CO₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change in United Kingdom

United Kingdom: CO₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change was 308.37 million tonnes in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
308.37 million tonnes
Change on year
up 1.0%
World rank
22nd
of 194 countries
All-time high
665.51 million tonnes
in 1971
All-time low
118.03 million tonnes
in 1853
Years of data
175
1850–2024

CO₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change in United Kingdom, 1850–2024

200.0M400.0M600.0M185019372024

Source: Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.

Analysis

United Kingdom recorded 308.37 million tonnes for co₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change in 2024.

The figure is up 1.0% on the previous year and down 31.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, co₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change in United Kingdom peaked at 665.51 million tonnes in 1971 and was at its lowest, 118.03 million tonnes, in 1853.

United Kingdom ranks 22nd of 194 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 175 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1850s 130.39 million tonnes 118.03 million tonnes 141.74 million tonnes 10
1860s 224.26 million tonnes 170.24 million tonnes 267.73 million tonnes 10
1870s 299.15 million tonnes 272.56 million tonnes 311.60 million tonnes 10
1880s 354.22 million tonnes 334.72 million tonnes 377.51 million tonnes 10
1890s 401.86 million tonnes 351.13 million tonnes 447.77 million tonnes 10
1900s 476.61 million tonnes 446.67 million tonnes 507.69 million tonnes 10
1910s 512.28 million tonnes 480.54 million tonnes 537.76 million tonnes 10
1920s 447.24 million tonnes 271.81 million tonnes 498.92 million tonnes 10
1930s 464.81 million tonnes 424.74 million tonnes 504.18 million tonnes 10
1940s 508.89 million tonnes 473.93 million tonnes 531.92 million tonnes 10
1950s 570.93 million tonnes 519.34 million tonnes 598.48 million tonnes 10
1960s 621.60 million tonnes 606.51 million tonnes 639.05 million tonnes 10
1970s 633.83 million tonnes 602.43 million tonnes 665.51 million tonnes 10
1980s 567.46 million tonnes 534.58 million tonnes 594.43 million tonnes 10
1990s 581.37 million tonnes 556.80 million tonnes 612.50 million tonnes 10
2000s 572.08 million tonnes 502.33 million tonnes 618.53 million tonnes 10
2010s 449.79 million tonnes 375.36 million tonnes 519.12 million tonnes 10
2020s 320.84 million tonnes 305.27 million tonnes 344.39 million tonnes 5

Countries ranked near United Kingdom

  1. 19 Thailand 380.00 million tonnes compare
  2. 20 Malaysia 352.21 million tonnes compare
  3. 21 Argentina 315.46 million tonnes compare
  4. 23 Italy 289.58 million tonnes compare
  5. 24 Kazakhstan 279.20 million tonnes compare
  6. 25 Egypt 261.16 million tonnes compare

See the full ranking of 194 places →

More climate change data for United Kingdom

All data for United Kingdom →

Frequently asked questions

What is co₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change in United Kingdom?
Co₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change in United Kingdom was 308.37 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 United Kingdom?
The highest recorded value was 665.51 million tonnes in 1971.
What is the lowest co₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change recorded in United Kingdom?
The lowest recorded value was 118.03 million tonnes in 1853.
How does United Kingdom rank for co₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change?
United Kingdom ranks 22nd out of 194 countries with data for 2024.
Is co₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change rising or falling in United Kingdom?
Over the last ten years it is down 31.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this United Kingdom 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 — 175 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
CO₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change
Unit
tonnes
Source
Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
194 places, 20,936 data points, 1850–2024
Last refreshed

Annual total emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂), including land-use change, measured in tonnes.