emissions of air pollutants, per capita in Australia
Australia: emissions of air pollutants, per capita was 0.06 tonnes per person in 2022. ▼ Falling
emissions of air pollutants, per capita in Australia, 1960–2022
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in tonnes per person.
Analysis
In 2022, emissions of air pollutants, per capita in Australia stood at 0.06 tonnes per person. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 4.0% on the previous year and down 36.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, emissions of air pollutants, per capita in Australia peaked at 0.3334 tonnes per person in 1990 and was at its lowest, 0.06 tonnes per person, in 2022.
Australia ranks 59th of 207 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
emissions of air pollutants, per capita in Australia, year by year
| Year | tonnes per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 0.2285 tonnes per person | — |
| 1961 | 0.2272 tonnes per person | -0.6% |
| 1962 | 0.2285 tonnes per person | +0.6% |
| 1963 | 0.2341 tonnes per person | +2.5% |
| 1964 | 0.2399 tonnes per person | +2.5% |
| 1965 | 0.2457 tonnes per person | +2.4% |
| 1966 | 0.2459 tonnes per person | +0.1% |
| 1967 | 0.2539 tonnes per person | +3.2% |
| 1968 | 0.261 tonnes per person | +2.8% |
| 1969 | 0.27 tonnes per person | +3.4% |
| 1970 | 0.2703 tonnes per person | +0.1% |
| 1971 | 0.2724 tonnes per person | +0.8% |
| 1972 | 0.2814 tonnes per person | +3.3% |
| 1973 | 0.2942 tonnes per person | +4.5% |
| 1974 | 0.2946 tonnes per person | +0.1% |
| 1975 | 0.301 tonnes per person | +2.2% |
| 1976 | 0.3052 tonnes per person | +1.4% |
| 1977 | 0.3126 tonnes per person | +2.4% |
| 1978 | 0.3169 tonnes per person | +1.4% |
| 1979 | 0.3224 tonnes per person | +1.7% |
| 1980 | 0.3178 tonnes per person | -1.4% |
| 1981 | 0.3166 tonnes per person | -0.4% |
| 1982 | 0.3175 tonnes per person | +0.3% |
| 1983 | 0.3075 tonnes per person | -3.1% |
| 1984 | 0.3124 tonnes per person | +1.6% |
| 1985 | 0.3156 tonnes per person | +1.0% |
| 1986 | 0.3177 tonnes per person | +0.7% |
| 1987 | 0.314 tonnes per person | -1.2% |
| 1988 | 0.3209 tonnes per person | +2.2% |
| 1989 | 0.327 tonnes per person | +1.9% |
| 1990 | 0.3334 tonnes per person | +2.0% |
| 1991 | 0.3064 tonnes per person | -8.1% |
| 1992 | 0.2983 tonnes per person | -2.6% |
| 1993 | 0.2941 tonnes per person | -1.4% |
| 1994 | 0.2838 tonnes per person | -3.5% |
| 1995 | 0.2752 tonnes per person | -3.0% |
| 1996 | 0.2647 tonnes per person | -3.8% |
| 1997 | 0.2545 tonnes per person | -3.8% |
| 1998 | 0.2446 tonnes per person | -3.9% |
| 1999 | 0.2342 tonnes per person | -4.3% |
| 2000 | 0.2259 tonnes per person | -3.5% |
| 2001 | 0.2025 tonnes per person | -10.4% |
| 2002 | 0.2081 tonnes per person | +2.7% |
| 2003 | 0.194 tonnes per person | -6.8% |
| 2004 | 0.1843 tonnes per person | -5.0% |
| 2005 | 0.1653 tonnes per person | -10.3% |
| 2006 | 0.1569 tonnes per person | -5.1% |
| 2007 | 0.1477 tonnes per person | -5.8% |
| 2008 | 0.1393 tonnes per person | -5.7% |
| 2009 | 0.116 tonnes per person | -16.7% |
| 2010 | 0.1049 tonnes per person | -9.6% |
| 2011 | 0.1017 tonnes per person | -3.1% |
| 2012 | 0.094 tonnes per person | -7.5% |
| 2013 | 0.0914 tonnes per person | -2.8% |
| 2014 | 0.0855 tonnes per person | -6.5% |
| 2015 | 0.0814 tonnes per person | -4.8% |
| 2016 | 0.0787 tonnes per person | -3.3% |
| 2017 | 0.0771 tonnes per person | -2.1% |
| 2018 | 0.0727 tonnes per person | -5.7% |
| 2019 | 0.0707 tonnes per person | -2.7% |
| 2020 | 0.0638 tonnes per person | -9.7% |
| 2021 | 0.0625 tonnes per person | -2.2% |
| 2022 | 0.06 tonnes per person | -4.0% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 0.06 tonnes per person is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.0387 tonnes per person, 1.5× the median. (78 countries reporting)
- Australia's 0.06 tonnes per person is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.0278 tonnes per person, 2.2× the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.2435 tonnes per person | 0.2272 tonnes per person | 0.27 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.2971 tonnes per person | 0.2703 tonnes per person | 0.3224 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.3167 tonnes per person | 0.3075 tonnes per person | 0.327 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.2789 tonnes per person | 0.2342 tonnes per person | 0.3334 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.174 tonnes per person | 0.116 tonnes per person | 0.2259 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.0858 tonnes per person | 0.0707 tonnes per person | 0.1049 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.0621 tonnes per person | 0.06 tonnes per person | 0.0638 tonnes per person | 3 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More climate change data for Australia
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 1.30 billion kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 118,578 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 34,162 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 84,416 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 128.91 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 3,015 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 12,473 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 10,966 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 1,507 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 41.38 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is emissions of air pollutants, per capita in Australia?
- Emissions of air pollutants, per capita in Australia was 0.06 tonnes per person in 2022, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest emissions of air pollutants, per capita recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 0.3334 tonnes per person in 1990.
- What is the lowest emissions of air pollutants, per capita recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.06 tonnes per person in 2022.
- How does Australia rank for emissions of air pollutants, per capita?
- Australia ranks 59th out of 207 countries with data for 2022.
- Is emissions of air pollutants, per capita rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 36.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of emissions of air pollutants, per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
emissions of air pollutants divided by Population, total, matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
emissions of air pollutants ÷ Population, total
Computed from
- emissions of air pollutants Hoesly et al. (2024) – Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data
- Population, total World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN)
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
emissions of air pollutants divided by Population, total, matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.