emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre in Australia
Australia: emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre was 0.2028 tonnes per square kilometre in 2022. ▼ Falling
Latest (2022)
0.2028 tonnes per square kilometre
Change on year
down 2.8%
World rank
198th
of 207 countries
All-time high
0.7406 tonnes per square kilometre
in 1990
All-time low
0.2028 tonnes per square kilometre
in 2022
Years of data
62
1961–2022
emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre in Australia, 1961–2022
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in tonnes per square kilometre.
Analysis
Australia recorded 0.2028 tonnes per square kilometre for emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre in 2022. That is the lowest value across all 62 years on record.
The figure is down 2.8% on the previous year and down 27.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre in Australia peaked at 0.7406 tonnes per square kilometre in 1990 and was at its lowest, 0.2028 tonnes per square kilometre, in 2022.
That places Australia 198th out of 207 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 62 years of available data.
emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre in Australia, year by year
| Year | tonnes per square kilometre | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.31 tonnes per square kilometre | — |
| 1962 | 0.3196 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.1% |
| 1963 | 0.3337 tonnes per square kilometre | +4.4% |
| 1964 | 0.3487 tonnes per square kilometre | +4.5% |
| 1965 | 0.3643 tonnes per square kilometre | +4.5% |
| 1966 | 0.3729 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.4% |
| 1967 | 0.3899 tonnes per square kilometre | +4.5% |
| 1968 | 0.4081 tonnes per square kilometre | +4.7% |
| 1969 | 0.431 tonnes per square kilometre | +5.6% |
| 1970 | 0.44 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.1% |
| 1971 | 0.4587 tonnes per square kilometre | +4.2% |
| 1972 | 0.4827 tonnes per square kilometre | +5.2% |
| 1973 | 0.5124 tonnes per square kilometre | +6.1% |
| 1974 | 0.5263 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.7% |
| 1975 | 0.5443 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.4% |
| 1976 | 0.5575 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.4% |
| 1977 | 0.5774 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.6% |
| 1978 | 0.5923 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.6% |
| 1979 | 0.609 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.8% |
| 1980 | 0.6079 tonnes per square kilometre | -0.2% |
| 1981 | 0.615 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.2% |
| 1982 | 0.6275 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.0% |
| 1983 | 0.6162 tonnes per square kilometre | -1.8% |
| 1984 | 0.6334 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.8% |
| 1985 | 0.6485 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.4% |
| 1986 | 0.6625 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.2% |
| 1987 | 0.6647 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.3% |
| 1988 | 0.6906 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.9% |
| 1989 | 0.7157 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.6% |
| 1990 | 0.7406 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.5% |
| 1991 | 0.6893 tonnes per square kilometre | -6.9% |
| 1992 | 0.6786 tonnes per square kilometre | -1.5% |
| 1993 | 0.6752 tonnes per square kilometre | -0.5% |
| 1994 | 0.6578 tonnes per square kilometre | -2.6% |
| 1995 | 0.6451 tonnes per square kilometre | -1.9% |
| 1996 | 0.628 tonnes per square kilometre | -2.6% |
| 1997 | 0.6104 tonnes per square kilometre | -2.8% |
| 1998 | 0.5925 tonnes per square kilometre | -2.9% |
| 1999 | 0.5736 tonnes per square kilometre | -3.2% |
| 2000 | 0.5596 tonnes per square kilometre | -2.4% |
| 2001 | 0.5081 tonnes per square kilometre | -9.2% |
| 2002 | 0.5281 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.9% |
| 2003 | 0.4979 tonnes per square kilometre | -5.7% |
| 2004 | 0.4781 tonnes per square kilometre | -4.0% |
| 2005 | 0.4342 tonnes per square kilometre | -9.2% |
| 2006 | 0.4176 tonnes per square kilometre | -3.8% |
| 2007 | 0.4004 tonnes per square kilometre | -4.1% |
| 2008 | 0.3853 tonnes per square kilometre | -3.8% |
| 2009 | 0.3276 tonnes per square kilometre | -15.0% |
| 2010 | 0.3007 tonnes per square kilometre | -8.2% |
| 2011 | 0.2956 tonnes per square kilometre | -1.7% |
| 2012 | 0.2783 tonnes per square kilometre | -5.9% |
| 2013 | 0.2751 tonnes per square kilometre | -1.1% |
| 2014 | 0.2612 tonnes per square kilometre | -5.1% |
| 2015 | 0.2522 tonnes per square kilometre | -3.4% |
| 2016 | 0.2475 tonnes per square kilometre | -1.9% |
| 2017 | 0.2464 tonnes per square kilometre | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 0.2359 tonnes per square kilometre | -4.2% |
| 2019 | 0.2329 tonnes per square kilometre | -1.3% |
| 2020 | 0.2129 tonnes per square kilometre | -8.6% |
| 2021 | 0.2086 tonnes per square kilometre | -2.0% |
| 2022 | 0.2028 tonnes per square kilometre | -2.8% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 0.2028 tonnes per square kilometre is below the median for high income countries, which is 3.78 tonnes per square kilometre, 5% of the median. (78 countries reporting)
- Australia's 0.2028 tonnes per square kilometre is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3.29 tonnes per square kilometre, 6% of the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.3642 tonnes per square kilometre | 0.31 tonnes per square kilometre | 0.431 tonnes per square kilometre | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.5301 tonnes per square kilometre | 0.44 tonnes per square kilometre | 0.609 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.6482 tonnes per square kilometre | 0.6079 tonnes per square kilometre | 0.7157 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.6491 tonnes per square kilometre | 0.5736 tonnes per square kilometre | 0.7406 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.4537 tonnes per square kilometre | 0.3276 tonnes per square kilometre | 0.5596 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.2626 tonnes per square kilometre | 0.2329 tonnes per square kilometre | 0.3007 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.2081 tonnes per square kilometre | 0.2028 tonnes per square kilometre | 0.2129 tonnes per square kilometre | 3 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 195 Bolivia 0.2403 tonnes per square kilometre compare
- 196 Guyana 0.2118 tonnes per square kilometre compare
- 197 Mauritania 0.2108 tonnes per square kilometre compare
- 199 Solomon Islands 0.2016 tonnes per square kilometre compare
- 200 Mongolia 0.1841 tonnes per square kilometre compare
- 201 Namibia 0.1834 tonnes per square kilometre compare
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 square kilometre in Australia?
- Emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre in Australia was 0.2028 tonnes per square kilometre in 2022, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 0.7406 tonnes per square kilometre in 1990.
- What is the lowest emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2028 tonnes per square kilometre in 2022.
- How does Australia rank for emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre?
- Australia ranks 198th out of 207 countries with data for 2022.
- Is emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 27.1%. 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 square kilometre. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 62 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 Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
emissions of air pollutants ÷ Land area (sq. km)
Computed from
- emissions of air pollutants Hoesly et al. (2024) – Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data
- Land area FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
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 Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.