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.

emissions of air pollutants in Belgium

Name: emissions of air pollutants in Belgium
Creator: Hoesly et al. (2024) - Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

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.

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

101 Slovakia 318,746 tonnes compare
102 Serbia 316,128 tonnes compare
103 Israel 315,167 tonnes compare
105 Finland 297,833 tonnes compare
106 Papua New Guinea 292,055 tonnes compare
107 Bhutan 290,484 tonnes compare

See the full ranking of 220 places →

More climate change data for Belgium

Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.1% (2100)
Population growth 0.7% (2025)
Population, total 11.94 million (2025)
Urban population growth 0.8% (2025)
Urban population 10.47 million (2025)
Urban population 87.7% (2025)
CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 7.28 tonnes per person (2024)
Cumulative CO₂ emissions 12.91 billion tonnes (2024)
CO₂ emissions per capita 7.28 tonnes per person (2024)
CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 7.28 tonnes per person (2024)

All data for Belgium →

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

Indicator: emissions of air pollutants
Unit: tonnes
Source: Hoesly et al. (2024) - Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 220 places, 60,060 data points, 1750–2022
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

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.