 1893 | 1.24 million tonnes | -1.9% |
| 1894 | 1.22 million tonnes | -1.8% |
| 1895 | 1.19 million tonnes | -1.9% |
| 1896 | 1.24 million tonnes | +4.0% |
| 1897 | 1.29 million tonnes | +4.0% |
| 1898 | 1.34 million tonnes | +3.8% |
| 1899 | 1.39 million tonnes | +4.0% |
| 1900 | 1.46 million tonnes | +4.5% |
| 1901 | 1.48 million tonnes | +2.0% |
| 1902 | 1.50 million tonnes | +0.7% |
| 1903 | 1.51 million tonnes | +1.2% |
| 1904 | 1.53 million tonnes | +1.2% |
| 1905 | 1.55 million tonnes | +1.4% |
| 1906 | 1.57 million tonnes | +1.0% |
| 1907 | 1.57 million tonnes | +0.1% |
| 1908 | 1.57 million tonnes | -0.0% |
| 1909 | 1.54 million tonnes | -2.0% |
| 1910 | 1.54 million tonnes | +0.3% |
| 1911 | 1.48 million tonnes | -3.9% |
| 1912 | 1.43 million tonnes | -3.9% |
| 1913 | 1.37 million tonnes | -4.0% |
| 1914 | 1.31 million tonnes | -4.3% |
| 1915 | 1.22 million tonnes | -7.0% |
| 1916 | 1.14 million tonnes | -6.5% |
| 1917 | 1.09 million tonnes | -4.4% |
| 1918 | 1.04 million tonnes | -4.1% |
| 1919 | 978,896 tonnes | -6.2% |
| 1920 | 955,630 tonnes | -2.4% |
| 1921 | 921,732 tonnes | -3.5% |
| 1922 | 914,981 tonnes | -0.7% |
| 1923 | 905,073 tonnes | -1.1% |
| 1924 | 908,785 tonnes | +0.4% |
| 1925 | 905,969 tonnes | -0.3% |
| 1926 | 893,524 tonnes | -1.4% |
| 1927 | 894,254 tonnes | +0.1% |
| 1928 | 862,595 tonnes | -3.5% |
| 1929 | 832,933 tonnes | -3.4% |
| 1930 | 811,197 tonnes | -2.6% |
| 1931 | 779,809 tonnes | -3.9% |
| 1932 | 774,792 tonnes | -0.6% |
| 1933 | 771,064 tonnes | -0.5% |
| 1934 | 765,411 tonnes | -0.7% |
| 1935 | 765,060 tonnes | -0.0% |
| 1936 | 778,959 tonnes | +1.8% |
| 1937 | 792,518 tonnes | +1.7% |
| 1938 | 795,727 tonnes | +0.4% |
| 1939 | 817,322 tonnes | +2.7% |
| 1940 | 810,559 tonnes | -0.8% |
| 1941 | 838,038 tonnes | +3.4% |
| 1942 | 850,885 tonnes | +1.5% |
| 1943 | 850,022 tonnes | -0.1% |
| 1944 | 851,669 tonnes | +0.2% |
| 1945 | 850,109 tonnes | -0.2% |
| 1946 | 863,019 tonnes | +1.5% |
| 1947 | 875,890 tonnes | +1.5% |
| 1948 | 882,825 tonnes | +0.8% |
| 1949 | 890,062 tonnes | +0.8% |
| 1950 | 1.45 million tonnes | +62.8% |
| 1951 | 1.57 million tonnes | +8.3% |
| 1952 | 1.57 million tonnes | +0.2% |
| 1953 | 1.45 million tonnes | -7.6% |
| 1954 | 1.72 million tonnes | +18.3% |
| 1955 | 1.84 million tonnes | +7.0% |
| 1956 | 1.94 million tonnes | +5.4% |
| 1957 | 1.97 million tonnes | +1.6% |
| 1958 | 2.05 million tonnes | +3.8% |
| 1959 | 2.13 million tonnes | +4.0% |
| 1960 | 2.35 million tonnes | +10.4% |
| 1961 | 2.38 million tonnes | +1.4% |
| 1962 | 2.46 million tonnes | +3.1% |
| 1963 | 2.56 million tonnes | +4.4% |
| 1964 | 2.68 million tonnes | +4.5% |
| 1965 | 2.80 million tonnes | +4.5% |
| 1966 | 2.87 million tonnes | +2.4% |
| 1967 | 3.00 million tonnes | +4.5% |
| 1968 | 3.13 million tonnes | +4.7% |
| 1969 | 3.31 million tonnes | +5.6% |
| 1970 | 3.38 million tonnes | +2.1% |
| 1971 | 3.52 million tonnes | +4.2% |
| 1972 | 3.71 million tonnes | +5.2% |
| 1973 | 3.94 million tonnes | +6.1% |
| 1974 | 4.04 million tonnes | +2.7% |
| 1975 | 4.18 million tonnes | +3.4% |
| 1976 | 4.28 million tonnes | +2.4% |
| 1977 | 4.44 million tonnes | +3.6% |
| 1978 | 4.55 million tonnes | +2.6% |
| 1979 | 4.68 million tonnes | +2.8% |
| 1980 | 4.67 million tonnes | -0.2% |
| 1981 | 4.72 million tonnes | +1.2% |
| 1982 | 4.82 million tonnes | +2.0% |
| 1983 | 4.73 million tonnes | -1.8% |
| 1984 | 4.87 million tonnes | +2.8% |
| 1985 | 4.98 million tonnes | +2.4% |
| 1986 | 5.09 million tonnes | +2.2% |
| 1987 | 5.11 million tonnes | +0.3% |
| 1988 | 5.31 million tonnes | +3.9% |
| 1989 | 5.50 million tonnes | +3.6% |
| 1990 | 5.69 million tonnes | +3.5% |
| 1991 | 5.30 million tonnes | -6.9% |
| 1992 | 5.21 million tonnes | -1.5% |
| 1993 | 5.19 million tonnes | -0.5% |
| 1994 | 5.05 million tonnes | -2.6% |
| 1995 | 4.96 million tonnes | -1.9% |
| 1996 | 4.82 million tonnes | -2.6% |
| 1997 | 4.69 million tonnes | -2.8% |
| 1998 | 4.55 million tonnes | -2.9% |
| 1999 | 4.41 million tonnes | -3.2% |
| 2000 | 4.30 million tonnes | -2.4% |
| 2001 | 3.90 million tonnes | -9.2% |
| 2002 | 4.06 million tonnes | +3.9% |
| 2003 | 3.83 million tonnes | -5.7% |
| 2004 | 3.67 million tonnes | -4.0% |
| 2005 | 3.34 million tonnes | -9.2% |
| 2006 | 3.21 million tonnes | -3.8% |
| 2007 | 3.08 million tonnes | -4.1% |
| 2008 | 2.96 million tonnes | -3.8% |
| 2009 | 2.52 million tonnes | -15.0% |
| 2010 | 2.31 million tonnes | -8.2% |
| 2011 | 2.27 million tonnes | -1.7% |
