CO₂ emissions from transport in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: CO₂ emissions from transport was 7.53 million tonnes in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
7.53 million tonnes
Change on year
down 14.5%
World rank
78th
of 191 countries
All-time high
11.29 million tonnes
in 2016
All-time low
2.50 million tonnes
in 1990
Years of data
34
1990–2023
CO₂ emissions from transport in Sri Lanka, 1990–2023
Source: Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
In 2023, co₂ emissions from transport in Sri Lanka stood at 7.53 million tonnes.
That represents a change of down 14.5% on the previous year and down 2.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, co₂ emissions from transport in Sri Lanka peaked at 11.29 million tonnes in 2016 and was at its lowest, 2.50 million tonnes, in 1990.
Sri Lanka ranks 78th of 191 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 from transport in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 2.50 million tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 2.51 million tonnes | +0.4% |
| 1992 | 2.80 million tonnes | +11.6% |
| 1993 | 2.99 million tonnes | +6.8% |
| 1994 | 3.48 million tonnes | +16.4% |
| 1995 | 3.70 million tonnes | +6.3% |
| 1996 | 5.07 million tonnes | +37.0% |
| 1997 | 4.67 million tonnes | -7.9% |
| 1998 | 4.88 million tonnes | +4.5% |
| 1999 | 5.40 million tonnes | +10.7% |
| 2000 | 5.16 million tonnes | -4.4% |
| 2001 | 5.22 million tonnes | +1.2% |
| 2002 | 5.31 million tonnes | +1.7% |
| 2003 | 5.66 million tonnes | +6.6% |
| 2004 | 5.84 million tonnes | +3.2% |
| 2005 | 6.32 million tonnes | +8.2% |
| 2006 | 5.99 million tonnes | -5.2% |
| 2007 | 6.57 million tonnes | +9.7% |
| 2008 | 6.02 million tonnes | -8.4% |
| 2009 | 5.50 million tonnes | -8.6% |
| 2010 | 6.92 million tonnes | +25.8% |
| 2011 | 7.38 million tonnes | +6.6% |
| 2012 | 7.98 million tonnes | +8.1% |
| 2013 | 7.72 million tonnes | -3.3% |
| 2014 | 8.03 million tonnes | +4.0% |
| 2015 | 9.23 million tonnes | +14.9% |
| 2016 | 11.29 million tonnes | +22.3% |
| 2017 | 10.45 million tonnes | -7.4% |
| 2018 | 9.95 million tonnes | -4.8% |
| 2019 | 10.20 million tonnes | +2.5% |
| 2020 | 8.89 million tonnes | -12.8% |
| 2021 | 10.13 million tonnes | +13.9% |
| 2022 | 8.81 million tonnes | -13.0% |
| 2023 | 7.53 million tonnes | -14.5% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 7.53 million tonnes is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 4.45 million tonnes, 1.7× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 7.53 million tonnes is above the median for South Asia, which is 5.62 million tonnes, 1.3× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3.80 million tonnes | 2.50 million tonnes | 5.40 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.76 million tonnes | 5.16 million tonnes | 6.57 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.91 million tonnes | 6.92 million tonnes | 11.29 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.84 million tonnes | 7.53 million tonnes | 10.13 million tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More climate change data for Sri Lanka
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 327.09 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 3,418 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 618.46 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 2,800 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 2.33 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 100 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 4,168 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 2,071 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 2,097 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 7.82 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is co₂ emissions from transport in Sri Lanka?
- Co₂ emissions from transport in Sri Lanka was 7.53 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 Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 11.29 million tonnes in 2016.
- What is the lowest co₂ emissions from transport recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.50 million tonnes in 1990.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for co₂ emissions from transport?
- Sri Lanka ranks 78th out of 191 countries with data for 2023.
- Is co₂ emissions from transport rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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.