Per capita consumption-based CO₂ emissions in Australia
Australia: Per capita consumption-based CO₂ emissions was 14.07 tonnes per person in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
14.07 tonnes per person
Change on year
up 1.0%
World rank
13th
of 120 countries
All-time high
18.3 tonnes per person
in 2009
All-time low
13.93 tonnes per person
in 2022
Years of data
34
1990–2023
Per capita consumption-based CO₂ emissions in Australia, 1990–2023
Source: Global Carbon Budget (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes per person.
Analysis
The most recent figure for per capita consumption-based co₂ emissions in Australia is 14.07 tonnes per person, measured in 2023.
The figure is up 1.0% on the previous year and down 15.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, per capita consumption-based co₂ emissions in Australia peaked at 18.3 tonnes per person in 2009 and was at its lowest, 13.93 tonnes per person, in 2022.
Australia ranks 13th of 120 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Per capita consumption-based CO₂ emissions in Australia, year by year
| Year | tonnes per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 14.29 tonnes per person | — |
| 1991 | 14.14 tonnes per person | -1.0% |
| 1992 | 14.14 tonnes per person | -0.1% |
| 1993 | 14.04 tonnes per person | -0.7% |
| 1994 | 14.41 tonnes per person | +2.7% |
| 1995 | 14.57 tonnes per person | +1.1% |
| 1996 | 14.74 tonnes per person | +1.1% |
| 1997 | 14.92 tonnes per person | +1.3% |
| 1998 | 15.71 tonnes per person | +5.3% |
| 1999 | 15.89 tonnes per person | +1.2% |
| 2000 | 15.27 tonnes per person | -3.9% |
| 2001 | 15.53 tonnes per person | +1.7% |
| 2002 | 16.38 tonnes per person | +5.5% |
| 2003 | 17.28 tonnes per person | +5.5% |
| 2004 | 17.54 tonnes per person | +1.5% |
| 2005 | 17.33 tonnes per person | -1.2% |
| 2006 | 17.68 tonnes per person | +2.0% |
| 2007 | 17.96 tonnes per person | +1.5% |
| 2008 | 17.43 tonnes per person | -2.9% |
| 2009 | 18.3 tonnes per person | +5.0% |
| 2010 | 18.03 tonnes per person | -1.5% |
| 2011 | 17.76 tonnes per person | -1.5% |
| 2012 | 18.08 tonnes per person | +1.8% |
| 2013 | 16.62 tonnes per person | -8.1% |
| 2014 | 16.3 tonnes per person | -2.0% |
| 2015 | 16.17 tonnes per person | -0.8% |
| 2016 | 16.03 tonnes per person | -0.9% |
| 2017 | 16.01 tonnes per person | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 15.38 tonnes per person | -3.9% |
| 2019 | 15.06 tonnes per person | -2.1% |
| 2020 | 14.54 tonnes per person | -3.4% |
| 2021 | 13.99 tonnes per person | -3.8% |
| 2022 | 13.93 tonnes per person | -0.4% |
| 2023 | 14.07 tonnes per person | +1.0% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 14.07 tonnes per person is above the median for high income countries, which is 8.42 tonnes per person, 1.7× the median. (52 countries reporting)
- Australia's 14.07 tonnes per person is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 8.08 tonnes per person, 1.7× the median. (16 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 14.68 tonnes per person | 14.04 tonnes per person | 15.89 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 17.07 tonnes per person | 15.27 tonnes per person | 18.3 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 16.54 tonnes per person | 15.06 tonnes per person | 18.08 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 14.13 tonnes per person | 13.93 tonnes per person | 14.54 tonnes per person | 4 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 10 Oman 16.51 tonnes per person compare
- 11 United States 15.81 tonnes per person compare
- 12 Trinidad and Tobago 14.87 tonnes per person compare
- 14 Bahrain 14.06 tonnes per person compare
- 15 South Korea 13.7 tonnes per person compare
- 16 Switzerland 13.34 tonnes per person compare
More climate change data for Australia
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 1.30 billion kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 118,578 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 34,162 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 84,416 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 128.91 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 3,015 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 12,473 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 10,966 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 1,507 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 41.38 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is per capita consumption-based co₂ emissions in Australia?
- Per capita consumption-based co₂ emissions in Australia was 14.07 tonnes per person in 2023, according to Global Carbon Budget (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest per capita consumption-based co₂ emissions recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 18.3 tonnes per person in 2009.
- What is the lowest per capita consumption-based co₂ emissions recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.93 tonnes per person in 2022.
- How does Australia rank for per capita consumption-based co₂ emissions?
- Australia ranks 13th out of 120 countries with data for 2023.
- Is per capita consumption-based co₂ emissions rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 15.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Global Carbon Budget (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Per capita consumption-based CO₂ emissions. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Annual consumption-based emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂), measured in tonnes per person.