Per capita consumption-based CO₂ emissions in Malaysia
Malaysia: Per capita consumption-based CO₂ emissions was 8.16 tonnes per person in 2023. ▲ Rising
Per capita consumption-based CO₂ emissions in Malaysia, 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
Malaysia recorded 8.16 tonnes per person for per capita consumption-based co₂ emissions in 2023.
That represents a change of down 0.3% on the previous year and down 2.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, per capita consumption-based co₂ emissions in Malaysia peaked at 8.32 tonnes per person in 2013 and was at its lowest, 3.62 tonnes per person, in 1998.
That places Malaysia 33rd out of 120 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Per capita consumption-based CO₂ emissions in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | tonnes per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 4.05 tonnes per person | — |
| 1991 | 4.31 tonnes per person | +6.5% |
| 1992 | 4.71 tonnes per person | +9.2% |
| 1993 | 4.86 tonnes per person | +3.1% |
| 1994 | 4.78 tonnes per person | -1.7% |
| 1995 | 5.18 tonnes per person | +8.4% |
| 1996 | 5.01 tonnes per person | -3.3% |
| 1997 | 5.36 tonnes per person | +7.1% |
| 1998 | 3.62 tonnes per person | -32.6% |
| 1999 | 4.19 tonnes per person | +15.9% |
| 2000 | 4.64 tonnes per person | +10.6% |
| 2001 | 4.79 tonnes per person | +3.2% |
| 2002 | 4.95 tonnes per person | +3.3% |
| 2003 | 5.27 tonnes per person | +6.6% |
| 2004 | 5.54 tonnes per person | +5.0% |
| 2005 | 5.53 tonnes per person | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 5.5 tonnes per person | -0.5% |
| 2007 | 5.83 tonnes per person | +5.9% |
| 2008 | 6.23 tonnes per person | +7.0% |
| 2009 | 5.87 tonnes per person | -5.9% |
| 2010 | 6.52 tonnes per person | +11.2% |
| 2011 | 6.86 tonnes per person | +5.2% |
| 2012 | 7.5 tonnes per person | +9.4% |
| 2013 | 8.32 tonnes per person | +10.9% |
| 2014 | 8.26 tonnes per person | -0.8% |
| 2015 | 7.55 tonnes per person | -8.5% |
| 2016 | 7.64 tonnes per person | +1.2% |
| 2017 | 7.61 tonnes per person | -0.3% |
| 2018 | 8.08 tonnes per person | +6.1% |
| 2019 | 8.23 tonnes per person | +1.8% |
| 2020 | 7.76 tonnes per person | -5.7% |
| 2021 | 8 tonnes per person | +3.1% |
| 2022 | 8.18 tonnes per person | +2.3% |
| 2023 | 8.16 tonnes per person | -0.3% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 8.16 tonnes per person is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 3.76 tonnes per person, 2.2× the median. (32 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 8.16 tonnes per person is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 8.08 tonnes per person, 1.0× the median. (16 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Per capita consumption-based CO₂ emissions in Malaysia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | -32.6% | 5.36 tonnes per person | 3.62 tonnes per person |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 4.61 tonnes per person | 3.62 tonnes per person | 5.36 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.41 tonnes per person | 4.64 tonnes per person | 6.23 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.66 tonnes per person | 6.52 tonnes per person | 8.32 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.02 tonnes per person | 7.76 tonnes per person | 8.18 tonnes per person | 4 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
More climate change data for Malaysia
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 621.79 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 4,551 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 1,936 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 2,616 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 7.31 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 93.41 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 7,214 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 3,641 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 3,573 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 13.74 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is per capita consumption-based co₂ emissions in Malaysia?
- Per capita consumption-based co₂ emissions in Malaysia was 8.16 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 Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 8.32 tonnes per person in 2013.
- What is the lowest per capita consumption-based co₂ emissions recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.62 tonnes per person in 1998.
- How does Malaysia rank for per capita consumption-based co₂ emissions?
- Malaysia ranks 33rd out of 120 countries with data for 2023.
- Is per capita consumption-based co₂ emissions rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malaysia 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.