emissions of air pollutants in Belgium
Belgium: emissions of air pollutants was 308,427 tonnes in 2022. ▲ Rising
Latest (2022)
308,427 tonnes
Change on year
down 0.7%
World rank
104th
of 220 countries
All-time high
2.13 million tonnes
in 1913
All-time low
291,047 tonnes
in 2020
Years of data
273
1750–2022
emissions of air pollutants in Belgium, 1750–2022
Source: Hoesly et al. (2024) – Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
Belgium recorded 308,427 tonnes for emissions of air pollutants in 2022.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.7% on the previous year and down 14.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, emissions of air pollutants in Belgium peaked at 2.13 million tonnes in 1913 and was at its lowest, 291,047 tonnes, in 2020.
That places Belgium 104th out of 220 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 273 years of available data.
emissions of air pollutants in Belgium, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1750 | 1.06 million tonnes | — |
| 1751 | 1.07 million tonnes | +0.1% |
| 1752 | 1.07 million tonnes | +0.1% |
| 1753 | 1.07 million tonnes | +0.1% |
| 1754 | 1.07 million tonnes | +0.1% |
| 1755 | 1.07 million tonnes | +0.1% |
| 1756 | 1.07 million tonnes | +0.1% |
| 1757 | 1.07 million tonnes | +0.1% |
| 1758 | 1.08 million tonnes | +0.1% |
| 1759 | 1.08 million tonnes | +0.1% |
| 1760 | 1.08 million tonnes | +0.1% |
| 1761 | 1.08 million tonnes | +0.1% |
| 1762 | 1.08 million tonnes | +0.1% |
| 1763 | 1.08 million tonnes | +0.1% |
| 1764 | 1.08 million tonnes | +0.1% |
| 1765 | 1.08 million tonnes | +0.1% |
| 1766 | 1.08 million tonnes | +0.1% |
| 1767 | 1.08 million tonnes | +0.1% |
| 1768 | 1.08 million tonnes | +0.1% |
| 1769 | 1.09 million tonnes | +0.1% |
| 1770 | 1.09 million tonnes | +0.1% |
| 1771 | 1.09 million tonnes | +0.1% |
| 1772 | 1.09 million tonnes | +0.1% |
| 1773 | 1.09 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1774 | 1.09 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1775 | 1.09 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1776 | 1.09 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1777 | 1.09 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1778 | 1.09 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1779 | 1.09 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1780 | 1.09 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1781 | 1.09 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1782 | 1.09 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1783 | 1.09 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1784 | 1.09 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1785 | 1.09 million tonnes | -0.0% |
| 1786 | 1.09 million tonnes | -0.0% |
| 1787 | 1.09 million tonnes | -0.0% |
| 1788 | 1.09 million tonnes | -0.0% |
| 1789 | 1.09 million tonnes | -0.0% |
| 1790 | 1.09 million tonnes | -0.0% |
| 1791 | 1.09 million tonnes | -0.0% |
| 1792 | 1.09 million tonnes | -0.0% |
| 1793 | 1.09 million tonnes | -0.0% |
| 1794 | 1.09 million tonnes | -0.0% |
| 1795 | 1.09 million tonnes | -0.0% |
| 1796 | 1.09 million tonnes | -0.0% |
| 1797 | 1.09 million tonnes | -0.0% |
| 1798 | 1.09 million tonnes | -0.1% |
| 1799 | 1.09 million tonnes | -0.1% |
| 1800 | 1.08 million tonnes | -0.1% |
| 1801 | 1.08 million tonnes | -0.1% |
| 1802 | 1.11 million tonnes | +2.4% |
| 1803 | 1.08 million tonnes | -2.5% |
