Greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Greenhouse gas emissions by sector was 200,000 tonnes in 2023. ▼ Falling
Greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Sri Lanka, 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 Sri Lanka stood at 200,000 tonnes.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 122.2% on the previous year and down 45.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Sri Lanka peaked at 930,000 tonnes in 2001 and was at its lowest, 90,000 tonnes, in 2022.
Sri Lanka ranks 102nd 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 Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 530,000 tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 510,000 tonnes | -3.8% |
| 1992 | 600,000 tonnes | +17.6% |
| 1993 | 600,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 660,000 tonnes | +10.0% |
| 1995 | 700,000 tonnes | +6.1% |
| 1996 | 720,000 tonnes | +2.9% |
| 1997 | 700,000 tonnes | -2.8% |
| 1998 | 740,000 tonnes | +5.7% |
| 1999 | 760,000 tonnes | +2.7% |
| 2000 | 900,000 tonnes | +18.4% |
| 2001 | 930,000 tonnes | +3.3% |
| 2002 | 900,000 tonnes | -3.2% |
| 2003 | 750,000 tonnes | -16.7% |
| 2004 | 820,000 tonnes | +9.3% |
| 2005 | 840,000 tonnes | +2.4% |
| 2006 | 830,000 tonnes | -1.2% |
| 2007 | 710,000 tonnes | -14.5% |
| 2008 | 570,000 tonnes | -19.7% |
| 2009 | 550,000 tonnes | -3.5% |
| 2010 | 610,000 tonnes | +10.9% |
| 2011 | 610,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 519,999 tonnes | -14.8% |
| 2013 | 370,000 tonnes | -28.8% |
| 2014 | 360,000 tonnes | -2.7% |
| 2015 | 390,000 tonnes | +8.3% |
| 2016 | 530,000 tonnes | +35.9% |
| 2017 | 490,000 tonnes | -7.5% |
| 2018 | 650,000 tonnes | +32.7% |
| 2019 | 640,000 tonnes | -1.5% |
| 2020 | 550,000 tonnes | -14.1% |
| 2021 | 320,000 tonnes | -41.8% |
| 2022 | 90,000 tonnes | -71.9% |
| 2023 | 200,000 tonnes | +122.2% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 200,000 tonnes is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 430,000 tonnes, 47% of the median. (53 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 200,000 tonnes is below the median for South Asia, which is 290,000 tonnes, 69% of the median. (5 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Sri Lanka 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | +122.2% | 90,000 tonnes | 200,000 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 652,000 tonnes | 510,000 tonnes | 760,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 780,000 tonnes | 550,000 tonnes | 930,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 517,000 tonnes | 360,000 tonnes | 650,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 290,000 tonnes | 90,000 tonnes | 550,000 tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 99 Dominican Republic 230,000 tonnes compare
- 99 Slovakia 230,000 tonnes compare
- 101 Estonia 220,000 tonnes compare
- 102 Mauritania 200,000 tonnes compare
- 104 Namibia 190,000 tonnes compare
- 105 Bosnia and Herzegovina 150,000 tonnes compare
- 105 Mozambique 150,000 tonnes compare
More climate change data for Sri Lanka
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 327.09 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 3,418 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 618.46 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 2,800 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 2.33 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 100 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 4,168 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 2,071 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 2,097 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 7.82 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Sri Lanka?
- Greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Sri Lanka was 200,000 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 Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 930,000 tonnes in 2001.
- What is the lowest greenhouse gas emissions by sector recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 90,000 tonnes in 2022.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for greenhouse gas emissions by sector?
- Sri Lanka ranks 102nd out of 179 countries with data for 2023.
- Is greenhouse gas emissions by sector rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 45.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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.