Greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Malaysia
Malaysia: Greenhouse gas emissions by sector was 3.66 million tonnes in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Malaysia, 1990–2023
Source: Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
Malaysia recorded 3.66 million tonnes for greenhouse gas emissions by sector in 2023. That is the highest value across all 34 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.4% on the previous year and up 15.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Malaysia peaked at 3.66 million tonnes in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0 tonnes, in 1990.
That places Malaysia 30th out of 179 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 410,000 tonnes | — |
| 1992 | 1.22 million tonnes | +197.6% |
| 1993 | 190,000 tonnes | -84.4% |
| 1994 | 1.32 million tonnes | +594.7% |
| 1995 | 1.39 million tonnes | +5.3% |
| 1996 | 1.52 million tonnes | +9.4% |
| 1997 | 1.52 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 960,000 tonnes | -36.8% |
| 1999 | 330,000 tonnes | -65.6% |
| 2000 | 330,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 310,000 tonnes | -6.1% |
| 2002 | 300,000 tonnes | -3.2% |
| 2003 | 300,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 270,000 tonnes | -10.0% |
| 2005 | 320,000 tonnes | +18.5% |
| 2006 | 790,000 tonnes | +146.9% |
| 2007 | 830,000 tonnes | +5.1% |
| 2008 | 840,000 tonnes | +1.2% |
| 2009 | 590,000 tonnes | -29.8% |
| 2010 | 3.28 million tonnes | +455.9% |
| 2011 | 2.78 million tonnes | -15.2% |
| 2012 | 3.18 million tonnes | +14.4% |
| 2013 | 3.16 million tonnes | -0.6% |
| 2014 | 3.08 million tonnes | -2.5% |
| 2015 | 2.70 million tonnes | -12.3% |
| 2016 | 1.15 million tonnes | -57.4% |
| 2017 | 3.05 million tonnes | +165.2% |
| 2018 | 3.01 million tonnes | -1.3% |
| 2019 | 2.70 million tonnes | -10.3% |
| 2020 | 2.51 million tonnes | -7.0% |
| 2021 | 3.07 million tonnes | +22.3% |
| 2022 | 3.54 million tonnes | +15.3% |
| 2023 | 3.66 million tonnes | +3.4% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 3.66 million tonnes is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 430,000 tonnes, 8.5× the median. (53 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 3.66 million tonnes is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 595,000 tonnes, 6.2× the median. (26 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Malaysia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | +594.7% | 190,000 tonnes | 1.32 million tonnes |
| 2010 | +455.9% | 590,000 tonnes | 3.28 million tonnes |
| 1992 | +197.6% | 410,000 tonnes | 1.22 million tonnes |
| 2017 | +165.2% | 1.15 million tonnes | 3.05 million tonnes |
| 2006 | +146.9% | 320,000 tonnes | 790,000 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 886,000 tonnes | 0 tonnes | 1.52 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 488,000 tonnes | 270,000 tonnes | 840,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.81 million tonnes | 1.15 million tonnes | 3.28 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.19 million tonnes | 2.51 million tonnes | 3.66 million tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
More climate change data for Malaysia
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 621.79 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 4,551 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 1,936 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 2,616 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 7.31 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 93.41 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 7,214 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 3,641 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 3,573 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 13.74 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Malaysia?
- Greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Malaysia was 3.66 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 Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 3.66 million tonnes in 2023.
- What is the lowest greenhouse gas emissions by sector recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 tonnes in 1990.
- How does Malaysia rank for greenhouse gas emissions by sector?
- Malaysia ranks 30th out of 179 countries with data for 2023.
- Is greenhouse gas emissions by sector rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Malaysia 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.