emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre in India
India: emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre was 15.8 tonnes per square kilometre in 2022. ▲ Rising
Latest (2022)
15.8 tonnes per square kilometre
Change on year
up 0.2%
World rank
30th
of 207 countries
All-time high
16.65 tonnes per square kilometre
in 2015
All-time low
6.36 tonnes per square kilometre
in 1961
Years of data
62
1961–2022
emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre in India, 1961–2022
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in tonnes per square kilometre.
Analysis
In 2022, emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre in India stood at 15.8 tonnes per square kilometre.
That represents a change of up 0.2% on the previous year and down 2.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre in India peaked at 16.65 tonnes per square kilometre in 2015 and was at its lowest, 6.36 tonnes per square kilometre, in 1961.
That places India 30th out of 207 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 62 years of available data.
emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre in India, year by year
| Year | tonnes per square kilometre | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 6.36 tonnes per square kilometre | — |
| 1962 | 6.56 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.1% |
| 1963 | 6.73 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.6% |
| 1964 | 6.8 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.0% |
| 1965 | 7.01 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.1% |
| 1966 | 7.06 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.8% |
| 1967 | 7.07 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.1% |
| 1968 | 7.21 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.0% |
| 1969 | 7.24 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.4% |
| 1970 | 7.32 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.2% |
| 1971 | 7.52 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.7% |
| 1972 | 7.7 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.4% |
| 1973 | 7.86 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.1% |
| 1974 | 8.02 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.1% |
| 1975 | 8.24 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.7% |
| 1976 | 8.48 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.9% |
| 1977 | 8.69 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.5% |
| 1978 | 8.85 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.8% |
| 1979 | 9.06 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.4% |
| 1980 | 9.27 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.3% |
| 1981 | 9.42 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.6% |
| 1982 | 9.64 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.4% |
| 1983 | 9.9 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.7% |
| 1984 | 10.23 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.4% |
| 1985 | 10.45 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.1% |
| 1986 | 10.79 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.2% |
| 1987 | 11.1 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.9% |
| 1988 | 11.43 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.0% |
| 1989 | 11.78 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.1% |
| 1990 | 12.07 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.5% |
| 1991 | 12.25 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.5% |
| 1992 | 12.37 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.0% |
| 1993 | 12.53 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.3% |
| 1994 | 12.82 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.3% |
| 1995 | 13.02 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.5% |
| 1996 | 13.17 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.2% |
| 1997 | 13.36 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.5% |
| 1998 | 13.36 tonnes per square kilometre | -0.0% |
| 1999 | 13.45 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.7% |
| 2000 | 13.63 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.3% |
| 2001 | 13.49 tonnes per square kilometre | -1.0% |
| 2002 | 13.7 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.6% |
| 2003 | 13.75 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 13.99 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.7% |
| 2005 | 14.22 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.6% |
| 2006 | 14.3 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 14.67 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.6% |
| 2008 | 15.14 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.2% |
| 2009 | 15.54 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.7% |
| 2010 | 15.98 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.8% |
| 2011 | 16.19 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.3% |
| 2012 | 16.24 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 16.34 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 16.52 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 16.65 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.8% |
| 2016 | 16.47 tonnes per square kilometre | -1.1% |
| 2017 | 16.49 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 16.4 tonnes per square kilometre | -0.6% |
| 2019 | 16.11 tonnes per square kilometre | -1.8% |
| 2020 | 15.59 tonnes per square kilometre | -3.2% |
| 2021 | 15.77 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.1% |
| 2022 | 15.8 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.2% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 15.8 tonnes per square kilometre is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 3.26 tonnes per square kilometre, 4.8× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- India's 15.8 tonnes per square kilometre is below the median for South Asia, which is 21.05 tonnes per square kilometre, 75% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 6.89 tonnes per square kilometre | 6.36 tonnes per square kilometre | 7.24 tonnes per square kilometre | 9 |
| 1970s | 8.17 tonnes per square kilometre | 7.32 tonnes per square kilometre | 9.06 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1980s | 10.4 tonnes per square kilometre | 9.27 tonnes per square kilometre | 11.78 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1990s | 12.84 tonnes per square kilometre | 12.07 tonnes per square kilometre | 13.45 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2000s | 14.24 tonnes per square kilometre | 13.49 tonnes per square kilometre | 15.54 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2010s | 16.34 tonnes per square kilometre | 15.98 tonnes per square kilometre | 16.65 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2020s | 15.72 tonnes per square kilometre | 15.59 tonnes per square kilometre | 15.8 tonnes per square kilometre | 3 |
Countries ranked near India
- 27 Burundi 16.52 tonnes per square kilometre compare
- 28 Guatemala 16.29 tonnes per square kilometre compare
- 29 Palau 15.98 tonnes per square kilometre compare
- 31 Trinidad and Tobago 15.67 tonnes per square kilometre compare
- 32 Antigua and Barbuda 15.33 tonnes per square kilometre compare
- 33 Rwanda 15.19 tonnes per square kilometre compare
More climate change data for India
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 27.69 billion kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 602,760 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 105,678 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 497,082 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 398.78 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 17,753 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 279,594 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 176,015 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 103,578 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 664.21 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre in India?
- Emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre in India was 15.8 tonnes per square kilometre in 2022, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 16.65 tonnes per square kilometre in 2015.
- What is the lowest emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.36 tonnes per square kilometre in 1961.
- How does India rank for emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre?
- India ranks 30th out of 207 countries with data for 2022.
- Is emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this India 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.