| 2012 | 2.14 million tonnes | -5.9% |
| 2013 | 2.11 million tonnes | -1.1% |
| 2014 | 2.01 million tonnes | -5.1% |
| 2015 | 1.94 million tonnes | -3.4% |
| 2016 | 1.90 million tonnes | -1.8% |
| 2017 | 1.90 million tonnes | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 1.81 million tonnes | -4.2% |
| 2019 | 1.79 million tonnes | -1.3% |
| 2020 | 1.64 million tonnes | -8.6% |
| 2021 | 1.60 million tonnes | -2.0% |
| 2022 | 1.56 million tonnes | -2.8% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 1.56 million tonnes is above the median for high income countries, which is 150,374 tonnes, 10.4× the median. (78 countries reporting)
- Australia's 1.56 million tonnes is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 179,591 tonnes, 8.7× the median. (34 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where emissions of air pollutants in Australia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1782 | +99.9% | 16.8 tonnes | 33.6 tonnes |
| 1950 | +62.8% | 890,062 tonnes | 1.45 million tonnes |
| 1783 | +49.9% | 33.6 tonnes | 50.38 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1750s | 0 tonnes | 0 tonnes | 0 tonnes | 10 |
| 1760s | 0 tonnes | 0 tonnes | 0 tonnes | 10 |
| 1770s | 0 tonnes | 0 tonnes | 0 tonnes | 10 |
| 1780s | 75.47 tonnes | 0 tonnes | 150.79 tonnes | 10 |
| 1790s | 340.26 tonnes | 167.49 tonnes | 512.64 tonnes | 10 |
| 1800s | 1,123 tonnes | 550.82 tonnes | 1,694 tonnes | 10 |
| 1810s | 3,830 tonnes | 1,820 tonnes | 5,834 tonnes | 10 |
| 1820s | 12,735 tonnes | 6,277 tonnes | 19,170 tonnes | 10 |
| 1830s | 34,107 tonnes | 20,592 tonnes | 47,562 tonnes | 10 |
| 1840s | 91,989 tonnes | 50,534 tonnes | 133,229 tonnes | 10 |
| 1850s | 242,894 tonnes | 140,379 tonnes | 367,456 tonnes | 10 |
| 1860s | 477,925 tonnes | 395,759 tonnes | 567,214 tonnes | 10 |
| 1870s | 731,294 tonnes | 586,477 tonnes | 871,124 tonnes | 10 |
| 1880s | 1.09 million tonnes | 903,774 tonnes | 1.27 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1890s | 1.28 million tonnes | 1.19 million tonnes | 1.39 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1900s | 1.53 million tonnes | 1.46 million tonnes | 1.57 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1910s | 1.26 million tonnes | 978,896 tonnes | 1.54 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1920s | 899,548 tonnes | 832,933 tonnes | 955,630 tonnes | 10 |
| 1930s | 785,186 tonnes | 765,060 tonnes | 817,322 tonnes | 10 |
| 1940s | 856,308 tonnes | 810,559 tonnes | 890,062 tonnes | 10 |
| 1950s | 1.77 million tonnes | 1.45 million tonnes | 2.13 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1960s | 2.75 million tonnes | 2.35 million tonnes | 3.31 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1970s | 4.07 million tonnes | 3.38 million tonnes | 4.68 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 4.98 million tonnes | 4.67 million tonnes | 5.50 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.99 million tonnes | 4.41 million tonnes | 5.69 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.49 million tonnes | 2.52 million tonnes | 4.30 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.02 million tonnes | 1.79 million tonnes | 2.31 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.60 million tonnes | 1.56 million tonnes | 1.64 million tonnes | 3 |
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 emissions of air pollutants in Australia?
- Emissions of air pollutants in Australia was 1.56 million tonnes in 2022, according to Hoesly et al. (2024) – Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest emissions of air pollutants recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 5.69 million tonnes in 1990.
- What is the lowest emissions of air pollutants recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 tonnes in 1750.
- How does Australia rank for emissions of air pollutants?
- Australia ranks 42nd out of 220 countries with data for 2022.
- Is emissions of air pollutants rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 27.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Hoesly et al. (2024) – Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of emissions of air pollutants. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 273 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Carbon monoxide (CO) is a pollutant produced from the incomplete combustion of carbon-based fuels such as oil, gas, wood, and coal. CO is a harmful gas that contributes to both outdoor and indoor air pollution.