Carbon intensity: CO₂ emissions per dollar of GDP in Australia
Australia: Carbon intensity: CO₂ emissions per dollar of GDP was 0.2857 kilograms per international-$ in 2022. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2022)
0.2857 kilograms per international-$
Change on year
down 4.6%
World rank
45th
of 164 countries
All-time high
0.6463 kilograms per international-$
in 1920
All-time low
0.0031 kilograms per international-$
in 1831
Years of data
203
1820–2022
Carbon intensity: CO₂ emissions per dollar of GDP in Australia, 1820–2022
Source: Global Carbon Budget (2025); Bolt and van Zanden – Maddison Project Database 2023 – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in kilograms per international-$.
Analysis
In 2022, carbon intensity: co₂ emissions per dollar of gdp in Australia stood at 0.2857 kilograms per international-$.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 4.6% on the previous year and down 25.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, carbon intensity: co₂ emissions per dollar of gdp in Australia peaked at 0.6463 kilograms per international-$ in 1920 and was at its lowest, 0.0031 kilograms per international-$, in 1831.
Australia ranks 45th of 164 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1820s | 0.0152 kilograms per international-$ | 0.0088 kilograms per international-$ | 0.0223 kilograms per international-$ | 10 |
| 1830s | 0.0267 kilograms per international-$ | 0.0031 kilograms per international-$ | 0.0479 kilograms per international-$ | 10 |
| 1840s | 0.0473 kilograms per international-$ | 0.0308 kilograms per international-$ | 0.0792 kilograms per international-$ | 10 |
| 1850s | 0.0562 kilograms per international-$ | 0.0341 kilograms per international-$ | 0.0802 kilograms per international-$ | 10 |
| 1860s | 0.1385 kilograms per international-$ | 0.0917 kilograms per international-$ | 0.1792 kilograms per international-$ | 10 |
| 1870s | 0.1749 kilograms per international-$ | 0.1514 kilograms per international-$ | 0.1908 kilograms per international-$ | 10 |
| 1880s | 0.236 kilograms per international-$ | 0.1611 kilograms per international-$ | 0.2733 kilograms per international-$ | 10 |
| 1890s | 0.3323 kilograms per international-$ | 0.2469 kilograms per international-$ | 0.4045 kilograms per international-$ | 10 |
| 1900s | 0.4681 kilograms per international-$ | 0.4249 kilograms per international-$ | 0.5348 kilograms per international-$ | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.5641 kilograms per international-$ | 0.4873 kilograms per international-$ | 0.6329 kilograms per international-$ | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.5578 kilograms per international-$ | 0.5015 kilograms per international-$ | 0.6463 kilograms per international-$ | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.5163 kilograms per international-$ | 0.4816 kilograms per international-$ | 0.5848 kilograms per international-$ | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.511 kilograms per international-$ | 0.4637 kilograms per international-$ | 0.5563 kilograms per international-$ | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.5988 kilograms per international-$ | 0.5696 kilograms per international-$ | 0.6147 kilograms per international-$ | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.5974 kilograms per international-$ | 0.5824 kilograms per international-$ | 0.6137 kilograms per international-$ | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.5962 kilograms per international-$ | 0.5646 kilograms per international-$ | 0.6195 kilograms per international-$ | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.5834 kilograms per international-$ | 0.5497 kilograms per international-$ | 0.6259 kilograms per international-$ | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.5605 kilograms per international-$ | 0.5175 kilograms per international-$ | 0.6058 kilograms per international-$ | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.4644 kilograms per international-$ | 0.4226 kilograms per international-$ | 0.5056 kilograms per international-$ | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.3616 kilograms per international-$ | 0.3305 kilograms per international-$ | 0.4075 kilograms per international-$ | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.3029 kilograms per international-$ | 0.2857 kilograms per international-$ | 0.3234 kilograms per international-$ | 3 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 42 Saint Lucia 0.2962 kilograms per international-$ compare
- 43 Mozambique 0.2956 kilograms per international-$ compare
- 44 Qatar 0.2871 kilograms per international-$ compare
- 46 South Korea 0.2839 kilograms per international-$ compare
- 47 Czechia 0.2771 kilograms per international-$ compare
- 48 Cuba 0.2764 kilograms per international-$ compare
More climate change data for Australia
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.4% (2100)
- Population growth 1.5% (2025)
- Population, total 27.61 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 1.7% (2025)
- Urban population 24.22 million (2025)
- Urban population 87.7% (2025)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 14.48 tonnes per person (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions 20.04 billion tonnes (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita 14.48 tonnes per person (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 14.48 tonnes per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is carbon intensity: co₂ emissions per dollar of gdp in Australia?
- Carbon intensity: co₂ emissions per dollar of gdp in Australia was 0.2857 kilograms per international-$ in 2022, according to Global Carbon Budget (2025); Bolt and van Zanden – Maddison Project Database 2023 – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest carbon intensity: co₂ emissions per dollar of gdp recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 0.6463 kilograms per international-$ in 1920.
- What is the lowest carbon intensity: co₂ emissions per dollar of gdp recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0031 kilograms per international-$ in 1831.
- How does Australia rank for carbon intensity: co₂ emissions per dollar of gdp?
- Australia ranks 45th out of 164 countries with data for 2022.
- Is carbon intensity: co₂ emissions per dollar of gdp rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 25.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Global Carbon Budget (2025); Bolt and van Zanden – Maddison Project Database 2023 – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Carbon intensity: CO₂ emissions per dollar of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 203 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 kilograms per dollar of GDP (2011 international-$).