CO₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change in Iceland
Iceland: CO₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change was 4.16 million tonnes in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
4.16 million tonnes
Change on year
up 7.8%
World rank
158th
of 194 countries
All-time high
5.80 million tonnes
in 1959
All-time low
1.83 million tonnes
in 1983
Years of data
87
1936–2024
CO₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change in Iceland, 1936–2024
Source: Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
Iceland recorded 4.16 million tonnes for co₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 7.8% on the previous year and up 11.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, co₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change in Iceland peaked at 5.80 million tonnes in 1959 and was at its lowest, 1.83 million tonnes, in 1983.
Iceland ranks 158th of 194 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 87 years of available data.
CO₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change in Iceland, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1936 | 2.25 million tonnes | — |
| 1937 | 2.27 million tonnes | +0.9% |
| 1940 | 2.61 million tonnes | +15.1% |
| 1941 | 2.57 million tonnes | -1.5% |
| 1942 | 2.59 million tonnes | +0.4% |
| 1943 | 2.61 million tonnes | +1.0% |
| 1944 | 2.59 million tonnes | -0.9% |
| 1945 | 2.56 million tonnes | -0.9% |
| 1946 | 2.64 million tonnes | +2.9% |
| 1947 | 2.73 million tonnes | +3.4% |
| 1948 | 2.85 million tonnes | +4.5% |
| 1949 | 2.87 million tonnes | +0.8% |
| 1950 | 3.31 million tonnes | +15.2% |
| 1951 | 3.57 million tonnes | +7.9% |
| 1952 | 4.03 million tonnes | +12.7% |
| 1953 | 4.45 million tonnes | +10.4% |
| 1954 | 4.56 million tonnes | +2.5% |
| 1955 | 4.90 million tonnes | +7.4% |
| 1956 | 5.11 million tonnes | +4.3% |
| 1957 | 5.28 million tonnes | +3.2% |
| 1958 | 5.54 million tonnes | +5.0% |
| 1959 | 5.80 million tonnes | +4.8% |
| 1960 | 4.42 million tonnes | -23.7% |
| 1961 | 3.84 million tonnes | -13.2% |
| 1962 | 3.67 million tonnes | -4.4% |
| 1963 | 3.58 million tonnes | -2.6% |
| 1964 | 3.40 million tonnes | -4.9% |
| 1965 | 3.33 million tonnes | -2.1% |
| 1966 | 3.29 million tonnes | -1.2% |
| 1967 | 3.12 million tonnes | -5.3% |
| 1968 | 3.16 million tonnes | +1.3% |
| 1969 | 2.26 million tonnes | -28.4% |
| 1970 | 2.29 million tonnes | +1.2% |
| 1971 | 2.28 million tonnes | -0.2% |
| 1972 | 2.21 million tonnes | -3.1% |
| 1973 | 2.40 million tonnes | +8.5% |
| 1974 | 2.32 million tonnes | -3.3% |
| 1975 | 2.13 million tonnes | -8.1% |
| 1976 | 2.19 million tonnes | +2.4% |
| 1977 | 2.33 million tonnes | +6.4% |
| 1978 | 2.29 million tonnes | -1.5% |
| 1979 | 2.32 million tonnes | +1.3% |
| 1980 | 2.18 million tonnes | -6.3% |
| 1981 | 2.06 million tonnes | -5.2% |
| 1982 | 1.89 million tonnes | -8.3% |
| 1983 | 1.83 million tonnes | -3.3% |
| 1984 | 2.09 million tonnes | +14.1% |
| 1985 | 1.91 million tonnes | -8.5% |
| 1986 | 2.06 million tonnes | +7.6% |
| 1987 | 2.11 million tonnes | +2.8% |
| 1988 | 2.11 million tonnes | -0.4% |
| 1989 | 2.21 million tonnes | +4.7% |
| 1990 | 2.50 million tonnes | +13.4% |
| 1991 | 2.37 million tonnes | -5.1% |
| 1992 | 2.50 million tonnes | +5.3% |
| 1993 | 2.65 million tonnes | +6.2% |
| 1994 | 2.63 million tonnes | -1.0% |
| 1995 | 2.72 million tonnes | +3.4% |
| 1996 | 2.81 million tonnes | +3.3% |
| 1997 | 2.83 million tonnes | +0.8% |
| 1998 | 2.82 million tonnes | -0.2% |
| 1999 | 3.03 million tonnes | +7.5% |
| 2000 | 3.13 million tonnes | +3.1% |
| 2001 | 3.05 million tonnes | -2.5% |
| 2002 | 3.17 million tonnes | +4.0% |
| 2003 | 3.16 million tonnes | -0.2% |
| 2004 | 3.28 million tonnes | +3.7% |
| 2005 | 3.22 million tonnes | -1.8% |
| 2006 | 3.31 million tonnes | +2.7% |
| 2007 | 3.66 million tonnes | +10.7% |
| 2008 | 4.04 million tonnes | +10.3% |
| 2009 | 3.92 million tonnes | -3.0% |
| 2010 | 4.65 million tonnes | +18.8% |
| 2011 | 3.74 million tonnes | -19.6% |
| 2012 | 3.92 million tonnes | +4.9% |
| 2013 | 3.80 million tonnes | -3.1% |
| 2014 | 3.74 million tonnes | -1.5% |
| 2015 | 3.84 million tonnes | +2.6% |
| 2016 | 3.80 million tonnes | -1.1% |
| 2017 | 3.97 million tonnes | +4.5% |
| 2018 | 4.02 million tonnes | +1.2% |
| 2019 | 3.88 million tonnes | -3.4% |
| 2020 | 3.65 million tonnes | -5.8% |
| 2021 | 3.81 million tonnes | +4.3% |
| 2022 | 3.94 million tonnes | +3.3% |
| 2023 | 3.86 million tonnes | -2.0% |
| 2024 | 4.16 million tonnes | +7.8% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 4.16 million tonnes is below the median for high income countries, which is 36.71 million tonnes, 11% of the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 4.16 million tonnes is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 32.46 million tonnes, 13% of the median. (50 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 2.26 million tonnes | 2.25 million tonnes | 2.27 million tonnes | 2 |
| 1940s | 2.66 million tonnes | 2.56 million tonnes | 2.87 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1950s | 4.65 million tonnes | 3.31 million tonnes | 5.80 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1960s | 3.41 million tonnes | 2.26 million tonnes | 4.42 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1970s | 2.28 million tonnes | 2.13 million tonnes | 2.40 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.04 million tonnes | 1.83 million tonnes | 2.21 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.69 million tonnes | 2.37 million tonnes | 3.03 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.40 million tonnes | 3.05 million tonnes | 4.04 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.94 million tonnes | 3.74 million tonnes | 4.65 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.88 million tonnes | 3.65 million tonnes | 4.16 million tonnes | 5 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
More climate change data for Iceland
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 16.80 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 462.45 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 110.24 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 352.21 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 0.416 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 12.58 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 92.86 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 92.86 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 0.3504 kt (2050)
- Synthetic Fertilizers — Emissions (CO2eq) 92.72 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is co₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change in Iceland?
- Co₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change in Iceland was 4.16 million tonnes in 2024, according to Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest co₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 5.80 million tonnes in 1959.
- What is the lowest co₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.83 million tonnes in 1983.
- How does Iceland rank for co₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change?
- Iceland ranks 158th out of 194 countries with data for 2024.
- Is co₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Iceland data come from?
- The figures come from Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of CO₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 87 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Annual total emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂), including land-use change, measured in tonnes.