Greenhouse gas emissions by gas in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Greenhouse gas emissions by gas was 2.04 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
2.04 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
Change on year
down 5.4%
World rank
116th
of 201 countries
All-time high
2.99 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 2020
All-time low
372,684 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 1850
Years of data
175
1850–2024
Greenhouse gas emissions by gas in Sri Lanka, 1850–2024
Source: Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes of CO₂ equivalents.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 2.04 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents for greenhouse gas emissions by gas in 2024.
The figure is down 5.4% on the previous year and down 26.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, greenhouse gas emissions by gas in Sri Lanka peaked at 2.99 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2020 and was at its lowest, 372,684 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents, in 1850.
That places Sri Lanka 116th out of 201 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
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 | 401,416 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 372,684 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 423,252 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1860s | 428,491 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 424,967 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 431,807 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1870s | 534,447 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 432,889 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 658,462 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1880s | 697,488 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 671,895 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 718,794 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1890s | 759,089 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 746,545 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 772,863 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1900s | 795,363 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 776,264 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 814,586 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1910s | 828,872 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 817,851 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 839,217 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1920s | 857,099 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 841,781 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 872,537 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1930s | 886,778 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 875,048 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 899,662 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1940s | 959,489 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 902,803 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.03 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1950s | 1.10 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.04 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.16 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1960s | 1.24 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.12 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.35 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.43 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.31 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.62 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.84 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.68 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.97 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.03 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.83 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.26 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.38 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.20 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.67 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.40 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.95 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.80 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.35 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.04 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.99 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 113 Switzerland 2.19 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 114 Latvia 2.19 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 115 Croatia 2.12 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 117 North Korea 1.93 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 118 Kyrgyzstan 1.91 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 119 Congo 1.90 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
More climate change data for Sri Lanka
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.2% (2100)
- Population growth -0.7% (2025)
- Population, total 21.76 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 0.0% (2025)
- Urban population 4.45 million (2025)
- Urban population 20.5% (2025)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 0.9014 tonnes per person (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions 567.87 million tonnes (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita 0.9014 tonnes per person (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 0.9014 tonnes per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is greenhouse gas emissions by gas in Sri Lanka?
- Greenhouse gas emissions by gas in Sri Lanka was 2.04 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 Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 2.99 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2020.
- What is the lowest greenhouse gas emissions by gas recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 372,684 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 1850.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for greenhouse gas emissions by gas?
- Sri Lanka ranks 116th out of 201 countries with data for 2024.
- Is greenhouse gas emissions by gas rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 26.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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.