| 1804 | 1.08 million tonnes | -0.1% |
| 1805 | 1.08 million tonnes | -0.1% |
| 1806 | 1.08 million tonnes | -0.1% |
| 1807 | 1.08 million tonnes | -0.1% |
| 1808 | 1.08 million tonnes | -0.1% |
| 1809 | 1.08 million tonnes | -0.1% |
| 1810 | 1.08 million tonnes | -0.1% |
| 1811 | 1.07 million tonnes | -0.1% |
| 1812 | 1.07 million tonnes | -0.1% |
| 1813 | 1.07 million tonnes | -0.1% |
| 1814 | 1.07 million tonnes | -0.1% |
| 1815 | 1.07 million tonnes | -0.1% |
| 1816 | 1.07 million tonnes | -0.1% |
| 1817 | 1.07 million tonnes | -0.1% |
| 1818 | 1.07 million tonnes | -0.1% |
| 1819 | 1.06 million tonnes | -0.1% |
| 1820 | 1.06 million tonnes | -0.1% |
| 1821 | 1.07 million tonnes | +0.3% |
| 1822 | 1.07 million tonnes | +0.3% |
| 1823 | 1.07 million tonnes | +0.3% |
| 1824 | 1.07 million tonnes | +0.3% |
| 1825 | 1.08 million tonnes | +0.3% |
| 1826 | 1.08 million tonnes | +0.3% |
| 1827 | 1.08 million tonnes | +0.3% |
| 1828 | 1.09 million tonnes | +0.2% |
| 1829 | 1.09 million tonnes | +0.2% |
| 1830 | 1.12 million tonnes | +2.6% |
| 1831 | 1.10 million tonnes | -1.1% |
| 1832 | 1.10 million tonnes | -0.4% |
| 1833 | 1.09 million tonnes | -0.5% |
| 1834 | 1.09 million tonnes | -0.5% |
| 1835 | 1.08 million tonnes | -0.4% |
| 1836 | 1.08 million tonnes | -0.2% |
| 1837 | 1.08 million tonnes | -0.3% |
| 1838 | 1.07 million tonnes | -0.4% |
| 1839 | 1.07 million tonnes | -0.3% |
| 1840 | 1.07 million tonnes | -0.1% |
| 1841 | 1.07 million tonnes | -0.0% |
| 1842 | 1.07 million tonnes | +0.2% |
| 1843 | 1.07 million tonnes | -0.1% |
| 1844 | 1.07 million tonnes | +0.3% |
| 1845 | 1.08 million tonnes | +0.2% |
| 1846 | 1.08 million tonnes | +0.3% |
| 1847 | 1.08 million tonnes | +0.2% |
| 1848 | 1.08 million tonnes | -0.4% |
| 1849 | 1.08 million tonnes | +0.2% |
| 1850 | 1.08 million tonnes | -0.1% |
| 1851 | 1.09 million tonnes | +0.8% |
| 1852 | 1.10 million tonnes | +1.0% |
| 1853 | 1.11 million tonnes | +0.6% |
| 1854 | 1.12 million tonnes | +0.9% |
| 1855 | 1.12 million tonnes | +0.4% |
| 1856 | 1.12 million tonnes | +0.2% |
| 1857 | 1.13 million tonnes | +0.5% |
| 1858 | 1.14 million tonnes | +0.6% |
| 1859 | 1.14 million tonnes | +0.4% |
| 1860 | 1.14 million tonnes | +0.3% |
| 1861 | 1.15 million tonnes | +0.6% |
| 1862 | 1.15 million tonnes | -0.4% |
| 1863 | 1.15 million tonnes | +0.4% |
| 1864 | 1.16 million tonnes | +0.3% |
| 1865 | 1.16 million tonnes | +0.4% |
| 1866 | 1.18 million tonnes | +1.8% |
| 1867 | 1.20 million tonnes | +1.9% |
| 1868 | 1.19 million tonnes | -1.3% |
| 1869 | 1.20 million tonnes | +1.3% |
| 1870 | 1.24 million tonnes | +3.4% |
| 1871 | 1.22 million tonnes | -1.7% |
| 1872 | 1.23 million tonnes | +0.8% |
| 1873 | 1.25 million tonnes | +1.5% |
| 1874 | 1.22 million tonnes | -2.8% |
| 1875 | 1.22 million tonnes | +0.2% |
| 1876 | 1.20 million tonnes | -1.7% |
| 1877 | 1.17 million tonnes | -2.4% |
| 1878 | 1.19 million tonnes | +1.3% |
| 1879 | 1.18 million tonnes | -0.5% |
| 1880 | 1.21 million tonnes | +2.1% |
| 1881 | 1.20 million tonnes | -0.2% |
| 1882 | 1.22 million tonnes | +1.7% |
| 1883 | 1.25 million tonnes | +2.0% |
| 1884 | 1.24 million tonnes | -0.9% |
| 1885 | 1.22 million tonnes | -1.2% |
| 1886 | 1.19 million tonnes | -2.8% |
| 1887 | 1.20 million tonnes | +0.8% |
| 1888 | 1.21 million tonnes | +1.0% |
| 1889 | 1.20 million tonnes | -0.6% |
| 1890 | 1.23 million tonnes | +2.2% |
