CO₂ emissions by sector in Malaysia
Malaysia: CO₂ emissions by sector was 3.93 million tonnes in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
3.93 million tonnes
Change on year
up 3.4%
World rank
58th
of 187 countries
All-time high
5.97 million tonnes
in 2007
All-time low
2.01 million tonnes
in 1991
Years of data
34
1990–2023
CO₂ emissions by sector in Malaysia, 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 Malaysia stood at 3.93 million tonnes.
The figure is up 3.4% on the previous year and down 13.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, co₂ emissions by sector in Malaysia peaked at 5.97 million tonnes in 2007 and was at its lowest, 2.01 million tonnes, in 1991.
Malaysia ranks 58th of 187 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
CO₂ emissions by sector in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 2.05 million tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 2.01 million tonnes | -2.0% |
| 1992 | 2.15 million tonnes | +7.0% |
| 1993 | 2.50 million tonnes | +16.3% |
| 1994 | 2.56 million tonnes | +2.4% |
| 1995 | 2.76 million tonnes | +7.8% |
| 1996 | 3.95 million tonnes | +43.1% |
| 1997 | 3.00 million tonnes | -24.1% |
| 1998 | 3.11 million tonnes | +3.7% |
| 1999 | 3.90 million tonnes | +25.4% |
| 2000 | 3.98 million tonnes | +2.1% |
| 2001 | 3.90 million tonnes | -2.0% |
| 2002 | 4.29 million tonnes | +10.0% |
| 2003 | 3.71 million tonnes | -13.5% |
| 2004 | 4.02 million tonnes | +8.4% |
| 2005 | 4.31 million tonnes | +7.2% |
| 2006 | 4.48 million tonnes | +3.9% |
| 2007 | 5.97 million tonnes | +33.3% |
| 2008 | 5.39 million tonnes | -9.7% |
| 2009 | 4.95 million tonnes | -8.2% |
| 2010 | 5.56 million tonnes | +12.3% |
| 2011 | 5.08 million tonnes | -8.6% |
| 2012 | 4.38 million tonnes | -13.8% |
| 2013 | 4.52 million tonnes | +3.2% |
| 2014 | 4.17 million tonnes | -7.7% |
| 2015 | 3.98 million tonnes | -4.6% |
| 2016 | 4.18 million tonnes | +5.0% |
| 2017 | 5.37 million tonnes | +28.5% |
| 2018 | 3.38 million tonnes | -37.1% |
| 2019 | 3.35 million tonnes | -0.9% |
| 2020 | 4.13 million tonnes | +23.3% |
| 2021 | 3.96 million tonnes | -4.1% |
| 2022 | 3.80 million tonnes | -4.0% |
| 2023 | 3.93 million tonnes | +3.4% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 3.93 million tonnes is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.35 million tonnes, 2.9× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 3.93 million tonnes is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 405,000 tonnes, 9.7× the median. (28 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.80 million tonnes | 2.01 million tonnes | 3.95 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.50 million tonnes | 3.71 million tonnes | 5.97 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.40 million tonnes | 3.35 million tonnes | 5.56 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.96 million tonnes | 3.80 million tonnes | 4.13 million tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
More climate change data for Malaysia
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 621.79 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 4,551 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 1,936 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 2,616 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 7.31 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 93.41 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 7,214 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 3,641 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 3,573 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 13.74 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is co₂ emissions by sector in Malaysia?
- Co₂ emissions by sector in Malaysia was 3.93 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 Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 5.97 million tonnes in 2007.
- What is the lowest co₂ emissions by sector recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.01 million tonnes in 1991.
- How does Malaysia rank for co₂ emissions by sector?
- Malaysia ranks 58th out of 187 countries with data for 2023.
- Is co₂ emissions by sector rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malaysia 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.