Cumulative CO₂ emissions by world region in Greenland
Greenland: Cumulative CO₂ emissions by world region was 35.19 million tonnes in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
35.19 million tonnes
Change on year
up 1.8%
World rank
168th
of 215 countries
All-time high
35.19 million tonnes
in 2024
All-time low
98,928 tonnes
in 1950
Years of data
75
1950–2024
Cumulative CO₂ emissions by world region in Greenland, 1950–2024
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 by world region in Greenland is 35.19 million tonnes, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 75 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.8% on the previous year and up 18.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cumulative co₂ emissions by world region in Greenland peaked at 35.19 million tonnes in 2024 and was at its lowest, 98,928 tonnes, in 1950.
That places Greenland 168th 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 by world region in Greenland, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 98,928 tonnes | — |
| 1951 | 197,856 tonnes | +100.0% |
| 1952 | 304,112 tonnes | +53.7% |
| 1953 | 425,024 tonnes | +39.8% |
| 1954 | 527,616 tonnes | +24.1% |
| 1955 | 736,464 tonnes | +39.6% |
| 1956 | 879,360 tonnes | +19.4% |
| 1957 | 1.04 million tonnes | +18.3% |
| 1958 | 1.27 million tonnes | +21.8% |
| 1959 | 1.50 million tonnes | +18.5% |
| 1960 | 1.73 million tonnes | +14.9% |
| 1961 | 2.02 million tonnes | +17.0% |
| 1962 | 2.28 million tonnes | +13.1% |
| 1963 | 2.61 million tonnes | +14.4% |
| 1964 | 2.93 million tonnes | +12.1% |
| 1965 | 3.27 million tonnes | +11.8% |
| 1966 | 3.66 million tonnes | +11.9% |
| 1967 | 4.08 million tonnes | +11.4% |
| 1968 | 4.62 million tonnes | +13.3% |
| 1969 | 5.03 million tonnes | +8.8% |
| 1970 | 5.41 million tonnes | +7.6% |
| 1971 | 5.88 million tonnes | +8.7% |
| 1972 | 6.43 million tonnes | +9.4% |
| 1973 | 6.99 million tonnes | +8.7% |
| 1974 | 7.54 million tonnes | +8.0% |
| 1975 | 8.05 million tonnes | +6.7% |
| 1976 | 8.27 million tonnes | +2.7% |
| 1977 | 8.99 million tonnes | +8.7% |
| 1978 | 9.38 million tonnes | +4.4% |
| 1979 | 9.96 million tonnes | +6.1% |
| 1980 | 10.52 million tonnes | +5.7% |
| 1981 | 11.05 million tonnes | +5.0% |
| 1982 | 11.56 million tonnes | +4.7% |
| 1983 | 11.93 million tonnes | +3.1% |
| 1984 | 12.49 million tonnes | +4.8% |
| 1985 | 13.00 million tonnes | +4.1% |
| 1986 | 13.33 million tonnes | +2.5% |
| 1987 | 13.56 million tonnes | +1.8% |
| 1988 | 14.11 million tonnes | +4.0% |
| 1989 | 14.58 million tonnes | +3.3% |
| 1990 | 15.21 million tonnes | +4.3% |
| 1991 | 15.82 million tonnes | +4.0% |
| 1992 | 16.41 million tonnes | +3.8% |
| 1993 | 16.96 million tonnes | +3.3% |
| 1994 | 17.45 million tonnes | +2.9% |
| 1995 | 17.99 million tonnes | +3.1% |
| 1996 | 18.58 million tonnes | +3.3% |
| 1997 | 19.20 million tonnes | +3.3% |
| 1998 | 19.80 million tonnes | +3.1% |
| 1999 | 20.39 million tonnes | +3.0% |
| 2000 | 21.06 million tonnes | +3.3% |
| 2001 | 21.68 million tonnes | +2.9% |
| 2002 | 22.25 million tonnes | +2.7% |
| 2003 | 22.90 million tonnes | +2.9% |
| 2004 | 23.53 million tonnes | +2.7% |
| 2005 | 24.15 million tonnes | +2.7% |
| 2006 | 24.80 million tonnes | +2.7% |
| 2007 | 25.43 million tonnes | +2.6% |
| 2008 | 26.09 million tonnes | +2.6% |
| 2009 | 26.66 million tonnes | +2.2% |
| 2010 | 27.32 million tonnes | +2.5% |
| 2011 | 28.03 million tonnes | +2.6% |
| 2012 | 28.58 million tonnes | +2.0% |
| 2013 | 29.14 million tonnes | +2.0% |
| 2014 | 29.64 million tonnes | +1.7% |
| 2015 | 30.19 million tonnes | +1.8% |
| 2016 | 30.70 million tonnes | +1.7% |
| 2017 | 31.23 million tonnes | +1.7% |
| 2018 | 31.76 million tonnes | +1.7% |
| 2019 | 32.28 million tonnes | +1.7% |
