Cumulative CO₂ emissions from coal in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Cumulative CO₂ emissions from coal was 56.90 billion tonnes in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
56.90 billion tonnes
Change on year
up 0.0%
World rank
4th
of 179 countries
All-time high
56.90 billion tonnes
in 2024
All-time low
9.31 million tonnes
in 1750
Years of data
275
1750–2024
Cumulative CO₂ emissions from coal in United Kingdom, 1750–2024
Source: Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
In 2024, cumulative co₂ emissions from coal in United Kingdom stood at 56.90 billion tonnes. That is the highest value across all 275 years on record.
The figure is up 0.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cumulative co₂ emissions from coal in United Kingdom peaked at 56.90 billion tonnes in 2024 and was at its lowest, 9.31 million tonnes, in 1750.
That places United Kingdom 4th out of 179 countries with data for 2024, putting it 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1750s | 52.91 million tonnes | 9.31 million tonnes | 97.91 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1760s | 159.53 million tonnes | 108.43 million tonnes | 213.64 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1770s | 289.86 million tonnes | 226.73 million tonnes | 356.28 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1780s | 450.32 million tonnes | 372.16 million tonnes | 533.91 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1790s | 652.04 million tonnes | 554.30 million tonnes | 754.94 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1800s | 921.67 million tonnes | 786.28 million tonnes | 1.06 billion tonnes | 10 |
| 1810s | 1.27 billion tonnes | 1.10 billion tonnes | 1.46 billion tonnes | 10 |
| 1820s | 1.71 billion tonnes | 1.50 billion tonnes | 1.94 billion tonnes | 10 |
| 1830s | 2.31 billion tonnes | 2.01 billion tonnes | 2.64 billion tonnes | 10 |
| 1840s | 3.13 billion tonnes | 2.72 billion tonnes | 3.59 billion tonnes | 10 |
| 1850s | 4.28 billion tonnes | 3.71 billion tonnes | 4.89 billion tonnes | 10 |
| 1860s | 5.91 billion tonnes | 5.06 billion tonnes | 6.85 billion tonnes | 10 |
| 1870s | 8.25 billion tonnes | 7.08 billion tonnes | 9.46 billion tonnes | 10 |
| 1880s | 11.18 billion tonnes | 9.75 billion tonnes | 12.65 billion tonnes | 10 |
| 1890s | 14.60 billion tonnes | 13.00 billion tonnes | 16.30 billion tonnes | 10 |
| 1900s | 18.65 billion tonnes | 16.72 billion tonnes | 20.67 billion tonnes | 10 |
| 1910s | 23.28 billion tonnes | 21.14 billion tonnes | 25.41 billion tonnes | 10 |
| 1920s | 27.70 billion tonnes | 25.88 billion tonnes | 29.58 billion tonnes | 10 |
| 1930s | 31.88 billion tonnes | 30.02 billion tonnes | 33.83 billion tonnes | 10 |
| 1940s | 36.32 billion tonnes | 34.31 billion tonnes | 38.33 billion tonnes | 10 |
| 1950s | 40.95 billion tonnes | 38.78 billion tonnes | 43.06 billion tonnes | 10 |
| 1960s | 45.41 billion tonnes | 43.50 billion tonnes | 47.18 billion tonnes | 10 |
| 1970s | 48.85 billion tonnes | 47.54 billion tonnes | 50.09 billion tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 51.43 billion tonnes | 50.35 billion tonnes | 52.52 billion tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 53.71 billion tonnes | 52.77 billion tonnes | 54.47 billion tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 55.29 billion tonnes | 54.62 billion tonnes | 55.92 billion tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 56.52 billion tonnes | 56.04 billion tonnes | 56.80 billion tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 56.87 billion tonnes | 56.82 billion tonnes | 56.90 billion tonnes | 5 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More climate change data for United Kingdom
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.7% (2100)
- Population growth 0.3% (2025)
- Population, total 69.49 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 0.4% (2025)
- Urban population 57.90 million (2025)
- Urban population 83.3% (2025)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 4.53 tonnes per person (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions 80.08 billion tonnes (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita 4.53 tonnes per person (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 4.53 tonnes per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cumulative co₂ emissions from coal in United Kingdom?
- Cumulative co₂ emissions from coal in United Kingdom was 56.90 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 United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 56.90 billion tonnes in 2024.
- What is the lowest cumulative co₂ emissions from coal recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.31 million tonnes in 1750.
- How does United Kingdom rank for cumulative co₂ emissions from coal?
- United Kingdom ranks 4th out of 179 countries with data for 2024.
- Is cumulative co₂ emissions from coal rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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 — 275 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.