Cumulative CO₂ emissions from coal in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Cumulative CO₂ emissions from coal was 80.06 million tonnes in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
80.06 million tonnes
Change on year
up 8.4%
World rank
83rd
of 179 countries
All-time high
80.06 million tonnes
in 2024
All-time low
995,185 tonnes
in 1950
Years of data
75
1950–2024
Cumulative CO₂ emissions from coal 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 80.06 million tonnes for cumulative co₂ emissions from coal in 2024. That is the highest value across all 75 years on record.
That represents a change of up 8.4% on the previous year and up 272.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cumulative co₂ emissions from coal in Sri Lanka peaked at 80.06 million tonnes in 2024 and was at its lowest, 995,185 tonnes, in 1950.
That places Sri Lanka 83rd out of 179 countries with data for 2024, putting it 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 from coal in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 995,185 tonnes | — |
| 1951 | 1.64 million tonnes | +64.4% |
| 1952 | 2.64 million tonnes | +61.2% |
| 1953 | 3.67 million tonnes | +39.2% |
| 1954 | 4.44 million tonnes | +21.0% |
| 1955 | 4.95 million tonnes | +11.4% |
| 1956 | 5.34 million tonnes | +8.0% |
| 1957 | 6.10 million tonnes | +14.1% |
| 1958 | 6.57 million tonnes | +7.7% |
| 1959 | 7.04 million tonnes | +7.2% |
| 1960 | 7.73 million tonnes | +9.8% |
| 1961 | 8.10 million tonnes | +4.8% |
| 1962 | 8.48 million tonnes | +4.7% |
| 1963 | 8.87 million tonnes | +4.6% |
| 1964 | 9.34 million tonnes | +5.3% |
| 1965 | 9.71 million tonnes | +4.0% |
| 1966 | 9.79 million tonnes | +0.9% |
| 1967 | 10.16 million tonnes | +3.8% |
| 1968 | 10.27 million tonnes | +1.1% |
| 1969 | 10.34 million tonnes | +0.6% |
| 1970 | 10.40 million tonnes | +0.6% |
| 1971 | 10.43 million tonnes | +0.4% |
| 1972 | 10.44 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 10.46 million tonnes | +0.2% |
| 1974 | 10.48 million tonnes | +0.2% |
| 1975 | 10.49 million tonnes | +0.1% |
| 1976 | 10.50 million tonnes | +0.1% |
| 1977 | 10.51 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 10.53 million tonnes | +0.3% |
| 1979 | 10.54 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 10.54 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 10.55 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 10.63 million tonnes | +0.8% |
| 1983 | 10.71 million tonnes | +0.7% |
| 1984 | 10.72 million tonnes | +0.1% |
| 1985 | 10.72 million tonnes | +0.1% |
| 1986 | 10.73 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 10.73 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 10.73 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 10.73 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 10.74 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 10.74 million tonnes | +0.1% |
| 1992 | 10.75 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 10.75 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 10.76 million tonnes | +0.1% |
| 1995 | 10.76 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 10.77 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 10.77 million tonnes | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 10.78 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 10.78 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 10.78 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 10.79 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 10.79 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 11.02 million tonnes | +2.1% |
| 2004 | 11.25 million tonnes | +2.1% |
| 2005 | 11.48 million tonnes | +2.1% |
| 2006 | 11.71 million tonnes | +2.0% |
| 2007 | 11.87 million tonnes | +1.4% |
| 2008 | 12.09 million tonnes | +1.9% |
| 2009 | 12.31 million tonnes | +1.8% |
| 2010 | 12.54 million tonnes | +1.8% |
| 2011 | 13.67 million tonnes | +9.0% |
| 2012 | 15.59 million tonnes | +14.0% |
| 2013 | 17.61 million tonnes | +12.9% |
| 2014 | 21.49 million tonnes | +22.0% |
| 2015 | 26.71 million tonnes | +24.3% |
| 2016 | 32.23 million tonnes | +20.7% |
| 2017 | 37.96 million tonnes | +17.8% |
| 2018 | 43.49 million tonnes | +14.6% |
| 2019 | 49.39 million tonnes | +13.6% |
| 2020 | 56.48 million tonnes | +14.4% |
| 2021 | 62.67 million tonnes | +11.0% |
| 2022 | 68.55 million tonnes | +9.4% |
| 2023 | 73.83 million tonnes | +7.7% |
| 2024 | 80.06 million tonnes | +8.4% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 80.06 million tonnes is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 110.33 million tonnes, 73% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 80.06 million tonnes is above the median for South Asia, which is 80.06 million tonnes, 1.0× the median. (5 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Cumulative CO₂ emissions from coal 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 | +64.4% | 995,185 tonnes | 1.64 million tonnes |
| 1952 | +61.2% | 1.64 million tonnes | 2.64 million tonnes |
| 1953 | +39.2% | 2.64 million tonnes | 3.67 million tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 4.34 million tonnes | 995,185 tonnes | 7.04 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1960s | 9.28 million tonnes | 7.73 million tonnes | 10.34 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1970s | 10.48 million tonnes | 10.40 million tonnes | 10.54 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 10.68 million tonnes | 10.54 million tonnes | 10.73 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 10.76 million tonnes | 10.74 million tonnes | 10.78 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 11.41 million tonnes | 10.78 million tonnes | 12.31 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 27.07 million tonnes | 12.54 million tonnes | 49.39 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 68.32 million tonnes | 56.48 million tonnes | 80.06 million tonnes | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 80 Montenegro 86.04 million tonnes compare
- 81 Dominican Republic 84.02 million tonnes compare
- 82 Turkmenistan 80.12 million tonnes compare
- 84 Uruguay 77.86 million tonnes compare
- 85 Albania 70.20 million tonnes compare
- 86 Nepal 70.04 million tonnes compare
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 from coal in Sri Lanka?
- Cumulative co₂ emissions from coal in Sri Lanka was 80.06 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 from coal recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 80.06 million tonnes in 2024.
- What is the lowest cumulative co₂ emissions from coal recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 995,185 tonnes in 1950.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for cumulative co₂ emissions from coal?
- Sri Lanka ranks 83rd out of 179 countries with data for 2024.
- Is cumulative co₂ emissions from coal rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 272.5%. 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 from coal. 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
Cumulative emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from coal since the first year of available data, measured in tonnes.