Greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Australia
Australia: Greenhouse gas emissions by sector was 6.88 million tonnes in 2023. ▲ Rising
Greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Australia, 1990–2023
Source: Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
Australia recorded 6.88 million tonnes for greenhouse gas emissions by sector in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 5.6% on the previous year and up 9.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Australia peaked at 7.77 million tonnes in 2021 and was at its lowest, 3.41 million tonnes, in 1990.
Australia ranks 22nd of 176 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3.75 million tonnes | 3.41 million tonnes | 4.16 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.65 million tonnes | 4.23 million tonnes | 6.53 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.65 million tonnes | 6.10 million tonnes | 7.70 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.90 million tonnes | 5.66 million tonnes | 7.77 million tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 19 South Africa 7.42 million tonnes compare
- 20 Spain 7.21 million tonnes compare
- 21 Thailand 7.01 million tonnes compare
- 23 Netherlands 5.64 million tonnes compare
- 24 United Kingdom 5.57 million tonnes compare
- 25 South Korea 5.56 million tonnes compare
More climate change data for Australia
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.4% (2100)
- Population growth 1.5% (2025)
- Population, total 27.61 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 1.7% (2025)
- Urban population 24.22 million (2025)
- Urban population 87.7% (2025)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 14.48 tonnes per person (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions 20.04 billion tonnes (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita 14.48 tonnes per person (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 14.48 tonnes per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Australia?
- Greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Australia was 6.88 million tonnes in 2023, according to Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest greenhouse gas emissions by sector recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 7.77 million tonnes in 2021.
- What is the lowest greenhouse gas emissions by sector recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.41 million tonnes in 1990.
- How does Australia rank for greenhouse gas emissions by sector?
- Australia ranks 22nd out of 176 countries with data for 2023.
- Is greenhouse gas emissions by sector rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Greenhouse gas emissions by sector. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Emissions are measured in tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalents.