Greenhouse gas emissions by sector in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Greenhouse gas emissions by sector was 5.57 million tonnes in 2023. ▼ Falling
Greenhouse gas emissions by sector in United Kingdom, 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 United Kingdom is 5.57 million tonnes, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of down 0.4% on the previous year and up 26.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, greenhouse gas emissions by sector in United Kingdom peaked at 16.74 million tonnes in 1991 and was at its lowest, 3.59 million tonnes, in 2009.
That places United Kingdom 24th out of 176 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 11.24 million tonnes | 7.71 million tonnes | 16.74 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.91 million tonnes | 3.59 million tonnes | 7.85 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.79 million tonnes | 3.98 million tonnes | 13.38 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.80 million tonnes | 5.57 million tonnes | 6.11 million tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
- 21 Thailand 7.01 million tonnes compare
- 22 Australia 6.88 million tonnes compare
- 23 Netherlands 5.64 million tonnes compare
- 25 South Korea 5.56 million tonnes compare
- 26 North Korea 4.84 million tonnes compare
- 27 Bangladesh 4.12 million tonnes compare
More climate change data for United Kingdom
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.7% (2100)
- Population growth 0.3% (2025)
- Population, total 69.49 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 0.4% (2025)
- Urban population 57.90 million (2025)
- Urban population 83.3% (2025)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 4.53 tonnes per person (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions 80.08 billion tonnes (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita 4.53 tonnes per person (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 4.53 tonnes per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is greenhouse gas emissions by sector in United Kingdom?
- Greenhouse gas emissions by sector in United Kingdom was 5.57 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 United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 16.74 million tonnes in 1991.
- What is the lowest greenhouse gas emissions by sector recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.59 million tonnes in 2009.
- How does United Kingdom rank for greenhouse gas emissions by sector?
- United Kingdom ranks 24th out of 176 countries with data for 2023.
- Is greenhouse gas emissions by sector rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is up 26.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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.