CO₂ emissions per capita in Australia
Australia: CO₂ emissions per capita was 14.48 tonnes per person in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
14.48 tonnes per person
Change on year
down 0.4%
World rank
11th
of 213 countries
All-time high
19.06 tonnes per person
in 2004
All-time low
0 tonnes per person
in 1750
Years of data
230
1750–2024
CO₂ emissions per capita in Australia, 1750–2024
Source: Global Carbon Budget (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes per person.
Analysis
Australia recorded 14.48 tonnes per person for co₂ emissions per capita in 2024.
The figure is down 0.4% on the previous year and down 13.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, co₂ emissions per capita in Australia peaked at 19.06 tonnes per person in 2004 and was at its lowest, 0 tonnes per person, in 1750.
Australia ranks 11th of 213 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
CO₂ emissions per capita in Australia, year by year
| Year | tonnes per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1750 | 0 tonnes per person | — |
| 1760 | 0 tonnes per person | — |
| 1770 | 0 tonnes per person | — |
| 1780 | 0 tonnes per person | — |
| 1790 | 0 tonnes per person | — |
| 1800 | 0 tonnes per person | — |
| 1801 | 0 tonnes per person | — |
| 1802 | 0 tonnes per person | — |
| 1803 | 0 tonnes per person | — |
| 1804 | 0 tonnes per person | — |
| 1805 | 0.001 tonnes per person | — |
| 1806 | 0.0028 tonnes per person | +173.0% |
| 1807 | 0.0026 tonnes per person | -7.2% |
| 1808 | 0.0032 tonnes per person | +22.0% |
| 1809 | 0.005 tonnes per person | +55.9% |
| 1810 | 0.0049 tonnes per person | -2.6% |
| 1811 | 0.0083 tonnes per person | +70.6% |
| 1812 | 0.0081 tonnes per person | -2.5% |
| 1813 | 0.0101 tonnes per person | +25.3% |
| 1814 | 0.012 tonnes per person | +18.8% |
| 1815 | 0.0094 tonnes per person | -22.2% |
| 1816 | 0.0076 tonnes per person | -19.2% |
| 1817 | 0.0066 tonnes per person | -12.6% |
| 1818 | 0.0059 tonnes per person | -10.0% |
| 1819 | 0.0109 tonnes per person | +83.8% |
| 1820 | 0.0187 tonnes per person | +71.5% |
| 1821 | 0.0095 tonnes per person | -49.4% |
| 1822 | 0.0118 tonnes per person | +24.5% |
| 1823 | 0.0142 tonnes per person | +20.1% |
| 1824 | 0.0142 tonnes per person | +0.1% |
| 1825 | 0.0086 tonnes per person | -39.1% |
| 1826 | 0.0192 tonnes per person | +121.9% |
| 1827 | 0.0178 tonnes per person | -7.1% |
| 1828 | 0.0114 tonnes per person | -35.8% |
| 1829 | 0.0182 tonnes per person | +58.7% |
| 1830 | 0.0172 tonnes per person | -5.6% |
| 1831 | 0.0042 tonnes per person | -75.6% |
| 1832 | 0.0324 tonnes per person | +675.8% |
| 1833 | 0.0302 tonnes per person | -6.9% |
| 1834 | 0.0367 tonnes per person | +21.7% |
| 1835 | 0.0523 tonnes per person | +42.5% |
| 1836 | 0.0521 tonnes per person | -0.4% |
| 1837 | 0.0647 tonnes per person | +24.1% |
| 1838 | 0.0677 tonnes per person | +4.5% |
| 1839 | 0.0814 tonnes per person | +20.3% |
| 1840 | 0.1124 tonnes per person | +38.1% |
| 1841 | 0.1254 tonnes per person | +11.6% |
| 1842 | 0.1388 tonnes per person | +10.7% |
| 1843 | 0.0867 tonnes per person | -37.5% |
| 1844 | 0.0747 tonnes per person | -13.8% |
| 1845 | 0.0696 tonnes per person | -6.9% |
| 1846 | 0.1171 tonnes per person | +68.3% |
| 1847 | 0.118 tonnes per person | +0.8% |
