CO₂ emissions from domestic air travel in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: CO₂ emissions from domestic air travel was 1.58 million tonnes in 2024. ▼ Falling
CO₂ emissions from domestic air travel in United Kingdom, 2013–2024
Source: OECD (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
In 2024, co₂ emissions from domestic air travel in United Kingdom stood at 1.58 million tonnes. That is the highest value across all 12 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 6.0% on the previous year and up 6.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, co₂ emissions from domestic air travel in United Kingdom peaked at 1.58 million tonnes in 2024 and was at its lowest, 587,461 tonnes, in 2020.
That places United Kingdom 24th out of 143 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 12 years of available data.
CO₂ emissions from domestic air travel in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 1.57 million tonnes | — |
| 2014 | 1.49 million tonnes | -5.2% |
| 2015 | 1.52 million tonnes | +2.0% |
| 2016 | 1.54 million tonnes | +1.1% |
| 2017 | 1.53 million tonnes | -0.6% |
| 2018 | 1.47 million tonnes | -3.6% |
| 2019 | 1.27 million tonnes | -13.8% |
| 2020 | 587,461 tonnes | -53.7% |
| 2021 | 789,770 tonnes | +34.4% |
| 2022 | 1.23 million tonnes | +55.9% |
| 2023 | 1.50 million tonnes | +21.5% |
| 2024 | 1.58 million tonnes | +6.0% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 1.58 million tonnes is above the median for high income countries, which is 54,643 tonnes, 29.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 1.58 million tonnes is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 49,016 tonnes, 32.3× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 1.48 million tonnes | 1.27 million tonnes | 1.57 million tonnes | 7 |
| 2020s | 1.14 million tonnes | 587,461 tonnes | 1.58 million tonnes | 5 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More climate change data for United Kingdom
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 37,706 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 8,697 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 29,008 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 32.82 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 1,036 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 7,083 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 7,027 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 55.89 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 26.52 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 2 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is co₂ emissions from domestic air travel in United Kingdom?
- Co₂ emissions from domestic air travel in United Kingdom was 1.58 million tonnes in 2024, according to OECD (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest co₂ emissions from domestic air travel recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 1.58 million tonnes in 2024.
- What is the lowest co₂ emissions from domestic air travel recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 587,461 tonnes in 2020.
- How does United Kingdom rank for co₂ emissions from domestic air travel?
- United Kingdom ranks 24th out of 143 countries with data for 2024.
- Is co₂ emissions from domestic air travel rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
- The figures come from OECD (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of CO₂ emissions from domestic air travel. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 12 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Domestic aviation represents flights which depart and arrive within the same country. CO₂ emissions from commercial passenger flights only.