Cumulative CO₂ emissions in Antarctica

Antarctica: Cumulative CO₂ emissions was 153,888 tonnes in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
153,888 tonnes
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
215th
of 215 countries
All-time high
153,888 tonnes
in 2007
All-time low
3,664 tonnes
in 1987
Years of data
38
1987–2024

Cumulative CO₂ emissions in Antarctica, 1987–2024

050.0k100.0k150.0k1987200520241987: 3.7k tonnes1988: 11.0k tonnes1989: 18.3k tonnes1990: 29.3k tonnes1991: 44.0k tonnes1992: 58.6k tonnes1993: 73.3k tonnes1994: 87.9k tonnes1995: 91.6k tonnes1996: 95.3k tonnes1997: 98.9k tonnes1998: 102.6k tonnes1999: 106.3k tonnes2000: 109.9k tonnes2001: 113.6k tonnes2002: 117.2k tonnes2003: 120.9k tonnes2004: 128.2k tonnes2005: 135.6k tonnes2006: 142.9k tonnes2007: 153.9k tonnes2008: 153.9k tonnes2009: 153.9k tonnes2010: 153.9k tonnes2011: 153.9k tonnes2012: 153.9k tonnes2013: 153.9k tonnes2014: 153.9k tonnes2015: 153.9k tonnes2016: 153.9k tonnes2017: 153.9k tonnes2018: 153.9k tonnes2019: 153.9k tonnes2020: 153.9k tonnes2021: 153.9k tonnes2022: 153.9k tonnes2023: 153.9k tonnes2024: 153.9k tonnes

Source: Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.

Analysis

Antarctica recorded 153,888 tonnes for cumulative co₂ emissions in 2024. That is the highest value across all 38 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.

Over the whole period, cumulative co₂ emissions in Antarctica peaked at 153,888 tonnes in 2007 and was at its lowest, 3,664 tonnes, in 1987.

That places Antarctica 215th out of 215 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 38 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 10,992 tonnes 3,664 tonnes 18,320 tonnes 3
1990s 78,776 tonnes 29,312 tonnes 106,256 tonnes 10
2000s 133,003 tonnes 109,920 tonnes 153,888 tonnes 10
2010s 153,888 tonnes 153,888 tonnes 153,888 tonnes 10
2020s 153,888 tonnes 153,888 tonnes 153,888 tonnes 5

Countries ranked near Antarctica

  1. 212 Saint Helena 421,737 tonnes compare
  2. 213 Tuvalu 297,180 tonnes compare
  3. 214 Niue 286,056 tonnes compare

See the full ranking of 215 places →

More climate change data for Antarctica

All data for Antarctica →

Frequently asked questions

What is cumulative co₂ emissions in Antarctica?
Cumulative co₂ emissions in Antarctica was 153,888 tonnes in 2024, according to Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest cumulative co₂ emissions recorded in Antarctica?
The highest recorded value was 153,888 tonnes in 2007.
What is the lowest cumulative co₂ emissions recorded in Antarctica?
The lowest recorded value was 3,664 tonnes in 1987.
How does Antarctica rank for cumulative co₂ emissions?
Antarctica ranks 215th out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
Is cumulative co₂ emissions rising or falling in Antarctica?
Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Antarctica data come from?
The figures come from Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Cumulative CO₂ emissions. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 38 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Cumulative CO₂ emissions
Unit
tonnes
Source
Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
215 places, 23,408 data points, 1750–2024
Last refreshed

Total cumulative emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂), excluding land-use change, since the first year of available data, measured in tonnes.