What is emissions of air pollutants in Ireland?

Emissions of air pollutants in Ireland was 108,109 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 Ireland?

The highest recorded value was 1.05 million tonnes in 1840.

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

The lowest recorded value was 108,109 tonnes in 2022.

How does Ireland rank for emissions of air pollutants?

Ireland ranks 142nd out of 220 regions with data for 2022.

Is emissions of air pollutants rising or falling in Ireland?

Over the last ten years it is down 43.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.

Where does this Ireland 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 Ireland

Name: emissions of air pollutants in Ireland
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)

Ireland: emissions of air pollutants was 108,109 tonnes in 2022. ▼ Falling

Latest (2022)

108,109 tonnes

Change on year

down 12.3%

Rank

142nd

of 220 regions

All-time high

1.05 million tonnes

in 1840

All-time low

108,109 tonnes

in 2022

Years of data

273

1750–2022

emissions of air pollutants in Ireland, 1750–2022

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

Analysis

In 2022, emissions of air pollutants in Ireland stood at 108,109 tonnes. That is the lowest value across all 273 years on record.

The figure is down 12.3% on the previous year and down 43.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, emissions of air pollutants in Ireland peaked at 1.05 million tonnes in 1840 and was at its lowest, 108,109 tonnes, in 2022.

That places Ireland 142nd out of 220 regions with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 273 years of available data.

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1750s	509,606 tonnes	507,689 tonnes	511,510 tonnes	10
1760s	505,304 tonnes	503,336 tonnes	507,258 tonnes	10
1770s	527,711 tonnes	502,895 tonnes	552,284 tonnes	10
1780s	603,314 tonnes	557,671 tonnes	648,525 tonnes	10
1790s	678,032 tonnes	658,441 tonnes	697,409 tonnes	10
1800s	744,466 tonnes	701,649 tonnes	786,852 tonnes	10
1810s	855,122 tonnes	796,139 tonnes	913,512 tonnes	10
1820s	961,293 tonnes	926,306 tonnes	995,889 tonnes	10
1830s	1.03 million tonnes	1.00 million tonnes	1.05 million tonnes	10
1840s	960,791 tonnes	870,716 tonnes	1.05 million tonnes	10
1850s	775,930 tonnes	742,822 tonnes	874,362 tonnes	10
1860s	719,917 tonnes	702,606 tonnes	738,931 tonnes	10
1870s	690,639 tonnes	686,109 tonnes	699,754 tonnes	10
1880s	658,794 tonnes	630,730 tonnes	702,489 tonnes	10
1890s	612,188 tonnes	602,963 tonnes	626,432 tonnes	10
1900s	573,136 tonnes	544,908 tonnes	599,207 tonnes	10
1910s	499,584 tonnes	457,308 tonnes	550,794 tonnes	10
1920s	531,857 tonnes	277,638 tonnes	791,006 tonnes	10
1930s	715,037 tonnes	558,512 tonnes	769,285 tonnes	10
1940s	586,562 tonnes	500,228 tonnes	758,605 tonnes	10
1950s	590,578 tonnes	443,073 tonnes	675,118 tonnes	10
1960s	450,421 tonnes	392,477 tonnes	527,074 tonnes	10
1970s	519,361 tonnes	465,200 tonnes	596,477 tonnes	10
1980s	582,503 tonnes	526,531 tonnes	617,110 tonnes	10
1990s	445,347 tonnes	335,086 tonnes	559,841 tonnes	10
2000s	278,095 tonnes	232,542 tonnes	323,544 tonnes	10
2010s	174,688 tonnes	125,682 tonnes	216,120 tonnes	10
2020s	117,442 tonnes	108,109 tonnes	123,321 tonnes	3

Countries ranked near Ireland

139 Jamaica 120,820 tonnes compare
140 Hong Kong 119,214 tonnes compare
141 Georgia 109,073 tonnes compare
143 Lithuania 106,776 tonnes compare
144 Estonia 105,763 tonnes compare
145 Latvia 101,213 tonnes compare

See the full ranking of 220 places →

More climate change data for Ireland

Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.1% (2100)
Population growth 1.6% (2025)
Population, total 5.48 million (2025)
Urban population growth 2.0% (2025)
Urban population 3.54 million (2025)
Urban population 64.6% (2025)
CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 6.34 tonnes per person (2024)
Cumulative CO₂ emissions 2.37 billion tonnes (2024)
CO₂ emissions per capita 6.34 tonnes per person (2024)
CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 6.34 tonnes per person (2024)

All data for Ireland →

Frequently asked questions

What is emissions of air pollutants in Ireland?: Emissions of air pollutants in Ireland was 108,109 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 Ireland?: The highest recorded value was 1.05 million tonnes in 1840.
What is the lowest emissions of air pollutants recorded in Ireland?: The lowest recorded value was 108,109 tonnes in 2022.
How does Ireland rank for emissions of air pollutants?: Ireland ranks 142nd out of 220 regions with data for 2022.
Is emissions of air pollutants rising or falling in Ireland?: Over the last ten years it is down 43.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Ireland 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.