What is emissions of air pollutants in Japan?

Emissions of air pollutants in Japan was 3.06 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 Japan?

The highest recorded value was 10.34 million tonnes in 1977.

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

The lowest recorded value was 875,547 tonnes in 1750.

How does Japan rank for emissions of air pollutants?

Japan ranks 23rd out of 220 countries with data for 2022.

Is emissions of air pollutants rising or falling in Japan?

Over the last ten years it is down 31.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.

Where does this Japan 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 Japan

Name: emissions of air pollutants in Japan
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)

Japan: emissions of air pollutants was 3.06 million tonnes in 2022. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2022)

3.06 million tonnes

Change on year

down 1.4%

World rank

23rd

of 220 countries

All-time high

10.34 million tonnes

in 1977

All-time low

875,547 tonnes

in 1750

Years of data

273

1750–2022

emissions of air pollutants in Japan, 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 Japan stood at 3.06 million tonnes.

The figure is down 1.4% on the previous year and down 31.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, emissions of air pollutants in Japan peaked at 10.34 million tonnes in 1977 and was at its lowest, 875,547 tonnes, in 1750.

That places Japan 23rd 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.

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1750s	877,702 tonnes	875,547 tonnes	879,843 tonnes	10
1760s	882,287 tonnes	880,315 tonnes	884,245 tonnes	10
1770s	886,445 tonnes	884,676 tonnes	888,199 tonnes	10
1780s	890,127 tonnes	888,583 tonnes	891,653 tonnes	10
1790s	893,279 tonnes	891,987 tonnes	894,553 tonnes	10
1800s	895,845 tonnes	894,830 tonnes	896,839 tonnes	10
1810s	897,761 tonnes	897,054 tonnes	898,445 tonnes	10
1820s	898,239 tonnes	897,866 tonnes	898,590 tonnes	10
1830s	897,769 tonnes	897,733 tonnes	897,783 tonnes	10
1840s	897,295 tonnes	896,844 tonnes	897,717 tonnes	10
1850s	901,719 tonnes	899,595 tonnes	902,957 tonnes	10
1860s	896,731 tonnes	890,905 tonnes	901,797 tonnes	10
1870s	911,337 tonnes	889,490 tonnes	940,016 tonnes	10
1880s	971,813 tonnes	943,024 tonnes	1.03 million tonnes	10
1890s	1.12 million tonnes	1.05 million tonnes	1.21 million tonnes	10
1900s	1.31 million tonnes	1.24 million tonnes	1.38 million tonnes	10
1910s	1.50 million tonnes	1.36 million tonnes	1.68 million tonnes	10
1920s	1.59 million tonnes	1.53 million tonnes	1.63 million tonnes	10
1930s	1.65 million tonnes	1.45 million tonnes	1.86 million tonnes	10
1940s	2.05 million tonnes	1.45 million tonnes	2.62 million tonnes	10
1950s	2.02 million tonnes	1.84 million tonnes	2.21 million tonnes	10
1960s	4.51 million tonnes	2.74 million tonnes	7.63 million tonnes	10
1970s	9.82 million tonnes	9.07 million tonnes	10.34 million tonnes	10
1980s	8.58 million tonnes	7.80 million tonnes	9.89 million tonnes	10
1990s	7.82 million tonnes	7.48 million tonnes	8.74 million tonnes	10
2000s	6.74 million tonnes	5.07 million tonnes	7.84 million tonnes	10
2010s	4.12 million tonnes	3.42 million tonnes	4.74 million tonnes	10
2020s	3.09 million tonnes	3.06 million tonnes	3.11 million tonnes	3

Countries ranked near Japan

20 Uganda 3.38 million tonnes compare
21 Mexico 3.20 million tonnes compare
22 Bangladesh 3.12 million tonnes compare
24 Myanmar 3.03 million tonnes compare
25 Canada 2.88 million tonnes compare
26 Nepal 2.60 million tonnes compare

See the full ranking of 220 places →

More climate change data for Japan

Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.8% (2100)
Population growth -0.5% (2025)
Population, total 123.37 million (2025)
Urban population growth -0.4% (2025)
Urban population 113.87 million (2025)
Urban population 92.3% (2025)
CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 7.77 tonnes per person (2024)
Cumulative CO₂ emissions 69.61 billion tonnes (2024)
CO₂ emissions per capita 7.77 tonnes per person (2024)
CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 7.77 tonnes per person (2024)

All data for Japan →

Frequently asked questions

What is emissions of air pollutants in Japan?: Emissions of air pollutants in Japan was 3.06 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 Japan?: The highest recorded value was 10.34 million tonnes in 1977.
What is the lowest emissions of air pollutants recorded in Japan?: The lowest recorded value was 875,547 tonnes in 1750.
How does Japan rank for emissions of air pollutants?: Japan ranks 23rd out of 220 countries with data for 2022.
Is emissions of air pollutants rising or falling in Japan?: Over the last ten years it is down 31.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Japan 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.