| 1848 | 0.127 tonnes per person | +7.6% |
| 1849 | 0.1295 tonnes per person | +2.0% |
| 1850 | 0.18 tonnes per person | +39.0% |
| 1851 | 0.1604 tonnes per person | -10.9% |
| 1852 | 0.149 tonnes per person | -7.1% |
| 1853 | 0.1979 tonnes per person | +32.8% |
| 1854 | 0.2205 tonnes per person | +11.4% |
| 1855 | 0.2396 tonnes per person | +8.7% |
| 1856 | 0.307 tonnes per person | +28.2% |
| 1857 | 0.3145 tonnes per person | +2.4% |
| 1858 | 0.2991 tonnes per person | -4.9% |
| 1859 | 0.3984 tonnes per person | +33.2% |
| 1860 | 0.4655 tonnes per person | +16.8% |
| 1861 | 0.415 tonnes per person | -10.8% |
| 1862 | 0.5614 tonnes per person | +35.3% |
| 1863 | 0.4989 tonnes per person | -11.1% |
| 1864 | 0.6075 tonnes per person | +21.8% |
| 1865 | 0.6362 tonnes per person | +4.7% |
| 1866 | 0.8126 tonnes per person | +27.7% |
| 1867 | 0.7647 tonnes per person | -5.9% |
| 1868 | 0.9181 tonnes per person | +20.1% |
| 1869 | 0.8539 tonnes per person | -7.0% |
| 1870 | 0.7969 tonnes per person | -6.7% |
| 1871 | 0.7993 tonnes per person | +0.3% |
| 1872 | 0.8875 tonnes per person | +11.0% |
| 1873 | 1.03 tonnes per person | +15.5% |
| 1874 | 1.11 tonnes per person | +7.8% |
| 1875 | 1.09 tonnes per person | -1.3% |
| 1876 | 1.08 tonnes per person | -1.4% |
| 1877 | 1.16 tonnes per person | +7.6% |
| 1878 | 1.22 tonnes per person | +5.7% |
| 1879 | 1.2 tonnes per person | -1.7% |
| 1880 | 1.1 tonnes per person | -8.7% |
| 1881 | 1.28 tonnes per person | +16.7% |
| 1882 | 1.47 tonnes per person | +15.0% |
| 1883 | 1.71 tonnes per person | +16.1% |
| 1884 | 1.81 tonnes per person | +5.6% |
| 1885 | 1.88 tonnes per person | +3.9% |
| 1886 | 1.8 tonnes per person | -4.2% |
| 1887 | 1.81 tonnes per person | +0.5% |
| 1888 | 1.95 tonnes per person | +7.9% |
| 1889 | 2.11 tonnes per person | +8.0% |
| 1890 | 1.79 tonnes per person | -15.2% |
| 1891 | 2.2 tonnes per person | +23.2% |
| 1892 | 2.02 tonnes per person | -8.2% |
| 1893 | 1.77 tonnes per person | -12.3% |
| 1894 | 1.97 tonnes per person | +10.9% |
| 1895 | 2 tonnes per person | +1.6% |
| 1896 | 2.08 tonnes per person | +4.2% |
| 1897 | 2.26 tonnes per person | +8.3% |
| 1898 | 2.39 tonnes per person | +5.7% |
| 1899 | 2.4 tonnes per person | +0.4% |
| 1900 | 2.75 tonnes per person | +14.9% |
| 1901 | 3.05 tonnes per person | +10.7% |
| 1902 | 2.99 tonnes per person | -2.0% |
| 1903 | 2.9 tonnes per person | -3.0% |
| 1904 | 2.93 tonnes per person | +1.3% |
| 1905 | 3.02 tonnes per person | +2.8% |
| 1906 | 3.54 tonnes per person | +17.3% |
| 1907 | 3.76 tonnes per person | +6.2% |
| 1908 | 4.01 tonnes per person | +6.8% |
| 1909 | 3.43 tonnes per person | -14.6% |
| 1910 | 4.09 tonnes per person | +19.4% |
| 1911 | 4.43 tonnes per person | +8.3% |
| 1912 | 4.72 tonnes per person | +6.6% |
| 1913 | 4.97 tonnes per person | +5.4% |
| 1914 | 5.33 tonnes per person | +7.1% |
| 1915 | 4.67 tonnes per person | -12.4% |
| 1916 | 4.08 tonnes per person | -12.6% |
| 1917 | 4.29 tonnes per person | +5.3% |
| 1918 | 4.61 tonnes per person | +7.3% |
| 1919 | 4.29 tonnes per person | -6.9% |
| 1920 | 4.99 tonnes per person | +16.3% |
| 1921 | 4.42 tonnes per person | -11.3% |
| 1922 | 4.55 tonnes per person | +2.8% |
| 1923 | 4.6 tonnes per person | +1.1% |
