Greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Belgium
Belgium: Greenhouse gas emissions by sector was 2.00 million tonnes in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
2.00 million tonnes
Change on year
up 0.5%
World rank
39th
of 179 countries
All-time high
4.16 million tonnes
in 1996
All-time low
1.73 million tonnes
in 2014
Years of data
34
1990–2023
Greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Belgium, 1990–2023
Source: Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
In 2023, greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Belgium stood at 2.00 million tonnes.
The figure is up 0.5% on the previous year and down 2.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Belgium peaked at 4.16 million tonnes in 1996 and was at its lowest, 1.73 million tonnes, in 2014.
That places Belgium 39th out of 179 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
Greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Belgium, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 1.86 million tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 2.03 million tonnes | +9.1% |
| 1992 | 2.55 million tonnes | +25.6% |
| 1993 | 2.77 million tonnes | +8.6% |
| 1994 | 3.40 million tonnes | +22.7% |
| 1995 | 3.73 million tonnes | +9.7% |
| 1996 | 4.16 million tonnes | +11.5% |
| 1997 | 3.58 million tonnes | -13.9% |
| 1998 | 3.22 million tonnes | -10.1% |
| 1999 | 3.00 million tonnes | -6.8% |
| 2000 | 2.65 million tonnes | -11.7% |
| 2001 | 2.54 million tonnes | -4.2% |
| 2002 | 2.21 million tonnes | -13.0% |
| 2003 | 2.78 million tonnes | +25.8% |
| 2004 | 3.24 million tonnes | +16.5% |
| 2005 | 2.99 million tonnes | -7.7% |
| 2006 | 2.60 million tonnes | -13.0% |
| 2007 | 2.18 million tonnes | -16.2% |
| 2008 | 2.24 million tonnes | +2.8% |
| 2009 | 2.21 million tonnes | -1.3% |
| 2010 | 2.18 million tonnes | -1.4% |
| 2011 | 1.91 million tonnes | -12.4% |
| 2012 | 1.90 million tonnes | -0.5% |
| 2013 | 2.05 million tonnes | +7.9% |
| 2014 | 1.73 million tonnes | -15.6% |
| 2015 | 1.73 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 1.88 million tonnes | +8.7% |
| 2017 | 1.95 million tonnes | +3.7% |
| 2018 | 1.93 million tonnes | -1.0% |
| 2019 | 2.10 million tonnes | +8.8% |
| 2020 | 1.98 million tonnes | -5.7% |
| 2021 | 2.04 million tonnes | +3.0% |
| 2022 | 1.99 million tonnes | -2.5% |
| 2023 | 2.00 million tonnes | +0.5% |
Belgium compared with similar countries
- Belgium's 2.00 million tonnes is above the median for high income countries, which is 735,000 tonnes, 2.7× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Belgium's 2.00 million tonnes is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.04 million tonnes, 1.9× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3.03 million tonnes | 1.86 million tonnes | 4.16 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.56 million tonnes | 2.18 million tonnes | 3.24 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.94 million tonnes | 1.73 million tonnes | 2.18 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.00 million tonnes | 1.98 million tonnes | 2.04 million tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Belgium
More climate change data for Belgium
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 143.51 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 8,360 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 1,763 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 6,597 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 6.65 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 235.6 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 1,004 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 993.72 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 10.01 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 3.75 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Belgium?
- Greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Belgium was 2.00 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 Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 4.16 million tonnes in 1996.
- What is the lowest greenhouse gas emissions by sector recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.73 million tonnes in 2014.
- How does Belgium rank for greenhouse gas emissions by sector?
- Belgium ranks 39th out of 179 countries with data for 2023.
- Is greenhouse gas emissions by sector rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Belgium 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.