Greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Japan
Japan: Greenhouse gas emissions by sector was 15.38 million tonnes in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
15.38 million tonnes
Change on year
up 0.8%
World rank
9th
of 179 countries
All-time high
23.81 million tonnes
in 2004
All-time low
15.26 million tonnes
in 2022
Years of data
34
1990–2023
Greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Japan, 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 Japan is 15.38 million tonnes, measured in 2023.
The figure is up 0.8% on the previous year and down 4.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Japan peaked at 23.81 million tonnes in 2004 and was at its lowest, 15.26 million tonnes, in 2022.
Japan ranks 9th of 179 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
Greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Japan, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 18.34 million tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 18.76 million tonnes | +2.3% |
| 1992 | 18.82 million tonnes | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 18.32 million tonnes | -2.7% |
| 1994 | 17.16 million tonnes | -6.3% |
| 1995 | 17.37 million tonnes | +1.2% |
| 1996 | 21.02 million tonnes | +21.0% |
| 1997 | 21.29 million tonnes | +1.3% |
| 1998 | 20.68 million tonnes | -2.9% |
| 1999 | 20.14 million tonnes | -2.6% |
| 2000 | 20.87 million tonnes | +3.6% |
| 2001 | 21.68 million tonnes | +3.9% |
| 2002 | 23.06 million tonnes | +6.4% |
| 2003 | 23.26 million tonnes | +0.9% |
| 2004 | 23.81 million tonnes | +2.4% |
| 2005 | 22.50 million tonnes | -5.5% |
| 2006 | 21.09 million tonnes | -6.3% |
| 2007 | 21.18 million tonnes | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 18.28 million tonnes | -13.7% |
| 2009 | 21.14 million tonnes | +15.6% |
| 2010 | 19.00 million tonnes | -10.1% |
| 2011 | 17.49 million tonnes | -7.9% |
| 2012 | 17.38 million tonnes | -0.6% |
| 2013 | 16.06 million tonnes | -7.6% |
| 2014 | 16.09 million tonnes | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 17.91 million tonnes | +11.3% |
| 2016 | 19.01 million tonnes | +6.1% |
| 2017 | 18.00 million tonnes | -5.3% |
| 2018 | 15.74 million tonnes | -12.6% |
| 2019 | 16.49 million tonnes | +4.8% |
| 2020 | 17.36 million tonnes | +5.3% |
| 2021 | 15.81 million tonnes | -8.9% |
| 2022 | 15.26 million tonnes | -3.5% |
| 2023 | 15.38 million tonnes | +0.8% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 15.38 million tonnes is above the median for high income countries, which is 735,000 tonnes, 20.9× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Japan's 15.38 million tonnes is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 595,000 tonnes, 25.8× the median. (26 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 19.19 million tonnes | 17.16 million tonnes | 21.29 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 21.69 million tonnes | 18.28 million tonnes | 23.81 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 17.32 million tonnes | 15.74 million tonnes | 19.01 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 15.95 million tonnes | 15.26 million tonnes | 17.36 million tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Japan
More climate change data for Japan
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 337.64 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 12,181 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 3,633 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 8,547 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 13.71 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 305.27 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 9,462 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 2,401 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 7,061 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 9.06 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Japan?
- Greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Japan was 15.38 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 Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 23.81 million tonnes in 2004.
- What is the lowest greenhouse gas emissions by sector recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.26 million tonnes in 2022.
- How does Japan rank for greenhouse gas emissions by sector?
- Japan ranks 9th out of 179 countries with data for 2023.
- Is greenhouse gas emissions by sector rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Japan 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.