emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre was 28.51 tonnes per square kilometre in 2022. ▲ Rising
Latest (2022)
28.51 tonnes per square kilometre
Change on year
down 0.7%
World rank
15th
of 207 countries
All-time high
30.41 tonnes per square kilometre
in 2010
All-time low
11.34 tonnes per square kilometre
in 1966
Years of data
62
1961–2022
emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre in Sri Lanka, 1961–2022
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in tonnes per square kilometre.
Analysis
In 2022, emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre in Sri Lanka stood at 28.51 tonnes per square kilometre.
The figure is down 0.7% on the previous year and down 1.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre in Sri Lanka peaked at 30.41 tonnes per square kilometre in 2010 and was at its lowest, 11.34 tonnes per square kilometre, in 1966.
That places Sri Lanka 15th out of 207 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 62 years of available data.
emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | tonnes per square kilometre | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 11.83 tonnes per square kilometre | — |
| 1962 | 12.19 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.0% |
| 1963 | 12.49 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.5% |
| 1964 | 13.17 tonnes per square kilometre | +5.4% |
| 1965 | 12.92 tonnes per square kilometre | -1.8% |
| 1966 | 11.34 tonnes per square kilometre | -12.3% |
| 1967 | 14 tonnes per square kilometre | +23.5% |
| 1968 | 12.35 tonnes per square kilometre | -11.8% |
| 1969 | 12.35 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 12.42 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.5% |
| 1971 | 12 tonnes per square kilometre | -3.3% |
| 1972 | 12.19 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.5% |
| 1973 | 12.45 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.2% |
| 1974 | 12.5 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.4% |
| 1975 | 13.36 tonnes per square kilometre | +6.9% |
| 1976 | 13.59 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.7% |
| 1977 | 13.25 tonnes per square kilometre | -2.5% |
| 1978 | 13.78 tonnes per square kilometre | +4.0% |
| 1979 | 14 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.6% |
| 1980 | 14.18 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.2% |
| 1981 | 14.59 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.9% |
| 1982 | 15.05 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.1% |
| 1983 | 15.36 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.0% |
| 1984 | 16.37 tonnes per square kilometre | +6.6% |
| 1985 | 16.56 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.1% |
| 1986 | 17.21 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.9% |
| 1987 | 17.95 tonnes per square kilometre | +4.3% |
| 1988 | 18.43 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.7% |
| 1989 | 19.02 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.2% |
| 1990 | 19.46 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.3% |
| 1991 | 19.51 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.2% |
| 1992 | 20.37 tonnes per square kilometre | +4.4% |
| 1993 | 20.37 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 19.83 tonnes per square kilometre | -2.7% |
| 1995 | 20.15 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.6% |
| 1996 | 21.68 tonnes per square kilometre | +7.6% |
| 1997 | 22.22 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.5% |
| 1998 | 22.21 tonnes per square kilometre | -0.1% |
| 1999 | 23.24 tonnes per square kilometre | +4.7% |
| 2000 | 24.61 tonnes per square kilometre | +5.9% |
| 2001 | 24.15 tonnes per square kilometre | -1.9% |
| 2002 | 24.6 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.9% |
| 2003 | 25.12 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.1% |
| 2004 | 25.96 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.3% |
| 2005 | 26.73 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.0% |
| 2006 | 27.29 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.1% |
| 2007 | 27.65 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.3% |
| 2008 | 28.44 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.8% |
| 2009 | 28.84 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.4% |
| 2010 | 30.41 tonnes per square kilometre | +5.4% |
| 2011 | 27.96 tonnes per square kilometre | -8.1% |
| 2012 | 28.88 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.3% |
| 2013 | 27.7 tonnes per square kilometre | -4.1% |
| 2014 | 28.26 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.0% |
| 2015 | 28.86 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.1% |
| 2016 | 29.89 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.6% |
| 2017 | 29.15 tonnes per square kilometre | -2.5% |
| 2018 | 28.57 tonnes per square kilometre | -2.0% |
| 2019 | 29.02 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.6% |
| 2020 | 28.26 tonnes per square kilometre | -2.6% |
| 2021 | 28.71 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.6% |
| 2022 | 28.51 tonnes per square kilometre | -0.7% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 28.51 tonnes per square kilometre is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.92 tonnes per square kilometre, 14.8× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 28.51 tonnes per square kilometre is above the median for South Asia, which is 21.05 tonnes per square kilometre, 1.4× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 12.52 tonnes per square kilometre | 11.34 tonnes per square kilometre | 14 tonnes per square kilometre | 9 |
| 1970s | 12.95 tonnes per square kilometre | 12 tonnes per square kilometre | 14 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1980s | 16.47 tonnes per square kilometre | 14.18 tonnes per square kilometre | 19.02 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1990s | 20.9 tonnes per square kilometre | 19.46 tonnes per square kilometre | 23.24 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2000s | 26.34 tonnes per square kilometre | 24.15 tonnes per square kilometre | 28.84 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2010s | 28.87 tonnes per square kilometre | 27.7 tonnes per square kilometre | 30.41 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2020s | 28.49 tonnes per square kilometre | 28.26 tonnes per square kilometre | 28.71 tonnes per square kilometre | 3 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 12 Malta 38.06 tonnes per square kilometre compare
- 13 Seychelles 37.84 tonnes per square kilometre compare
- 14 Barbados 31.66 tonnes per square kilometre compare
- 16 Nigeria 25.61 tonnes per square kilometre compare
- 17 Bangladesh 23.94 tonnes per square kilometre compare
- 18 Cayman Islands 23.47 tonnes per square kilometre compare
More climate change data for Sri Lanka
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 327.09 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 3,418 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 618.46 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 2,800 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 2.33 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 100 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 4,168 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 2,071 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 2,097 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 7.82 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre in Sri Lanka?
- Emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre in Sri Lanka was 28.51 tonnes per square kilometre in 2022, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 30.41 tonnes per square kilometre in 2010.
- What is the lowest emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.34 tonnes per square kilometre in 1966.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre?
- Sri Lanka ranks 15th out of 207 countries with data for 2022.
- Is emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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.