| 1891 | 1.20 million tonnes | -2.2% |
| 1892 | 1.20 million tonnes | +0.2% |
| 1893 | 1.18 million tonnes | -1.9% |
| 1894 | 1.24 million tonnes | +5.5% |
| 1895 | 1.25 million tonnes | +0.8% |
| 1896 | 1.28 million tonnes | +2.2% |
| 1897 | 1.30 million tonnes | +1.3% |
| 1898 | 1.31 million tonnes | +1.2% |
| 1899 | 1.34 million tonnes | +2.1% |
| 1900 | 1.38 million tonnes | +2.8% |
| 1901 | 1.32 million tonnes | -4.5% |
| 1902 | 1.34 million tonnes | +2.1% |
| 1903 | 1.40 million tonnes | +4.1% |
| 1904 | 1.35 million tonnes | -3.4% |
| 1905 | 1.34 million tonnes | -0.7% |
| 1906 | 1.46 million tonnes | +9.1% |
| 1907 | 1.48 million tonnes | +1.1% |
| 1908 | 1.47 million tonnes | -0.5% |
| 1909 | 1.47 million tonnes | -0.1% |
| 1910 | 1.53 million tonnes | +3.9% |
| 1911 | 1.69 million tonnes | +10.3% |
| 1912 | 1.91 million tonnes | +13.0% |
| 1913 | 2.13 million tonnes | +11.7% |
| 1914 | 1.55 million tonnes | -27.0% |
| 1915 | 1.46 million tonnes | -5.9% |
| 1916 | 1.69 million tonnes | +15.6% |
| 1917 | 1.35 million tonnes | -20.2% |
| 1918 | 1.21 million tonnes | -10.4% |
| 1919 | 1.37 million tonnes | +13.2% |
| 1920 | 1.50 million tonnes | +9.7% |
| 1921 | 1.35 million tonnes | -9.8% |
| 1922 | 1.42 million tonnes | +5.0% |
| 1923 | 1.65 million tonnes | +15.9% |
| 1924 | 1.68 million tonnes | +1.6% |
| 1925 | 1.63 million tonnes | -2.8% |
| 1926 | 1.63 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1927 | 1.80 million tonnes | +10.6% |
| 1928 | 1.74 million tonnes | -3.6% |
| 1929 | 1.84 million tonnes | +6.1% |
| 1930 | 1.76 million tonnes | -4.4% |
| 1931 | 1.67 million tonnes | -5.3% |
| 1932 | 1.46 million tonnes | -12.5% |
| 1933 | 1.56 million tonnes | +6.8% |
| 1934 | 1.63 million tonnes | +4.4% |
| 1935 | 1.60 million tonnes | -1.6% |
| 1936 | 1.66 million tonnes | +3.6% |
| 1937 | 1.91 million tonnes | +15.3% |
| 1938 | 1.71 million tonnes | -10.9% |
| 1939 | 1.65 million tonnes | -3.5% |
| 1940 | 1.45 million tonnes | -11.9% |
| 1941 | 1.54 million tonnes | +6.2% |
| 1942 | 1.51 million tonnes | -1.8% |
| 1943 | 1.50 million tonnes | -0.7% |
| 1944 | 1.05 million tonnes | -30.1% |
| 1945 | 1.17 million tonnes | +11.2% |
| 1946 | 1.44 million tonnes | +23.6% |
| 1947 | 1.79 million tonnes | +24.3% |
| 1948 | 1.78 million tonnes | -0.6% |
| 1949 | 1.64 million tonnes | -7.7% |
| 1950 | 1.51 million tonnes | -8.4% |
| 1951 | 1.67 million tonnes | +11.2% |
| 1952 | 1.59 million tonnes | -5.3% |
| 1953 | 1.52 million tonnes | -3.9% |
| 1954 | 1.54 million tonnes | +1.4% |
| 1955 | 1.61 million tonnes | +4.0% |
| 1956 | 1.65 million tonnes | +2.7% |
| 1957 | 1.62 million tonnes | -2.1% |
| 1958 | 1.50 million tonnes | -7.4% |
| 1959 | 1.48 million tonnes | -1.1% |
| 1960 | 1.53 million tonnes | +3.1% |
| 1961 | 1.54 million tonnes | +1.2% |
| 1962 | 1.63 million tonnes | +5.3% |
| 1963 | 1.76 million tonnes | +8.2% |
| 1964 | 1.57 million tonnes | -10.7% |
| 1965 | 1.60 million tonnes | +1.6% |
| 1966 | 1.50 million tonnes | -5.8% |
| 1967 | 1.54 million tonnes | +2.8% |
| 1968 | 1.68 million tonnes | +8.6% |
| 1969 | 1.70 million tonnes | +1.4% |
| 1970 | 1.72 million tonnes | +1.4% |
| 1971 | 1.62 million tonnes | -6.2% |
| 1972 | 1.66 million tonnes | +2.7% |
| 1973 | 1.70 million tonnes | +2.3% |
| 1974 | 1.68 million tonnes | -1.1% |
| 1975 | 1.63 million tonnes | -2.8% |
| 1976 | 1.70 million tonnes | +4.2% |
