CO₂ emissions by sector in Australia
Australia: CO₂ emissions by sector was 12.95 million tonnes in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
12.95 million tonnes
Change on year
down 4.1%
World rank
34th
of 187 countries
All-time high
14.44 million tonnes
in 2015
All-time low
8.63 million tonnes
in 1990
Years of data
34
1990–2023
CO₂ emissions by sector in Australia, 1990–2023
Source: Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
Australia recorded 12.95 million tonnes for co₂ emissions by sector in 2023.
That represents a change of down 4.1% on the previous year and down 5.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, co₂ emissions by sector in Australia peaked at 14.44 million tonnes in 2015 and was at its lowest, 8.63 million tonnes, in 1990.
Australia ranks 34th of 187 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
CO₂ emissions by sector in Australia, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 8.63 million tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 8.68 million tonnes | +0.6% |
| 1992 | 9.01 million tonnes | +3.8% |
| 1993 | 9.37 million tonnes | +4.0% |
| 1994 | 9.16 million tonnes | -2.2% |
| 1995 | 9.72 million tonnes | +6.1% |
| 1996 | 10.09 million tonnes | +3.8% |
| 1997 | 10.17 million tonnes | +0.8% |
| 1998 | 10.40 million tonnes | +2.3% |
| 1999 | 10.31 million tonnes | -0.9% |
| 2000 | 10.57 million tonnes | +2.5% |
| 2001 | 10.84 million tonnes | +2.6% |
| 2002 | 11.14 million tonnes | +2.8% |
| 2003 | 11.31 million tonnes | +1.5% |
| 2004 | 11.25 million tonnes | -0.5% |
| 2005 | 11.36 million tonnes | +1.0% |
| 2006 | 11.56 million tonnes | +1.8% |
| 2007 | 11.82 million tonnes | +2.2% |
| 2008 | 11.92 million tonnes | +0.8% |
| 2009 | 12.53 million tonnes | +5.1% |
| 2010 | 12.68 million tonnes | +1.2% |
| 2011 | 13.14 million tonnes | +3.6% |
| 2012 | 13.40 million tonnes | +2.0% |
| 2013 | 13.68 million tonnes | +2.1% |
| 2014 | 14.17 million tonnes | +3.6% |
| 2015 | 14.44 million tonnes | +1.9% |
| 2016 | 13.36 million tonnes | -7.5% |
| 2017 | 13.62 million tonnes | +1.9% |
| 2018 | 13.47 million tonnes | -1.1% |
| 2019 | 13.30 million tonnes | -1.3% |
| 2020 | 13.64 million tonnes | +2.6% |
| 2021 | 13.68 million tonnes | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 13.50 million tonnes | -1.3% |
| 2023 | 12.95 million tonnes | -4.1% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 12.95 million tonnes is above the median for high income countries, which is 2.00 million tonnes, 6.5× the median. (60 countries reporting)
- Australia's 12.95 million tonnes is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 405,000 tonnes, 32.0× the median. (28 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 9.55 million tonnes | 8.63 million tonnes | 10.40 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 11.43 million tonnes | 10.57 million tonnes | 12.53 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 13.53 million tonnes | 12.68 million tonnes | 14.44 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 13.44 million tonnes | 12.95 million tonnes | 13.68 million tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 31 Egypt 15.94 million tonnes compare
- 32 South Africa 15.88 million tonnes compare
- 33 Ukraine 14.32 million tonnes compare
- 35 Bangladesh 10.08 million tonnes compare
- 36 Philippines 9.94 million tonnes compare
- 37 Azerbaijan 9.86 million tonnes compare
More climate change data for Australia
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 1.30 billion kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 118,578 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 34,162 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 84,416 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 128.91 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 3,015 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 12,473 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 10,966 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 1,507 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 41.38 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is co₂ emissions by sector in Australia?
- Co₂ emissions by sector in Australia was 12.95 million tonnes in 2023, according to Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest co₂ emissions by sector recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 14.44 million tonnes in 2015.
- What is the lowest co₂ emissions by sector recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.63 million tonnes in 1990.
- How does Australia rank for co₂ emissions by sector?
- Australia ranks 34th out of 187 countries with data for 2023.
- Is co₂ emissions by sector rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of CO₂ emissions by sector. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Emissions are measured in tonnes.