Cumulative CO₂ emissions from coal in Australia
Australia: Cumulative CO₂ emissions from coal was 10.56 billion tonnes in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Cumulative CO₂ emissions from coal in Australia, 1805–2024
Source: Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
The most recent figure for cumulative co₂ emissions from coal in Australia is 10.56 billion tonnes, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 220 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.4% on the previous year and up 17.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cumulative co₂ emissions from coal in Australia peaked at 10.56 billion tonnes in 2024 and was at its lowest, 236 tonnes, in 1805.
Australia ranks 12th of 179 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1800s | 1,709 tonnes | 236 tonnes | 3,572 tonnes | 5 |
| 1810s | 16,263 tonnes | 4,831 tonnes | 28,027 tonnes | 10 |
| 1820s | 53,412 tonnes | 34,187 tonnes | 75,657 tonnes | 10 |
| 1830s | 141,259 tonnes | 81,405 tonnes | 243,422 tonnes | 10 |
| 1840s | 524,143 tonnes | 291,027 tonnes | 794,055 tonnes | 10 |
| 1850s | 1.75 million tonnes | 906,107 tonnes | 3.13 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1860s | 7.73 million tonnes | 3.73 million tonnes | 13.19 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1870s | 23.24 million tonnes | 14.59 million tonnes | 33.54 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1880s | 54.57 million tonnes | 35.95 million tonnes | 77.57 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1890s | 113.51 million tonnes | 83.02 million tonnes | 147.57 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1900s | 212.23 million tonnes | 157.62 million tonnes | 274.74 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1910s | 388.08 million tonnes | 292.18 million tonnes | 485.58 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1920s | 626.70 million tonnes | 511.31 million tonnes | 744.92 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1930s | 869.14 million tonnes | 766.60 million tonnes | 989.90 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1940s | 1.18 billion tonnes | 1.02 billion tonnes | 1.34 billion tonnes | 10 |
| 1950s | 1.60 billion tonnes | 1.38 billion tonnes | 1.84 billion tonnes | 10 |
| 1960s | 2.17 billion tonnes | 1.90 billion tonnes | 2.47 billion tonnes | 10 |
| 1970s | 2.91 billion tonnes | 2.55 billion tonnes | 3.30 billion tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.91 billion tonnes | 3.40 billion tonnes | 4.46 billion tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.30 billion tonnes | 4.61 billion tonnes | 6.05 billion tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 7.12 billion tonnes | 6.23 billion tonnes | 8.03 billion tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.04 billion tonnes | 8.23 billion tonnes | 9.82 billion tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 10.28 billion tonnes | 9.98 billion tonnes | 10.56 billion tonnes | 5 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More climate change data for Australia
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.4% (2100)
- Population growth 1.5% (2025)
- Population, total 27.61 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 1.7% (2025)
- Urban population 24.22 million (2025)
- Urban population 87.7% (2025)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 14.48 tonnes per person (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions 20.04 billion tonnes (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita 14.48 tonnes per person (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 14.48 tonnes per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cumulative co₂ emissions from coal in Australia?
- Cumulative co₂ emissions from coal in Australia was 10.56 billion tonnes in 2024, according to Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest cumulative co₂ emissions from coal recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 10.56 billion tonnes in 2024.
- What is the lowest cumulative co₂ emissions from coal recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 236 tonnes in 1805.
- How does Australia rank for cumulative co₂ emissions from coal?
- Australia ranks 12th out of 179 countries with data for 2024.
- Is cumulative co₂ emissions from coal rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 17.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Australia 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 from coal. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 220 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Cumulative emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from coal since the first year of available data, measured in tonnes.