CO₂ emissions by sector in Belgium
Belgium: CO₂ emissions by sector was 17.13 million tonnes in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
17.13 million tonnes
Change on year
down 3.5%
World rank
29th
of 187 countries
All-time high
31.58 million tonnes
in 1996
All-time low
17.13 million tonnes
in 2023
Years of data
34
1990–2023
CO₂ emissions by sector in Belgium, 1990–2023
Source: Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
In 2023, co₂ emissions by sector in Belgium stood at 17.13 million tonnes. That is the lowest value across all 34 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.5% on the previous year and down 33.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, co₂ emissions by sector in Belgium peaked at 31.58 million tonnes in 1996 and was at its lowest, 17.13 million tonnes, in 2023.
Belgium ranks 29th of 187 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
CO₂ emissions by sector in Belgium, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 24.66 million tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 27.52 million tonnes | +11.6% |
| 1992 | 27.42 million tonnes | -0.4% |
| 1993 | 26.65 million tonnes | -2.8% |
| 1994 | 25.97 million tonnes | -2.6% |
| 1995 | 27.20 million tonnes | +4.7% |
| 1996 | 31.58 million tonnes | +16.1% |
| 1997 | 29.27 million tonnes | -7.3% |
| 1998 | 29.02 million tonnes | -0.9% |
| 1999 | 27.48 million tonnes | -5.3% |
| 2000 | 26.52 million tonnes | -3.5% |
| 2001 | 27.60 million tonnes | +4.1% |
| 2002 | 26.35 million tonnes | -4.5% |
| 2003 | 28.31 million tonnes | +7.4% |
| 2004 | 27.85 million tonnes | -1.6% |
| 2005 | 27.64 million tonnes | -0.8% |
| 2006 | 25.71 million tonnes | -7.0% |
| 2007 | 22.77 million tonnes | -11.4% |
| 2008 | 26.77 million tonnes | +17.6% |
| 2009 | 24.82 million tonnes | -7.3% |
| 2010 | 27.23 million tonnes | +9.7% |
| 2011 | 22.29 million tonnes | -18.1% |
| 2012 | 23.51 million tonnes | +5.5% |
| 2013 | 25.66 million tonnes | +9.1% |
| 2014 | 20.36 million tonnes | -20.7% |
| 2015 | 23.22 million tonnes | +14.0% |
| 2016 | 22.91 million tonnes | -1.3% |
| 2017 | 22.70 million tonnes | -0.9% |
| 2018 | 22.44 million tonnes | -1.1% |
| 2019 | 20.28 million tonnes | -9.6% |
| 2020 | 20.46 million tonnes | +0.9% |
| 2021 | 21.70 million tonnes | +6.1% |
| 2022 | 17.75 million tonnes | -18.2% |
| 2023 | 17.13 million tonnes | -3.5% |
Belgium compared with similar countries
- Belgium's 17.13 million tonnes is above the median for high income countries, which is 2.00 million tonnes, 8.5× the median. (60 countries reporting)
- Belgium's 17.13 million tonnes is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 4.03 million tonnes, 4.3× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 27.68 million tonnes | 24.66 million tonnes | 31.58 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 26.43 million tonnes | 22.77 million tonnes | 28.31 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 23.06 million tonnes | 20.28 million tonnes | 27.23 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 19.26 million tonnes | 17.13 million tonnes | 21.70 million tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Belgium
- 26 Turkmenistan 17.71 million tonnes compare
- 27 United Arab Emirates 17.54 million tonnes compare
- 28 Netherlands 17.18 million tonnes compare
- 30 Iraq 16.61 million tonnes compare
- 31 Egypt 15.94 million tonnes compare
- 32 South Africa 15.88 million tonnes compare
More climate change data for Belgium
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 143.51 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 8,360 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 1,763 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 6,597 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 6.65 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 235.6 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 1,004 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 993.72 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 10.01 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 3.75 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is co₂ emissions by sector in Belgium?
- Co₂ emissions by sector in Belgium was 17.13 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 Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 31.58 million tonnes in 1996.
- What is the lowest co₂ emissions by sector recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.13 million tonnes in 2023.
- How does Belgium rank for co₂ emissions by sector?
- Belgium ranks 29th out of 187 countries with data for 2023.
- Is co₂ emissions by sector rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is down 33.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Belgium 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.