Greenhouse gas emissions by gas in Japan
Japan: Greenhouse gas emissions by gas was 17.96 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
17.96 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
Change on year
down 0.2%
World rank
34th
of 201 countries
All-time high
39.64 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 1996
All-time low
2.26 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 1850
Years of data
175
1850–2024
Greenhouse gas emissions by gas in Japan, 1850–2024
Source: Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes of CO₂ equivalents.
Analysis
The most recent figure for greenhouse gas emissions by gas in Japan is 17.96 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.2% on the previous year and down 11.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, greenhouse gas emissions by gas in Japan peaked at 39.64 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 1996 and was at its lowest, 2.26 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents, in 1850.
Japan ranks 34th of 201 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850s | 2.38 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.26 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.49 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1860s | 2.59 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.51 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.68 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1870s | 2.90 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.70 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.11 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1880s | 3.26 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.15 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.37 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1890s | 3.54 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.42 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.68 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1900s | 3.87 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.71 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 4.04 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1910s | 4.21 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 4.07 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 4.34 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1920s | 4.53 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 4.37 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 4.70 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1930s | 5.74 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 4.74 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 7.08 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1940s | 11.94 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 7.35 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 17.13 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1950s | 19.10 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 17.64 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 20.68 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1960s | 23.97 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 21.07 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 27.00 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1970s | 27.67 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 25.91 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 29.12 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1980s | 30.56 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 27.21 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 33.60 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1990s | 36.08 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 31.51 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 39.64 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2000s | 25.46 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 20.88 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 28.39 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2010s | 20.15 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 19.14 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 21.47 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2020s | 18.47 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 17.96 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 19.06 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5 |
Countries ranked near Japan
- 31 Spain 18.85 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 32 South Sudan 18.66 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 33 Philippines 18.40 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 35 Democratic Republic of Congo 17.62 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 36 Angola 17.28 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 37 Uzbekistan 15.74 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
More climate change data for Japan
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.8% (2100)
- Population growth -0.5% (2025)
- Population, total 123.37 million (2025)
- Urban population growth -0.4% (2025)
- Urban population 113.87 million (2025)
- Urban population 92.3% (2025)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 7.77 tonnes per person (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions 69.61 billion tonnes (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita 7.77 tonnes per person (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 7.77 tonnes per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is greenhouse gas emissions by gas in Japan?
- Greenhouse gas emissions by gas in Japan was 17.96 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2024, according to Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest greenhouse gas emissions by gas recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 39.64 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 1996.
- What is the lowest greenhouse gas emissions by gas recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.26 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 1850.
- How does Japan rank for greenhouse gas emissions by gas?
- Japan ranks 34th out of 201 countries with data for 2024.
- Is greenhouse gas emissions by gas rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Japan data come from?
- The figures come from Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Greenhouse gas emissions by gas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 175 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Measured in tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalents over a 100-year timescale.