CO₂ emissions from transport in Australia
Australia: CO₂ emissions from transport was 96.69 million tonnes in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
96.69 million tonnes
Change on year
up 8.4%
World rank
18th
of 191 countries
All-time high
97.27 million tonnes
in 2018
All-time low
60.59 million tonnes
in 1991
Years of data
34
1990–2023
CO₂ emissions from transport in Australia, 1990–2023
Source: Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
Australia recorded 96.69 million tonnes for co₂ emissions from transport in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 8.4% on the previous year and up 5.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, co₂ emissions from transport in Australia peaked at 97.27 million tonnes in 2018 and was at its lowest, 60.59 million tonnes, in 1991.
That places Australia 18th out of 191 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
CO₂ emissions from transport in Australia, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 62.03 million tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 60.59 million tonnes | -2.3% |
| 1992 | 62.08 million tonnes | +2.5% |
| 1993 | 63.19 million tonnes | +1.8% |
| 1994 | 64.83 million tonnes | +2.6% |
| 1995 | 67.54 million tonnes | +4.2% |
| 1996 | 70.02 million tonnes | +3.7% |
| 1997 | 71.39 million tonnes | +2.0% |
| 1998 | 71.39 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 72.77 million tonnes | +1.9% |
| 2000 | 75.01 million tonnes | +3.1% |
| 2001 | 74.42 million tonnes | -0.8% |
| 2002 | 76.13 million tonnes | +2.3% |
| 2003 | 76.41 million tonnes | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 79.18 million tonnes | +3.6% |
| 2005 | 79.33 million tonnes | +0.2% |
| 2006 | 81.25 million tonnes | +2.4% |
| 2007 | 83.58 million tonnes | +2.9% |
| 2008 | 85.30 million tonnes | +2.1% |
| 2009 | 84.94 million tonnes | -0.4% |
| 2010 | 87.63 million tonnes | +3.2% |
| 2011 | 89.77 million tonnes | +2.4% |
| 2012 | 90.43 million tonnes | +0.7% |
| 2013 | 91.83 million tonnes | +1.5% |
| 2014 | 92.03 million tonnes | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 91.92 million tonnes | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 93.28 million tonnes | +1.5% |
| 2017 | 94.86 million tonnes | +1.7% |
| 2018 | 97.27 million tonnes | +2.5% |
| 2019 | 97.04 million tonnes | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 90.50 million tonnes | -6.7% |
| 2021 | 87.53 million tonnes | -3.3% |
| 2022 | 89.19 million tonnes | +1.9% |
| 2023 | 96.69 million tonnes | +8.4% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 96.69 million tonnes is above the median for high income countries, which is 12.23 million tonnes, 7.9× the median. (60 countries reporting)
- Australia's 96.69 million tonnes is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3.11 million tonnes, 31.1× the median. (30 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 66.58 million tonnes | 60.59 million tonnes | 72.77 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 79.56 million tonnes | 74.42 million tonnes | 85.30 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 92.61 million tonnes | 87.63 million tonnes | 97.27 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 90.98 million tonnes | 87.53 million tonnes | 96.69 million tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Australia
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 from transport in Australia?
- Co₂ emissions from transport in Australia was 96.69 million tonnes in 2023, according to Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest co₂ emissions from transport recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 97.27 million tonnes in 2018.
- What is the lowest co₂ emissions from transport recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 60.59 million tonnes in 1991.
- How does Australia rank for co₂ emissions from transport?
- Australia ranks 18th out of 191 countries with data for 2023.
- Is co₂ emissions from transport rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 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 from transport. 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.