Carbon intensity: CO₂ emissions per dollar of GDP in Canada
Canada: Carbon intensity: CO₂ emissions per dollar of GDP was 0.3109 kilograms per international-$ in 2022. ▼ Falling
Latest (2022)
0.3109 kilograms per international-$
Change on year
down 1.5%
World rank
38th
of 164 countries
All-time high
1.67 kilograms per international-$
in 1921
All-time low
0.0012 kilograms per international-$
in 1840
Years of data
158
1820–2022
Carbon intensity: CO₂ emissions per dollar of GDP in Canada, 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-$.
Analysis
In 2022, carbon intensity: co₂ emissions per dollar of gdp in Canada stood at 0.3109 kilograms per international-$.
That represents a change of down 1.5% on the previous year and down 18.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, carbon intensity: co₂ emissions per dollar of gdp in Canada peaked at 1.67 kilograms per international-$ in 1921 and was at its lowest, 0.0012 kilograms per international-$, in 1840.
That places Canada 38th out of 164 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 158 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1820s | 0.0031 kilograms per international-$ | 0.0031 kilograms per international-$ | 0.0031 kilograms per international-$ | 1 |
| 1830s | 0.002 kilograms per international-$ | 0.002 kilograms per international-$ | 0.002 kilograms per international-$ | 1 |
| 1840s | 0.0012 kilograms per international-$ | 0.0012 kilograms per international-$ | 0.0012 kilograms per international-$ | 1 |
| 1850s | 0.0111 kilograms per international-$ | 0.0111 kilograms per international-$ | 0.0111 kilograms per international-$ | 1 |
| 1860s | 0.0489 kilograms per international-$ | 0.0489 kilograms per international-$ | 0.0489 kilograms per international-$ | 1 |
| 1870s | 0.1603 kilograms per international-$ | 0.1198 kilograms per international-$ | 0.18 kilograms per international-$ | 10 |
| 1880s | 0.5401 kilograms per international-$ | 0.3863 kilograms per international-$ | 0.7715 kilograms per international-$ | 10 |
| 1890s | 0.7313 kilograms per international-$ | 0.666 kilograms per international-$ | 0.799 kilograms per international-$ | 10 |
| 1900s | 0.9918 kilograms per international-$ | 0.8147 kilograms per international-$ | 1.22 kilograms per international-$ | 10 |
| 1910s | 1.29 kilograms per international-$ | 1.11 kilograms per international-$ | 1.51 kilograms per international-$ | 10 |
| 1920s | 1.32 kilograms per international-$ | 1.13 kilograms per international-$ | 1.67 kilograms per international-$ | 10 |
| 1930s | 1.14 kilograms per international-$ | 1.03 kilograms per international-$ | 1.23 kilograms per international-$ | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.9992 kilograms per international-$ | 0.9255 kilograms per international-$ | 1.09 kilograms per international-$ | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.8377 kilograms per international-$ | 0.7464 kilograms per international-$ | 0.9465 kilograms per international-$ | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.7486 kilograms per international-$ | 0.7151 kilograms per international-$ | 0.7839 kilograms per international-$ | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.7521 kilograms per international-$ | 0.6917 kilograms per international-$ | 0.8201 kilograms per international-$ | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.6044 kilograms per international-$ | 0.5425 kilograms per international-$ | 0.6984 kilograms per international-$ | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.5361 kilograms per international-$ | 0.5043 kilograms per international-$ | 0.5585 kilograms per international-$ | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.4471 kilograms per international-$ | 0.3977 kilograms per international-$ | 0.4981 kilograms per international-$ | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.3637 kilograms per international-$ | 0.3388 kilograms per international-$ | 0.3941 kilograms per international-$ | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.3165 kilograms per international-$ | 0.3109 kilograms per international-$ | 0.3232 kilograms per international-$ | 3 |
Countries ranked near Canada
- 35 Cambodia 0.3203 kilograms per international-$ compare
- 36 Comoros 0.3161 kilograms per international-$ compare
- 37 Lebanon 0.3151 kilograms per international-$ compare
- 39 Uzbekistan 0.3026 kilograms per international-$ compare
- 40 Bolivia 0.3005 kilograms per international-$ compare
- 41 Estonia 0.2992 kilograms per international-$ compare
More climate change data for Canada
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.5% (2100)
- Population growth 0.9% (2025)
- Population, total 41.65 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 1.2% (2025)
- Urban population 34.52 million (2025)
- Urban population 82.9% (2025)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 13.42 tonnes per person (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions 35.64 billion tonnes (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita 13.42 tonnes per person (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 13.42 tonnes per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is carbon intensity: co₂ emissions per dollar of gdp in Canada?
- Carbon intensity: co₂ emissions per dollar of gdp in Canada was 0.3109 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 Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 1.67 kilograms per international-$ in 1921.
- What is the lowest carbon intensity: co₂ emissions per dollar of gdp recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0012 kilograms per international-$ in 1840.
- How does Canada rank for carbon intensity: co₂ emissions per dollar of gdp?
- Canada ranks 38th out of 164 countries with data for 2022.
- Is carbon intensity: co₂ emissions per dollar of gdp rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Canada 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 — 158 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-$).