| 1924 | 4.95 tonnes per person | +7.7% |
| 1925 | 5.11 tonnes per person | +3.2% |
| 1926 | 5.01 tonnes per person | -2.0% |
| 1927 | 5.19 tonnes per person | +3.7% |
| 1928 | 4.73 tonnes per person | -8.9% |
| 1929 | 4.31 tonnes per person | -8.8% |
| 1930 | 4.09 tonnes per person | -5.1% |
| 1931 | 3.52 tonnes per person | -14.0% |
| 1932 | 3.56 tonnes per person | +1.1% |
| 1933 | 3.79 tonnes per person | +6.6% |
| 1934 | 3.98 tonnes per person | +4.9% |
| 1935 | 4.36 tonnes per person | +9.6% |
| 1936 | 4.7 tonnes per person | +7.9% |
| 1937 | 4.99 tonnes per person | +6.2% |
| 1938 | 4.94 tonnes per person | -1.0% |
| 1939 | 5.51 tonnes per person | +11.6% |
| 1940 | 5.07 tonnes per person | -8.0% |
| 1941 | 5.57 tonnes per person | +9.8% |
| 1942 | 5.87 tonnes per person | +5.3% |
| 1943 | 5.66 tonnes per person | -3.5% |
| 1944 | 5.55 tonnes per person | -2.0% |
| 1945 | 5.21 tonnes per person | -6.1% |
| 1946 | 5.6 tonnes per person | +7.4% |
| 1947 | 5.77 tonnes per person | +3.1% |
| 1948 | 5.96 tonnes per person | +3.3% |
| 1949 | 5.99 tonnes per person | +0.5% |
| 1950 | 6.8 tonnes per person | +13.6% |
| 1951 | 7.25 tonnes per person | +6.6% |
| 1952 | 7.23 tonnes per person | -0.3% |
| 1953 | 7.15 tonnes per person | -1.2% |
| 1954 | 7.55 tonnes per person | +5.6% |
| 1955 | 7.82 tonnes per person | +3.6% |
| 1956 | 8.01 tonnes per person | +2.5% |
| 1957 | 7.83 tonnes per person | -2.2% |
| 1958 | 7.91 tonnes per person | +1.1% |
| 1959 | 8.26 tonnes per person | +4.3% |
| 1960 | 8.51 tonnes per person | +3.0% |
| 1961 | 8.29 tonnes per person | -2.6% |
| 1962 | 8.49 tonnes per person | +2.5% |
| 1963 | 8.8 tonnes per person | +3.6% |
| 1964 | 9.3 tonnes per person | +5.8% |
| 1965 | 10 tonnes per person | +7.5% |
| 1966 | 9.98 tonnes per person | -0.2% |
| 1967 | 10.35 tonnes per person | +3.7% |
| 1968 | 10.7 tonnes per person | +3.4% |
| 1969 | 11.12 tonnes per person | +3.8% |
| 1970 | 11.74 tonnes per person | +5.6% |
| 1971 | 11.63 tonnes per person | -0.9% |
| 1972 | 11.54 tonnes per person | -0.7% |
| 1973 | 12.59 tonnes per person | +9.0% |
| 1974 | 12.11 tonnes per person | -3.8% |
| 1975 | 12.46 tonnes per person | +2.9% |
| 1976 | 12.09 tonnes per person | -3.0% |
| 1977 | 12.81 tonnes per person | +5.9% |
| 1978 | 13.3 tonnes per person | +3.8% |
| 1979 | 13.23 tonnes per person | -0.5% |
| 1980 | 13.88 tonnes per person | +4.9% |
| 1981 | 14.3 tonnes per person | +3.0% |
| 1982 | 14.35 tonnes per person | +0.3% |
| 1983 | 13.47 tonnes per person | -6.1% |
| 1984 | 13.92 tonnes per person | +3.4% |
| 1985 | 14.18 tonnes per person | +1.8% |
| 1986 | 13.94 tonnes per person | -1.7% |
| 1987 | 14.37 tonnes per person | +3.1% |
| 1988 | 14.51 tonnes per person | +0.9% |
| 1989 | 15.23 tonnes per person | +4.9% |
| 1990 | 16.24 tonnes per person | +6.6% |
| 1991 | 16.1 tonnes per person | -0.8% |
| 1992 | 16.21 tonnes per person | +0.7% |
| 1993 | 16.29 tonnes per person | +0.5% |
| 1994 | 16.41 tonnes per person | +0.7% |
| 1995 | 16.85 tonnes per person | +2.7% |
| 1996 | 17.04 tonnes per person | +1.1% |
| 1997 | 17.31 tonnes per person | +1.6% |
| 1998 | 17.86 tonnes per person | +3.2% |
| 1999 | 18.18 tonnes per person | +1.8% |
| 2000 | 18.29 tonnes per person | +0.6% |
| 2001 | 18.47 tonnes per person | +1.0% |