| 2020 | 32.83 million tonnes | +1.7% |
| 2021 | 33.38 million tonnes | +1.7% |
| 2022 | 33.97 million tonnes | +1.8% |
| 2023 | 34.58 million tonnes | +1.8% |
| 2024 | 35.19 million tonnes | +1.8% |
Greenland compared with similar countries
- Greenland's 35.19 million tonnes is below the median for high income countries, which is 1.73 billion tonnes, 2% of the median. (74 countries reporting)
- Greenland's 35.19 million tonnes is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 2.86 billion tonnes, 1% of the median. (52 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Cumulative CO₂ emissions by world region in Greenland 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 | +100.0% | 98,928 tonnes | 197,856 tonnes |
| 1952 | +53.7% | 197,856 tonnes | 304,112 tonnes |
| 1953 | +39.8% | 304,112 tonnes | 425,024 tonnes |
| 1955 | +39.6% | 527,616 tonnes | 736,464 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 697,992 tonnes | 98,928 tonnes | 1.50 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1960s | 3.22 million tonnes | 1.73 million tonnes | 5.03 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1970s | 7.69 million tonnes | 5.41 million tonnes | 9.96 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 12.61 million tonnes | 10.52 million tonnes | 14.58 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 17.78 million tonnes | 15.21 million tonnes | 20.39 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 23.86 million tonnes | 21.06 million tonnes | 26.66 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 29.89 million tonnes | 27.32 million tonnes | 32.28 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 33.99 million tonnes | 32.83 million tonnes | 35.19 million tonnes | 5 |
Countries ranked near Greenland
- 165 Sierra Leone 42.62 million tonnes compare
- 166 Somalia 41.93 million tonnes compare
- 167 Rwanda 37.32 million tonnes compare
- 169 French Polynesia 35.02 million tonnes compare
- 170 Faroe Islands 33.66 million tonnes compare
- 171 Maldives 33.65 million tonnes compare
More climate change data for Greenland
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 148,208 kg (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 0.8215 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 0.8215 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 0.0031 kt (2050)
- Synthetic Fertilizers — Emissions (CO2eq) 0.8215 kt (2050)
- Synthetic Fertilizers — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 0.8215 kt (2050)
- Synthetic Fertilizers — Emissions 0.0031 kt (2050)
- Synthetic Fertilizers — Direct emissions 0.0023 kt (2050)
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Indirect emissions (N2O that) 0.0002 kt (2050)
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Indirect emissions (N2O that leaches) 0.0005 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cumulative co₂ emissions by world region in Greenland?
- Cumulative co₂ emissions by world region in Greenland was 35.19 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 by world region recorded in Greenland?
- The highest recorded value was 35.19 million tonnes in 2024.
- What is the lowest cumulative co₂ emissions by world region recorded in Greenland?
- The lowest recorded value was 98,928 tonnes in 1950.
- How does Greenland rank for cumulative co₂ emissions by world region?
- Greenland ranks 168th out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
- Is cumulative co₂ emissions by world region rising or falling in Greenland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 18.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Greenland 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 by world region. 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.