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 179 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Australia, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 3.41 million tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 3.44 million tonnes | +0.9% |
| 1992 | 3.48 million tonnes | +1.2% |
| 1993 | 3.60 million tonnes | +3.4% |
| 1994 | 3.69 million tonnes | +2.5% |
| 1995 | 3.82 million tonnes | +3.5% |
| 1996 | 3.83 million tonnes | +0.3% |
| 1997 | 3.98 million tonnes | +3.9% |
| 1998 | 4.06 million tonnes | +2.0% |
| 1999 | 4.16 million tonnes | +2.5% |
| 2000 | 4.23 million tonnes | +1.7% |
| 2001 | 4.24 million tonnes | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 5.07 million tonnes | +19.6% |
| 2003 | 6.18 million tonnes | +21.9% |
| 2004 | 6.19 million tonnes | +0.2% |
| 2005 | 6.53 million tonnes | +5.5% |
| 2006 | 6.06 million tonnes | -7.2% |
| 2007 | 5.97 million tonnes | -1.5% |
| 2008 | 6.04 million tonnes | +1.2% |
| 2009 | 6.01 million tonnes | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 6.17 million tonnes | +2.7% |
| 2011 | 6.10 million tonnes | -1.1% |
| 2012 | 6.21 million tonnes | +1.8% |
| 2013 | 6.31 million tonnes | +1.6% |
| 2014 | 6.26 million tonnes | -0.8% |
| 2015 | 6.63 million tonnes | +5.9% |
| 2016 | 7.09 million tonnes | +6.9% |
| 2017 | 7.62 million tonnes | +7.5% |
| 2018 | 7.70 million tonnes | +1.0% |
| 2019 | 6.37 million tonnes | -17.3% |
| 2020 | 5.66 million tonnes | -11.1% |
| 2021 | 7.77 million tonnes | +37.3% |
| 2022 | 7.29 million tonnes | -6.2% |
| 2023 | 6.88 million tonnes | -5.6% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 6.88 million tonnes is above the median for high income countries, which is 735,000 tonnes, 9.4× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Australia's 6.88 million tonnes is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 595,000 tonnes, 11.6× the median. (26 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Australia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | +37.3% | 5.66 million tonnes | 7.77 million tonnes |
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
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 1.30 billion kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 118,578 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 34,162 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 84,416 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 128.91 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 3,015 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 12,473 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 10,966 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 1,507 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 41.38 kt (2050)
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 179 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.