| 2002 | 18.5 tonnes per person | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 18.71 tonnes per person | +1.1% |
| 2004 | 19.06 tonnes per person | +1.9% |
| 2005 | 18.97 tonnes per person | -0.4% |
| 2006 | 19.01 tonnes per person | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 19.04 tonnes per person | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 18.92 tonnes per person | -0.6% |
| 2009 | 18.68 tonnes per person | -1.2% |
| 2010 | 18.29 tonnes per person | -2.1% |
| 2011 | 17.97 tonnes per person | -1.8% |
| 2012 | 17.72 tonnes per person | -1.4% |
| 2013 | 17.12 tonnes per person | -3.4% |
| 2014 | 16.64 tonnes per person | -2.8% |
| 2015 | 16.73 tonnes per person | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 16.84 tonnes per person | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 16.72 tonnes per person | -0.7% |
| 2018 | 16.51 tonnes per person | -1.2% |
| 2019 | 16.28 tonnes per person | -1.4% |
| 2020 | 15.48 tonnes per person | -4.9% |
| 2021 | 14.97 tonnes per person | -3.3% |
| 2022 | 14.66 tonnes per person | -2.1% |
| 2023 | 14.53 tonnes per person | -0.9% |
| 2024 | 14.48 tonnes per person | -0.4% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 14.48 tonnes per person is above the median for high income countries, which is 6.14 tonnes per person, 2.4× the median. (74 countries reporting)
- Australia's 14.48 tonnes per person is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3.21 tonnes per person, 4.5× the median. (34 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where CO₂ emissions per capita in Australia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | +675.8% | 0.0042 tonnes per person | 0.0324 tonnes per person |
| 1806 | +173.0% | 0.001 tonnes per person | 0.0028 tonnes per person |
| 1826 | +121.9% | 0.0086 tonnes per person | 0.0192 tonnes per person |
| 1819 | +83.8% | 0.0059 tonnes per person | 0.0109 tonnes per person |
| 1831 | -75.6% | 0.0172 tonnes per person | 0.0042 tonnes per person |
| 1820 | +71.5% | 0.0109 tonnes per person | 0.0187 tonnes per person |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1750s | 0 tonnes per person | 0 tonnes per person | 0 tonnes per person | 1 |
| 1760s | 0 tonnes per person | 0 tonnes per person | 0 tonnes per person | 1 |
| 1770s | 0 tonnes per person | 0 tonnes per person | 0 tonnes per person | 1 |
| 1780s | 0 tonnes per person | 0 tonnes per person | 0 tonnes per person | 1 |
| 1790s | 0 tonnes per person | 0 tonnes per person | 0 tonnes per person | 1 |
| 1800s | 0.0015 tonnes per person | 0 tonnes per person | 0.005 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 1810s | 0.0084 tonnes per person | 0.0049 tonnes per person | 0.012 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 1820s | 0.0144 tonnes per person | 0.0086 tonnes per person | 0.0192 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 1830s | 0.0439 tonnes per person | 0.0042 tonnes per person | 0.0814 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 1840s | 0.1099 tonnes per person | 0.0696 tonnes per person | 0.1388 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 1850s | 0.2466 tonnes per person | 0.149 tonnes per person | 0.3984 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 1860s | 0.6534 tonnes per person | 0.415 