| 1977 | 1.75 million tonnes | +2.6% |
| 1978 | 1.75 million tonnes | +0.3% |
| 1979 | 1.73 million tonnes | -1.3% |
| 1980 | 1.70 million tonnes | -2.0% |
| 1981 | 1.57 million tonnes | -7.7% |
| 1982 | 1.46 million tonnes | -6.7% |
| 1983 | 1.41 million tonnes | -3.8% |
| 1984 | 1.46 million tonnes | +4.0% |
| 1985 | 1.46 million tonnes | -0.4% |
| 1986 | 1.46 million tonnes | +0.4% |
| 1987 | 1.48 million tonnes | +1.0% |
| 1988 | 1.52 million tonnes | +3.1% |
| 1989 | 1.52 million tonnes | -0.0% |
| 1990 | 1.52 million tonnes | -0.3% |
| 1991 | 1.46 million tonnes | -3.8% |
| 1992 | 1.46 million tonnes | +0.2% |
| 1993 | 1.38 million tonnes | -5.3% |
| 1994 | 1.32 million tonnes | -4.6% |
| 1995 | 1.29 million tonnes | -2.6% |
| 1996 | 1.24 million tonnes | -3.5% |
| 1997 | 1.12 million tonnes | -9.9% |
| 1998 | 1.06 million tonnes | -5.0% |
| 1999 | 994,518 tonnes | -6.5% |
| 2000 | 1.01 million tonnes | +1.4% |
| 2001 | 936,215 tonnes | -7.2% |
| 2002 | 978,852 tonnes | +4.6% |
| 2003 | 935,412 tonnes | -4.4% |
| 2004 | 883,160 tonnes | -5.6% |
| 2005 | 819,751 tonnes | -7.2% |
| 2006 | 763,170 tonnes | -6.9% |
| 2007 | 639,881 tonnes | -16.2% |
| 2008 | 645,766 tonnes | +0.9% |
| 2009 | 445,115 tonnes | -31.1% |
| 2010 | 516,961 tonnes | +16.1% |
| 2011 | 417,484 tonnes | -19.2% |
| 2012 | 358,862 tonnes | -14.0% |
| 2013 | 529,806 tonnes | +47.6% |
| 2014 | 333,864 tonnes | -37.0% |
| 2015 | 384,164 tonnes | +15.1% |
| 2016 | 371,221 tonnes | -3.4% |
| 2017 | 308,128 tonnes | -17.0% |
| 2018 | 360,462 tonnes | +17.0% |
| 2019 | 391,242 tonnes | +8.5% |
| 2020 | 291,047 tonnes | -25.6% |
| 2021 | 310,578 tonnes | +6.7% |
| 2022 | 308,427 tonnes | -0.7% |
Belgium compared with similar countries
- Belgium's 308,427 tonnes is above the median for high income countries, which is 150,374 tonnes, 2.1× the median. (78 countries reporting)
- Belgium's 308,427 tonnes is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 280,480 tonnes, 1.1× the median. (52 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where emissions of air pollutants in Belgium 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | +47.6% | 358,862 tonnes | 529,806 tonnes |
| 2014 | -37.0% | 529,806 tonnes | 333,864 tonnes |
| 2009 | -31.1% | 645,766 tonnes | 445,115 tonnes |
| 1944 | -30.1% | 1.50 million tonnes | 1.05 million tonnes |
| 1914 | -27.0% | 2.13 million tonnes | 1.55 million tonnes |
| 2020 | -25.6% | 391,242 tonnes | 291,047 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1750s | 1.07 million tonnes | 1.06 million tonnes | 1.08 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1760s | 1.08 million tonnes | 1.08 million tonnes | 1.09 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1770s | 1.09 million tonnes | 1.09 million tonnes | 1.09 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1780s | 1.09 million tonnes | 1.09 million tonnes | 1.09 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1790s | 1.09 million tonnes | 1.09 million tonnes | 1.09 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1800s | 1.08 million tonnes | 1.08 million tonnes | 1.11 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1810s | 1.07 million tonnes | 1.06 million tonnes | 1.08 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1820s | 1.08 million tonnes | 1.06 million tonnes | 1.09 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1830s | 1.09 million tonnes | 