Cumulative CO₂ emissions in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Cumulative CO₂ emissions was 567.87 million tonnes in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
567.87 million tonnes
Change on year
up 3.8%
World rank
97th
of 215 countries
All-time high
567.87 million tonnes
in 2024
All-time low
1.63 million tonnes
in 1950
Years of data
75
1950–2024
Cumulative CO₂ emissions in Sri Lanka, 1950–2024
Source: Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 567.87 million tonnes for cumulative co₂ emissions in 2024. That is the highest value across all 75 years on record.
That represents a change of up 3.8% on the previous year and up 56.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cumulative co₂ emissions in Sri Lanka peaked at 567.87 million tonnes in 2024 and was at its lowest, 1.63 million tonnes, in 1950.
Sri Lanka ranks 97th of 215 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Cumulative CO₂ emissions in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 1.63 million tonnes | — |
| 1951 | 3.17 million tonnes | +95.0% |
| 1952 | 5.11 million tonnes | +61.1% |
| 1953 | 7.18 million tonnes | +40.4% |
| 1954 | 8.96 million tonnes | +24.9% |
| 1955 | 10.62 million tonnes | +18.6% |
| 1956 | 12.04 million tonnes | +13.3% |
| 1957 | 14.36 million tonnes | +19.3% |
| 1958 | 16.31 million tonnes | +13.6% |
| 1959 | 18.36 million tonnes | +12.6% |
| 1960 | 20.62 million tonnes | +12.3% |
| 1961 | 22.96 million tonnes | +11.3% |
| 1962 | 25.52 million tonnes | +11.2% |
| 1963 | 28.05 million tonnes | +9.9% |
| 1964 | 30.32 million tonnes | +8.1% |
| 1965 | 32.98 million tonnes | +8.8% |
| 1966 | 35.63 million tonnes | +8.1% |
| 1967 | 38.58 million tonnes | +8.3% |
| 1968 | 41.82 million tonnes | +8.4% |
| 1969 | 46.13 million tonnes | +10.3% |
| 1970 | 49.73 million tonnes | +7.8% |
| 1971 | 52.92 million tonnes | +6.4% |
| 1972 | 56.45 million tonnes | +6.7% |
| 1973 | 60.12 million tonnes | +6.5% |
| 1974 | 63.04 million tonnes | +4.8% |
| 1975 | 65.91 million tonnes | +4.6% |
| 1976 | 68.70 million tonnes | +4.2% |
| 1977 | 71.59 million tonnes | +4.2% |
| 1978 | 75.00 million tonnes | +4.8% |
| 1979 | 78.78 million tonnes | +5.0% |
| 1980 | 82.14 million tonnes | +4.3% |
| 1981 | 86.11 million tonnes | +4.8% |
| 1982 | 90.54 million tonnes | +5.1% |
| 1983 | 95.37 million tonnes | +5.3% |
| 1984 | 99.19 million tonnes | +4.0% |
| 1985 | 103.07 million tonnes | +3.9% |
| 1986 | 106.70 million tonnes | +3.5% |
| 1987 | 110.69 million tonnes | +3.7% |
| 1988 | 114.11 million tonnes | +3.1% |
| 1989 | 117.53 million tonnes | +3.0% |
| 1990 | 121.34 million tonnes | +3.2% |
| 1991 | 125.44 million tonnes | +3.4% |
| 1992 | 130.48 million tonnes | +4.0% |
| 1993 | 135.39 million tonnes | +3.8% |
| 1994 | 140.73 million tonnes | +3.9% |
| 1995 | 146.45 million tonnes | +4.1% |
| 1996 | 153.31 million tonnes | +4.7% |
| 1997 | 160.71 million tonnes | +4.8% |
| 1998 | 168.34 million tonnes | +4.7% |
| 1999 | 176.72 million tonnes | +5.0% |
| 2000 | 186.71 million tonnes | +5.7% |
| 2001 | 196.86 million tonnes | +5.4% |
| 2002 | 207.65 million tonnes | +5.5% |
| 2003 | 218.41 million tonnes | +5.2% |
| 2004 | 230.32 million tonnes | +5.5% |
| 2005 | 241.99 million tonnes | +5.1% |
| 2006 | 253.49 million tonnes | +4.8% |
| 2007 | 265.34 million tonnes | +4.7% |
| 2008 | 276.99 million tonnes | +4.4% |
| 2009 | 289.56 million tonnes | +4.5% |
| 2010 | 302.25 million tonnes | +4.4% |
| 2011 | 316.73 million tonnes | +4.8% |
| 2012 | 332.12 million tonnes | +4.9% |
| 2013 | 346.26 million tonnes | +4.3% |
| 2014 | 363.34 million tonnes | +4.9% |
| 2015 | 382.52 million tonnes | +5.3% |
| 2016 | 404.86 million tonnes | +5.8% |
| 2017 | 427.02 million tonnes | +5.5% |
| 2018 | 447.16 million tonnes | +4.7% |
| 2019 | 468.27 million tonnes | +4.7% |
| 2020 | 488.68 million tonnes | +4.4% |
| 2021 | 509.50 million tonnes | +4.3% |
| 2022 | 527.88 million tonnes | +3.6% |
| 2023 | 547.05 million tonnes | +3.6% |
| 2024 | 567.87 million tonnes | +3.8% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 567.87 million tonnes is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 827.42 million tonnes, 69% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 567.87 million tonnes is above the median for South Asia, which is 399.98 million tonnes, 1.4× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Cumulative CO₂ emissions in Sri Lanka 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | +95.0% | 1.63 million tonnes | 3.17 million tonnes |
| 1952 | +61.1% | 3.17 million tonnes | 5.11 million tonnes |
| 1953 | +40.4% | 5.11 million tonnes | 7.18 million tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 9.78 million tonnes | 1.63 million tonnes | 18.36 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1960s | 32.26 million tonnes | 20.62 million tonnes | 46.13 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1970s | 64.22 million tonnes | 49.73 million tonnes | 78.78 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 100.55 million tonnes | 82.14 million tonnes | 117.53 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 145.89 million tonnes | 121.34 million tonnes | 176.72 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 236.73 million tonnes | 186.71 million tonnes | 289.56 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 379.05 million tonnes | 302.25 million tonnes | 468.27 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 528.20 million tonnes | 488.68 million tonnes | 567.87 million tonnes | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More climate change data for Sri Lanka
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 327.09 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 3,418 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 618.46 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 2,800 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 2.33 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 100 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 4,168 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 2,071 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 2,097 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 7.82 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cumulative co₂ emissions in Sri Lanka?
- Cumulative co₂ emissions in Sri Lanka was 567.87 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 Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 567.87 million tonnes in 2024.
- What is the lowest cumulative co₂ emissions recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.63 million tonnes in 1950.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for cumulative co₂ emissions?
- Sri Lanka ranks 97th out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
- Is cumulative co₂ emissions rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 56.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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 — 75 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.