Greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Switzerland
Switzerland: Greenhouse gas emissions by sector was 480,000 tonnes in 2023. ▼ Falling
Greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Switzerland, 1990–2023
Source: Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
Switzerland recorded 480,000 tonnes for greenhouse gas emissions by sector in 2023.
That represents a change of up 6.7% on the previous year and down 17.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Switzerland peaked at 1.08 million tonnes in 2001 and was at its lowest, 440,000 tonnes, in 2016.
That places Switzerland 79th out of 179 countries with data for 2023, putting it 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 Switzerland, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 570,000 tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 860,000 tonnes | +50.9% |
| 1992 | 850,000 tonnes | -1.2% |
| 1993 | 990,000 tonnes | +16.5% |
| 1994 | 790,000 tonnes | -20.2% |
| 1995 | 870,000 tonnes | +10.1% |
| 1996 | 1.02 million tonnes | +17.2% |
| 1997 | 670,000 tonnes | -34.3% |
| 1998 | 930,000 tonnes | +38.8% |
| 1999 | 900,000 tonnes | -3.2% |
| 2000 | 580,000 tonnes | -35.6% |
| 2001 | 1.08 million tonnes | +86.2% |
| 2002 | 800,000 tonnes | -25.9% |
| 2003 | 860,000 tonnes | +7.5% |
| 2004 | 920,000 tonnes | +7.0% |
| 2005 | 740,000 tonnes | -19.6% |
| 2006 | 660,000 tonnes | -10.8% |
| 2007 | 630,000 tonnes | -4.5% |
| 2008 | 660,000 tonnes | +4.8% |
| 2009 | 650,000 tonnes | -1.5% |
| 2010 | 630,000 tonnes | -3.1% |
| 2011 | 610,000 tonnes | -3.2% |
| 2012 | 570,000 tonnes | -6.6% |
| 2013 | 580,000 tonnes | +1.8% |
| 2014 | 470,000 tonnes | -19.0% |
| 2015 | 460,000 tonnes | -2.1% |
| 2016 | 440,000 tonnes | -4.3% |
| 2017 | 540,000 tonnes | +22.7% |
| 2018 | 490,000 tonnes | -9.3% |
| 2019 | 440,000 tonnes | -10.2% |
| 2020 | 470,000 tonnes | +6.8% |
| 2021 | 519,999 tonnes | +10.6% |
| 2022 | 450,000 tonnes | -13.5% |
| 2023 | 480,000 tonnes | +6.7% |
Switzerland compared with similar countries
- Switzerland's 480,000 tonnes is below the median for high income countries, which is 735,000 tonnes, 65% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Switzerland's 480,000 tonnes is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.04 million tonnes, 46% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Switzerland 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | +86.2% | 580,000 tonnes | 1.08 million tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 845,000 tonnes | 570,000 tonnes | 1.02 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 758,000 tonnes | 580,000 tonnes | 1.08 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 523,000 tonnes | 440,000 tonnes | 630,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 480,000 tonnes | 450,000 tonnes | 519,999 tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Switzerland
More climate change data for Switzerland
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 72.47 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 6,008 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 1,192 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 4,816 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 4.5 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 171.99 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 476.97 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 472.94 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 4.03 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 1.78 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Switzerland?
- Greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Switzerland was 480,000 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 Switzerland?
- The highest recorded value was 1.08 million tonnes in 2001.
- What is the lowest greenhouse gas emissions by sector recorded in Switzerland?
- The lowest recorded value was 440,000 tonnes in 2016.
- How does Switzerland rank for greenhouse gas emissions by sector?
- Switzerland ranks 79th out of 179 countries with data for 2023.
- Is greenhouse gas emissions by sector rising or falling in Switzerland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 17.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Switzerland 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.