What is emissions of air pollutants in Canada?

Emissions of air pollutants in Canada was 2.88 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 Canada?

The highest recorded value was 10.69 million tonnes in 1980.

What is the lowest emissions of air pollutants recorded in Canada?

The lowest recorded value was 165,644 tonnes in 1750.

How does Canada rank for emissions of air pollutants?

Canada ranks 25th out of 220 countries with data for 2022.

Is emissions of air pollutants rising or falling in Canada?

Over the last ten years it is down 15.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.

Where does this Canada 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 Canada

Name: emissions of air pollutants in Canada
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)

Canada: emissions of air pollutants was 2.88 million tonnes in 2022. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2022)

2.88 million tonnes

Change on year

up 0.0%

World rank

25th

of 220 countries

All-time high

10.69 million tonnes

in 1980

All-time low

165,644 tonnes

in 1750

Years of data

273

1750–2022

emissions of air pollutants in Canada, 1750–2022

Source: Hoesly et al. (2024) - Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.

Analysis

Canada recorded 2.88 million tonnes for emissions of air pollutants in 2022.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 15.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, emissions of air pollutants in Canada peaked at 10.69 million tonnes in 1980 and was at its lowest, 165,644 tonnes, in 1750.

Canada ranks 25th of 220 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

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1750s	176,740 tonnes	165,644 tonnes	187,799 tonnes	10
1760s	203,396 tonnes	190,246 tonnes	216,496 tonnes	10
1770s	235,048 tonnes	219,392 tonnes	250,633 tonnes	10
1780s	272,805 tonnes	254,074 tonnes	291,435 tonnes	10
1790s	318,008 tonnes	295,541 tonnes	340,331 tonnes	10
1800s	372,312 tonnes	345,248 tonnes	399,170 tonnes	10
1810s	475,732 tonnes	405,076 tonnes	545,770 tonnes	10
1820s	659,464 tonnes	561,145 tonnes	756,754 tonnes	10
1830s	915,986 tonnes	778,060 tonnes	1.05 million tonnes	10
1840s	1.28 million tonnes	1.08 million tonnes	1.48 million tonnes	10
1850s	1.68 million tonnes	1.50 million tonnes	1.95 million tonnes	10
1860s	2.05 million tonnes	1.94 million tonnes	2.34 million tonnes	10
1870s	2.34 million tonnes	2.22 million tonnes	2.45 million tonnes	10
1880s	2.67 million tonnes	2.53 million tonnes	2.81 million tonnes	10
1890s	2.85 million tonnes	2.81 million tonnes	2.93 million tonnes	10
1900s	3.38 million tonnes	2.96 million tonnes	3.94 million tonnes	10
1910s	4.66 million tonnes	4.17 million tonnes	5.01 million tonnes	10
1920s	5.12 million tonnes	4.73 million tonnes	5.55 million tonnes	10
1930s	5.43 million tonnes	5.05 million tonnes	5.77 million tonnes	10
1940s	6.93 million tonnes	6.03 million tonnes	7.76 million tonnes	10
1950s	8.01 million tonnes	7.71 million tonnes	8.48 million tonnes	10
1960s	7.66 million tonnes	7.45 million tonnes	8.16 million tonnes	10
1970s	9.47 million tonnes	8.49 million tonnes	10.62 million tonnes	10
1980s	9.71 million tonnes	9.33 million tonnes	10.69 million tonnes	10
1990s	8.73 million tonnes	7.45 million tonnes	9.33 million tonnes	10
2000s	5.51 million tonnes	4.11 million tonnes	7.26 million tonnes	10
2010s	3.40 million tonnes	3.12 million tonnes	3.93 million tonnes	10
2020s	2.86 million tonnes	2.83 million tonnes	2.88 million tonnes	3

Countries ranked near Canada

22 Bangladesh 3.12 million tonnes compare
23 Japan 3.06 million tonnes compare
24 Myanmar 3.03 million tonnes compare
26 Nepal 2.60 million tonnes compare
27 France 2.55 million tonnes compare
28 Germany 2.46 million tonnes compare

See the full ranking of 220 places →

More climate change data for Canada

Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.5% (2100)
Population growth 0.9% (2025)
Population, total 41.65 million (2025)
Urban population growth 1.2% (2025)
Urban population 34.52 million (2025)
Urban population 82.9% (2025)
CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 13.42 tonnes per person (2024)
Cumulative CO₂ emissions 35.64 billion tonnes (2024)
CO₂ emissions per capita 13.42 tonnes per person (2024)
CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 13.42 tonnes per person (2024)

All data for Canada →

Frequently asked questions

What is emissions of air pollutants in Canada?: Emissions of air pollutants in Canada was 2.88 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 Canada?: The highest recorded value was 10.69 million tonnes in 1980.
What is the lowest emissions of air pollutants recorded in Canada?: The lowest recorded value was 165,644 tonnes in 1750.
How does Canada rank for emissions of air pollutants?: Canada ranks 25th out of 220 countries with data for 2022.
Is emissions of air pollutants rising or falling in Canada?: Over the last ten years it is down 15.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Canada 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.