Carbon intensity: CO₂ emissions per dollar of GDP in Japan

Japan: Carbon intensity: CO₂ emissions per dollar of GDP was 0.2157 kilograms per international-$ in 2022. ▲ Rising

Latest (2022)
0.2157 kilograms per international-$
Change on year
down 3.7%
World rank
70th
of 164 countries
All-time high
0.4764 kilograms per international-$
in 1970
All-time low
0.0003 kilograms per international-$
in 1870
Years of data
140
1870–2022

Carbon intensity: CO₂ emissions per dollar of GDP in Japan, 1870–2022

00.10.20.30.40.5187019462022

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 Japan stood at 0.2157 kilograms per international-$.

That represents a change of down 3.7% on the previous year and down 25.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, carbon intensity: co₂ emissions per dollar of gdp in Japan peaked at 0.4764 kilograms per international-$ in 1970 and was at its lowest, 0.0003 kilograms per international-$, in 1870.

Japan ranks 70th of 164 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 140 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1870s 0.0053 kilograms per international-$ 0.0003 kilograms per international-$ 0.0104 kilograms per international-$ 2
1880s 0.066 kilograms per international-$ 0.0504 kilograms per international-$ 0.0898 kilograms per international-$ 5
1890s 0.1399 kilograms per international-$ 0.091 kilograms per international-$ 0.1881 kilograms per international-$ 10
1900s 0.2845 kilograms per international-$ 0.2073 kilograms per international-$ 0.3355 kilograms per international-$ 10
1910s 0.4098 kilograms per international-$ 0.3433 kilograms per international-$ 0.4696 kilograms per international-$ 10
1920s 0.408 kilograms per international-$ 0.3645 kilograms per international-$ 0.4475 kilograms per international-$ 10
1930s 0.39 kilograms per international-$ 0.3338 kilograms per international-$ 0.4318 kilograms per international-$ 10
1940s 0.3686 kilograms per international-$ 0.2464 kilograms per international-$ 0.4302 kilograms per international-$ 10
1950s 0.393 kilograms per international-$ 0.358 kilograms per international-$ 0.4275 kilograms per international-$ 10
1960s 0.4159 kilograms per international-$ 0.3894 kilograms per international-$ 0.448 kilograms per international-$ 10
1970s 0.4426 kilograms per international-$ 0.3926 kilograms per international-$ 0.4764 kilograms per international-$ 10
1980s 0.3217 kilograms per international-$ 0.2853 kilograms per international-$ 0.3794 kilograms per international-$ 10
1990s 0.3044 kilograms per international-$ 0.2922 kilograms per international-$ 0.3142 kilograms per international-$ 10
2000s 0.288 kilograms per international-$ 0.2699 kilograms per international-$ 0.3018 kilograms per international-$ 10
2010s 0.2616 kilograms per international-$ 0.228 kilograms per international-$ 0.2874 kilograms per international-$ 10
2020s 0.2213 kilograms per international-$ 0.2157 kilograms per international-$ 0.2242 kilograms per international-$ 3

Countries ranked near Japan

  1. 67 Greece 0.2183 kilograms per international-$ compare
  2. 68 Moldova 0.2171 kilograms per international-$ compare
  3. 69 Indonesia 0.2166 kilograms per international-$ compare
  4. 71 Argentina 0.215 kilograms per international-$ compare
  5. 72 Slovakia 0.2101 kilograms per international-$ compare
  6. 73 Tajikistan 0.2082 kilograms per international-$ compare

See the full ranking of 164 places →

More climate change data for Japan

All data for Japan →

Frequently asked questions

What is carbon intensity: co₂ emissions per dollar of gdp in Japan?
Carbon intensity: co₂ emissions per dollar of gdp in Japan was 0.2157 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 Japan?
The highest recorded value was 0.4764 kilograms per international-$ in 1970.
What is the lowest carbon intensity: co₂ emissions per dollar of gdp recorded in Japan?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0003 kilograms per international-$ in 1870.
How does Japan rank for carbon intensity: co₂ emissions per dollar of gdp?
Japan ranks 70th out of 164 countries with data for 2022.
Is carbon intensity: co₂ emissions per dollar of gdp rising or falling in Japan?
Over the last ten years it is down 25.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Japan 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 — 140 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Carbon intensity: CO₂ emissions per dollar of GDP
Unit
kilograms per international-$
Source
Global Carbon Budget (2025); Bolt and van Zanden – Maddison Project Database 2023 – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
164 places, 14,672 data points, 1820–2022
Last refreshed

Annual total emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂), excluding land-use change, measured in kilograms per dollar of GDP (2011 international-$).