Cumulative CO₂ emissions in Maldives
Maldives: Cumulative CO₂ emissions was 33.65 million tonnes in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Cumulative CO₂ emissions in Maldives, 1971–2024
Source: Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
Maldives recorded 33.65 million tonnes for cumulative co₂ emissions in 2024. That is the highest value across all 54 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 7.4% on the previous year and up 120.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cumulative co₂ emissions in Maldives peaked at 33.65 million tonnes in 2024 and was at its lowest, 3,664 tonnes, in 1971.
That places Maldives 171st out of 215 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Cumulative CO₂ emissions in Maldives, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 3,664 tonnes | — |
| 1972 | 7,328 tonnes | +100.0% |
| 1973 | 10,992 tonnes | +50.0% |
| 1974 | 14,656 tonnes | +33.3% |
| 1975 | 21,984 tonnes | +50.0% |
| 1976 | 32,976 tonnes | +50.0% |
| 1977 | 47,632 tonnes | +44.4% |
| 1978 | 69,616 tonnes | +46.2% |
| 1979 | 98,928 tonnes | +42.1% |
| 1980 | 142,896 tonnes | +44.4% |
| 1981 | 190,528 tonnes | +33.3% |
| 1982 | 238,160 tonnes | +25.0% |
| 1983 | 289,456 tonnes | +21.5% |
| 1984 | 348,080 tonnes | +20.3% |
| 1985 | 414,032 tonnes | +18.9% |
| 1986 | 494,640 tonnes | +19.5% |
| 1987 | 575,248 tonnes | +16.3% |
| 1988 | 670,512 tonnes | +16.6% |
| 1989 | 795,088 tonnes | +18.6% |
| 1990 | 963,632 tonnes | +21.2% |
| 1991 | 1.12 million tonnes | +16.0% |
| 1992 | 1.35 million tonnes | +20.7% |
| 1993 | 1.54 million tonnes | +14.4% |
| 1994 | 1.74 million tonnes | +12.8% |
| 1995 | 1.99 million tonnes | +14.3% |
| 1996 | 2.28 million tonnes | +14.5% |
| 1997 | 2.61 million tonnes | +14.5% |
| 1998 | 2.91 million tonnes | +11.5% |
| 1999 | 3.33 million tonnes | +14.5% |
| 2000 | 3.78 million tonnes | +13.5% |
| 2001 | 4.24 million tonnes | +12.2% |
| 2002 | 4.83 million tonnes | +13.9% |
| 2003 | 5.34 million tonnes | +10.5% |
| 2004 | 6.01 million tonnes | +12.4% |
| 2005 | 6.61 million tonnes | +10.0% |
| 2006 | 7.35 million tonnes | +11.3% |
| 2007 | 8.13 million tonnes | +10.6% |
| 2008 | 8.97 million tonnes | +10.3% |
| 2009 | 9.85 million tonnes | +9.8% |
| 2010 | 10.78 million tonnes | +9.4% |
| 2011 | 11.77 million tonnes | +9.1% |
| 2012 | 12.88 million tonnes | +9.4% |
| 2013 | 13.97 million tonnes | +8.5% |
| 2014 | 15.29 million tonnes | +9.4% |
| 2015 | 16.58 million tonnes | +8.4% |
| 2016 | 18.01 million tonnes | +8.6% |
| 2017 | 19.52 million tonnes | +8.4% |
| 2018 | 21.26 million tonnes | +8.9% |
| 2019 | 23.25 million tonnes | +9.4% |
| 2020 | 24.93 million tonnes | +7.2% |
| 2021 | 26.93 million tonnes | +8.0% |
| 2022 | 29.14 million tonnes | +8.2% |
| 2023 | 31.35 million tonnes | +7.6% |
| 2024 | 33.65 million tonnes | +7.4% |
Maldives compared with similar countries
- Maldives's 33.65 million tonnes is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 827.42 million tonnes, 4% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Maldives's 33.65 million tonnes is below the median for South Asia, which is 399.98 million tonnes, 8% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Cumulative CO₂ emissions in Maldives 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | +100.0% | 3,664 tonnes | 7,328 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 34,197 tonnes | 3,664 tonnes | 98,928 tonnes | 9 |
| 1980s | 415,864 tonnes | 142,896 tonnes | 795,088 tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.98 million tonnes | 963,632 tonnes | 3.33 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 6.51 million tonnes | 3.78 million tonnes | 9.85 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 16.33 million tonnes | 10.78 million tonnes | 23.25 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 29.20 million tonnes | 24.93 million tonnes | 33.65 million tonnes | 5 |
Countries ranked near Maldives
- 168 Greenland 35.19 million tonnes compare
- 169 French Polynesia 35.02 million tonnes compare
- 170 Faroe Islands 33.66 million tonnes compare
- 172 Bermuda 31.02 million tonnes compare
- 173 Bhutan 29.80 million tonnes compare
- 174 Antigua and Barbuda 26.92 million tonnes compare
More climate change data for Maldives
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 207,727 kg (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 1.17 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 1.17 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 0.0028 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 0.0044 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 0.0001 kt (2050)
- Synthetic Fertilizers — Emissions (CO2eq) 1.14 kt (2050)
- Synthetic Fertilizers — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 1.14 kt (2050)
- Synthetic Fertilizers — Emissions 0.0043 kt (2050)
- Synthetic Fertilizers — Direct emissions 0.0033 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cumulative co₂ emissions in Maldives?
- Cumulative co₂ emissions in Maldives was 33.65 million 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 Maldives?
- The highest recorded value was 33.65 million tonnes in 2024.
- What is the lowest cumulative co₂ emissions recorded in Maldives?
- The lowest recorded value was 3,664 tonnes in 1971.
- How does Maldives rank for cumulative co₂ emissions?
- Maldives ranks 171st out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
- Is cumulative co₂ emissions rising or falling in Maldives?
- Over the last ten years it is up 120.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Maldives 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 — 54 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total cumulative emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂), excluding land-use change, since the first year of available data, measured in tonnes.