Greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Iceland
Iceland: Greenhouse gas emissions by sector was 540,000 tonnes in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
540,000 tonnes
Change on year
down 5.3%
World rank
74th
of 179 countries
All-time high
870,000 tonnes
in 1996
All-time low
530,000 tonnes
in 2020
Years of data
34
1990–2023
Greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Iceland, 1990–2023
Source: Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
The most recent figure for greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Iceland is 540,000 tonnes, measured in 2023.
The figure is down 5.3% on the previous year and down 18.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Iceland peaked at 870,000 tonnes in 1996 and was at its lowest, 530,000 tonnes, in 2020.
Iceland ranks 74th of 179 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
Greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Iceland, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 670,000 tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 710,000 tonnes | +6.0% |
| 1992 | 760,000 tonnes | +7.0% |
| 1993 | 790,000 tonnes | +3.9% |
| 1994 | 800,000 tonnes | +1.3% |
| 1995 | 790,000 tonnes | -1.2% |
| 1996 | 870,000 tonnes | +10.1% |
| 1997 | 840,000 tonnes | -3.4% |
| 1998 | 800,000 tonnes | -4.8% |
| 1999 | 780,000 tonnes | -2.5% |
| 2000 | 740,000 tonnes | -5.1% |
| 2001 | 660,000 tonnes | -10.8% |
| 2002 | 720,000 tonnes | +9.1% |
| 2003 | 760,000 tonnes | +5.6% |
| 2004 | 730,000 tonnes | -3.9% |
| 2005 | 720,000 tonnes | -1.4% |
| 2006 | 610,000 tonnes | -15.3% |
| 2007 | 620,000 tonnes | +1.6% |
| 2008 | 570,000 tonnes | -8.1% |
| 2009 | 670,000 tonnes | +17.5% |
| 2010 | 600,000 tonnes | -10.4% |
| 2011 | 570,000 tonnes | -5.0% |
| 2012 | 550,000 tonnes | -3.5% |
| 2013 | 660,000 tonnes | +20.0% |
| 2014 | 620,000 tonnes | -6.1% |
| 2015 | 680,000 tonnes | +9.7% |
| 2016 | 560,000 tonnes | -17.6% |
| 2017 | 550,000 tonnes | -1.8% |
| 2018 | 570,000 tonnes | +3.6% |
| 2019 | 540,000 tonnes | -5.3% |
| 2020 | 530,000 tonnes | -1.9% |
| 2021 | 600,000 tonnes | +13.2% |
| 2022 | 570,000 tonnes | -5.0% |
| 2023 | 540,000 tonnes | -5.3% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 540,000 tonnes is below the median for high income countries, which is 735,000 tonnes, 73% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 540,000 tonnes is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.04 million tonnes, 52% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 781,000 tonnes | 670,000 tonnes | 870,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 680,000 tonnes | 570,000 tonnes | 760,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 590,000 tonnes | 540,000 tonnes | 680,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 560,000 tonnes | 530,000 tonnes | 600,000 tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
More climate change data for Iceland
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 16.80 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 462.45 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 110.24 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 352.21 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 0.416 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 12.58 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 92.86 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 92.86 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 0.3504 kt (2050)
- Synthetic Fertilizers — Emissions (CO2eq) 92.72 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Iceland?
- Greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Iceland was 540,000 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 Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 870,000 tonnes in 1996.
- What is the lowest greenhouse gas emissions by sector recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 530,000 tonnes in 2020.
- How does Iceland rank for greenhouse gas emissions by sector?
- Iceland ranks 74th out of 179 countries with data for 2023.
- Is greenhouse gas emissions by sector rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Iceland 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.