tonnes per person | 0.9181 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 1870s | 1.04 tonnes per person | 0.7969 tonnes per person | 1.22 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 1880s | 1.69 tonnes per person | 1.1 tonnes per person | 2.11 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 1890s | 2.09 tonnes per person | 1.77 tonnes per person | 2.4 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 1900s | 3.24 tonnes per person | 2.75 tonnes per person | 4.01 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 1910s | 4.55 tonnes per person | 4.08 tonnes per person | 5.33 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 1920s | 4.79 tonnes per person | 4.31 tonnes per person | 5.19 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 1930s | 4.34 tonnes per person | 3.52 tonnes per person | 5.51 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 1940s | 5.62 tonnes per person | 5.07 tonnes per person | 5.99 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 1950s | 7.58 tonnes per person | 6.8 tonnes per person | 8.26 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 1960s | 9.55 tonnes per person | 8.29 tonnes per person | 11.12 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 1970s | 12.35 tonnes per person | 11.54 tonnes per person | 13.3 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 14.22 tonnes per person | 13.47 tonnes per person | 15.23 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 16.85 tonnes per person | 16.1 tonnes per person | 18.18 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 18.76 tonnes per person | 18.29 tonnes per person | 19.06 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 17.08 tonnes per person | 16.28 tonnes per person | 18.29 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 14.82 tonnes per person | 14.48 tonnes per person | 15.48 tonnes per person | 5 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 8 New Caledonia 18.06 tonnes per person compare
- 9 Sint Maarten (Dutch part) 16.55 tonnes per person compare
- 10 Oman 15.65 tonnes per person compare
- 12 United States 14.2 tonnes per person compare
- 13 Kazakhstan 13.94 tonnes per person compare
- 14 Canada 13.42 tonnes per person 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 per capita in Australia?
- Co₂ emissions per capita in Australia was 14.48 tonnes per person in 2024, according to Global Carbon Budget (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest co₂ emissions per capita recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 19.06 tonnes per person in 2004.
- What is the lowest co₂ emissions per capita recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 tonnes per person in 1750.
- How does Australia rank for co₂ emissions per capita?
- Australia ranks 11th out of 213 countries with data for 2024.
- Is co₂ emissions per capita rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Global Carbon Budget (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of CO₂ emissions per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 230 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from burning fossil fuels and industrial processes. This includes emissions from transport, electricity generation, and heating, but not land-use change.