emissions of air pollutants in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: emissions of air pollutants was 1.21 million tonnes in 2022. ◆ Volatile
emissions of air pollutants in United Kingdom, 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 United Kingdom stood at 1.21 million tonnes. That is the lowest value across all 273 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.6% on the previous year and down 29.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, emissions of air pollutants in United Kingdom peaked at 13.85 million tonnes in 1956 and was at its lowest, 1.21 million tonnes, in 2022.
United Kingdom ranks 48th 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 | 1.30 million tonnes | 1.28 million tonnes | 1.32 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1760s | 1.38 million tonnes | 1.32 million tonnes | 1.41 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1770s | 1.48 million tonnes | 1.41 million tonnes | 1.52 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1780s | 1.61 million tonnes | 1.52 million tonnes | 1.67 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1790s | 1.77 million tonnes | 1.67 million tonnes | 1.89 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1800s | 2.02 million tonnes | 1.91 million tonnes | 2.10 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1810s | 2.36 million tonnes | 2.09 million tonnes | 2.57 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1820s | 2.84 million tonnes | 2.60 million tonnes | 3.06 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1830s | 3.69 million tonnes | 3.48 million tonnes | 4.03 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1840s | 4.61 million tonnes | 4.15 million tonnes | 5.25 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1850s | 5.50 million tonnes | 5.18 million tonnes | 5.90 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1860s | 6.09 million tonnes | 5.82 million tonnes | 6.39 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1870s | 6.10 million tonnes | 5.79 million tonnes | 6.24 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1880s | 6.91 million tonnes | 6.56 million tonnes | 7.18 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1890s | 7.55 million tonnes | 6.67 million tonnes | 8.23 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1900s | 8.97 million tonnes | 8.17 million tonnes | 9.73 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1910s | 9.17 million tonnes | 8.41 million tonnes | 9.83 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1920s | 10.88 million tonnes | 6.25 million tonnes | 13.08 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1930s | 11.89 million tonnes | 11.10 million tonnes | 12.67 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1940s | 11.94 million tonnes | 11.10 million tonnes | 12.67 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1950s | 13.44 million tonnes | 12.93 million tonnes | 13.85 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1960s | 12.01 million tonnes | 10.22 million tonnes | 13.80 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1970s | 8.59 million tonnes | 7.87 million tonnes | 10.02 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 7.87 million tonnes | 7.28 million tonnes | 8.59 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 7.21 million tonnes | 5.66 million tonnes | 8.42 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.53 million tonnes | 2.03 million tonnes | 5.12 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.57 million tonnes | 1.30 million tonnes | 1.91 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.22 million tonnes | 1.21 million tonnes | 1.23 million tonnes | 3 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More climate change data for United Kingdom
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.7% (2100)
- Population growth 0.3% (2025)
- Population, total 69.49 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 0.4% (2025)
- Urban population 57.90 million (2025)
- Urban population 83.3% (2025)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 4.53 tonnes per person (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions 80.08 billion tonnes (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita 4.53 tonnes per person (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 4.53 tonnes per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is emissions of air pollutants in United Kingdom?
- Emissions of air pollutants in United Kingdom was 1.21 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 United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 13.85 million tonnes in 1956.
- What is the lowest emissions of air pollutants recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.21 million tonnes in 2022.
- How does United Kingdom rank for emissions of air pollutants?
- United Kingdom ranks 48th out of 220 countries with data for 2022.
- Is emissions of air pollutants rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 29.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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.