Carbon dioxide emissions by income level in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Carbon dioxide emissions by income level was 20.83 million tonnes in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
20.83 million tonnes
Change on year
up 8.7%
World rank
88th
of 215 countries
All-time high
22.34 million tonnes
in 2016
All-time low
1.42 million tonnes
in 1956
Years of data
75
1950–2024
Carbon dioxide emissions by income level in Sri Lanka, 1950–2024
Source: Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
The most recent figure for carbon dioxide emissions by income level in Sri Lanka is 20.83 million tonnes, measured in 2024.
The figure is up 8.7% on the previous year and up 22.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, carbon dioxide emissions by income level in Sri Lanka peaked at 22.34 million tonnes in 2016 and was at its lowest, 1.42 million tonnes, in 1956.
Sri Lanka ranks 88th of 215 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Carbon dioxide emissions by income level in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 1.63 million tonnes | — |
| 1951 | 1.55 million tonnes | -5.0% |
| 1952 | 1.94 million tonnes | +25.4% |
| 1953 | 2.07 million tonnes | +6.6% |
| 1954 | 1.78 million tonnes | -13.7% |
| 1955 | 1.66 million tonnes | -6.8% |
| 1956 | 1.42 million tonnes | -14.8% |
| 1957 | 2.32 million tonnes | +63.6% |
| 1958 | 1.95 million tonnes | -16.0% |
| 1959 | 2.06 million tonnes | +5.4% |
| 1960 | 2.26 million tonnes | +9.8% |
| 1961 | 2.33 million tonnes | +3.4% |
| 1962 | 2.56 million tonnes | +9.7% |
| 1963 | 2.53 million tonnes | -1.1% |
| 1964 | 2.27 million tonnes | -10.3% |
| 1965 | 2.66 million tonnes | +16.9% |
| 1966 | 2.66 million tonnes | +0.1% |
| 1967 | 2.95 million tonnes | +10.7% |
| 1968 | 3.24 million tonnes | +9.9% |
| 1969 | 4.32 million tonnes | +33.3% |
| 1970 | 3.59 million tonnes | -16.7% |
| 1971 | 3.19 million tonnes | -11.2% |
| 1972 | 3.53 million tonnes | +10.7% |
| 1973 | 3.67 million tonnes | +4.0% |
| 1974 | 2.91 million tonnes | -20.7% |
| 1975 | 2.88 million tonnes | -1.3% |
| 1976 | 2.78 million tonnes | -3.4% |
| 1977 | 2.90 million tonnes | +4.1% |
| 1978 | 3.41 million tonnes | +17.7% |
| 1979 | 3.78 million tonnes | +10.9% |
| 1980 | 3.36 million tonnes | -11.1% |
| 1981 | 3.97 million tonnes | +18.2% |
| 1982 | 4.43 million tonnes | +11.6% |
| 1983 | 4.83 million tonnes | +8.9% |
| 1984 | 3.82 million tonnes | -20.8% |
| 1985 | 3.88 million tonnes | +1.5% |
| 1986 | 3.62 million tonnes | -6.6% |
| 1987 | 3.99 million tonnes | +10.1% |
| 1988 | 3.43 million tonnes | -14.0% |
| 1989 | 3.42 million tonnes | -0.3% |
| 1990 | 3.80 million tonnes | +11.2% |
| 1991 | 4.11 million tonnes | +8.0% |
| 1992 | 5.04 million tonnes | +22.6% |
| 1993 | 4.91 million tonnes | -2.5% |
| 1994 | 5.34 million tonnes | +8.7% |
| 1995 | 5.72 million tonnes | +7.0% |
| 1996 | 6.86 million tonnes | +20.0% |
| 1997 | 7.40 million tonnes | +7.8% |
| 1998 | 7.62 million tonnes | +3.0% |
| 1999 | 8.38 million tonnes | +10.0% |
| 2000 | 9.99 million tonnes | +19.2% |
| 2001 | 10.16 million tonnes | +1.7% |
| 2002 | 10.79 million tonnes | +6.2% |
| 2003 | 10.76 million tonnes | -0.2% |
| 2004 | 11.91 million tonnes | +10.7% |
| 2005 | 11.67 million tonnes | -2.0% |
| 2006 | 11.50 million tonnes | -1.4% |
| 2007 | 11.84 million tonnes | +3.0% |
| 2008 | 11.65 million tonnes | -1.6% |
| 2009 | 12.57 million tonnes | +7.9% |
| 2010 | 12.70 million tonnes | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 14.48 million tonnes | +14.0% |
| 2012 | 15.39 million tonnes | +6.3% |
| 2013 | 14.14 million tonnes | -8.1% |
| 2014 | 17.08 million tonnes | +20.7% |
| 2015 | 19.18 million tonnes | +12.3% |
| 2016 | 22.34 million tonnes | +16.5% |
| 2017 | 22.17 million tonnes | -0.8% |
| 2018 | 20.14 million tonnes | -9.2% |
| 2019 | 21.11 million tonnes | +4.8% |
| 2020 | 20.41 million tonnes | -3.3% |
| 2021 | 20.82 million tonnes | +2.0% |
| 2022 | 18.38 million tonnes | -11.7% |
| 2023 | 19.17 million tonnes | +4.3% |
| 2024 | 20.83 million tonnes | +8.7% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 20.83 million tonnes is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 20.35 million tonnes, 1.0× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 20.83 million tonnes is above the median for South Asia, which is 19.80 million tonnes, 1.1× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Carbon dioxide emissions by income level in Sri Lanka changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 | +63.6% | 1.42 million tonnes | 2.32 million tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 1.84 million tonnes | 1.42 million tonnes | 2.32 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1960s | 2.78 million tonnes | 2.26 million tonnes | 4.32 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1970s | 3.26 million tonnes | 2.78 million tonnes | 3.78 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.88 million tonnes | 3.36 million tonnes | 4.83 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.92 million tonnes | 3.80 million tonnes | 8.38 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 11.28 million tonnes | 9.99 million tonnes | 12.57 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 17.87 million tonnes | 12.70 million tonnes | 22.34 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 19.92 million tonnes | 18.38 million tonnes | 20.83 million tonnes | 5 |
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 carbon dioxide emissions by income level in Sri Lanka?
- Carbon dioxide emissions by income level in Sri Lanka was 20.83 million tonnes in 2024, according to Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest carbon dioxide emissions by income level recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 22.34 million tonnes in 2016.
- What is the lowest carbon dioxide emissions by income level recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.42 million tonnes in 1956.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for carbon dioxide emissions by income level?
- Sri Lanka ranks 88th out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
- Is carbon dioxide emissions by income level rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 22.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Carbon dioxide emissions by income level. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 75 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Annual total emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂), excluding land-use change, measured in tonnes.