1.07 million tonnes | 1.12 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1840s | 1.08 million tonnes | 1.07 million tonnes | 1.08 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1850s | 1.11 million tonnes | 1.08 million tonnes | 1.14 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1860s | 1.17 million tonnes | 1.14 million tonnes | 1.20 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1870s | 1.21 million tonnes | 1.17 million tonnes | 1.25 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1880s | 1.21 million tonnes | 1.19 million tonnes | 1.25 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1890s | 1.25 million tonnes | 1.18 million tonnes | 1.34 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1900s | 1.40 million tonnes | 1.32 million tonnes | 1.48 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1910s | 1.59 million tonnes | 1.21 million tonnes | 2.13 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1920s | 1.62 million tonnes | 1.35 million tonnes | 1.84 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1930s | 1.66 million tonnes | 1.46 million tonnes | 1.91 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1940s | 1.49 million tonnes | 1.05 million tonnes | 1.79 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1950s | 1.57 million tonnes | 1.48 million tonnes | 1.67 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1960s | 1.60 million tonnes | 1.50 million tonnes | 1.76 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.70 million tonnes | 1.62 million tonnes | 1.75 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.50 million tonnes | 1.41 million tonnes | 1.70 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.28 million tonnes | 994,518 tonnes | 1.52 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 805,618 tonnes | 445,115 tonnes | 1.01 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 397,219 tonnes | 308,128 tonnes | 529,806 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 303,351 tonnes | 291,047 tonnes | 310,578 tonnes | 3 |
Countries ranked near Belgium
More climate change data for Belgium
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 143.51 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 8,360 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 1,763 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 6,597 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 6.65 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 235.6 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 1,004 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 993.72 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 10.01 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 3.75 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is emissions of air pollutants in Belgium?
- Emissions of air pollutants in Belgium was 308,427 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 Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 2.13 million tonnes in 1913.
- What is the lowest emissions of air pollutants recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 291,047 tonnes in 2020.
- How does Belgium rank for emissions of air pollutants?
- Belgium ranks 104th out of 220 countries with data for 2022.
- Is emissions of air pollutants rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Belgium 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.