Greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Australia
Australia: Greenhouse gas emissions by sector was 214.60 million tonnes in 2023. ▼ Falling
Greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Australia, 1990–2023
Source: Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
Australia recorded 214.60 million tonnes for greenhouse gas emissions by sector in 2023.
That represents a change of up 62.3% on the previous year and up 51.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Australia peaked at 233.08 million tonnes in 2001 and was at its lowest, 108.89 million tonnes, in 2020.
That places Australia 6th out of 193 countries with data for 2023, putting it 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 Australia, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 179.38 million tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 177.99 million tonnes | -0.8% |
| 1992 | 173.67 million tonnes | -2.4% |
| 1993 | 171.25 million tonnes | -1.4% |
| 1994 | 173.87 million tonnes | +1.5% |
| 1995 | 169.36 million tonnes | -2.6% |
| 1996 | 160.14 million tonnes | -5.4% |
| 1997 | 159.64 million tonnes | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 165.97 million tonnes | +4.0% |
| 1999 | 197.49 million tonnes | +19.0% |
| 2000 | 214.88 million tonnes | +8.8% |
| 2001 | 233.08 million tonnes | +8.5% |
| 2002 | 218.88 million tonnes | -6.1% |
| 2003 | 140.68 million tonnes | -35.7% |
| 2004 | 183.55 million tonnes | +30.5% |
| 2005 | 141.66 million tonnes | -22.8% |
| 2006 | 178.06 million tonnes | +25.7% |
| 2007 | 169.05 million tonnes | -5.1% |
| 2008 | 135.77 million tonnes | -19.7% |
| 2009 | 143.40 million tonnes | +5.6% |
| 2010 | 118.76 million tonnes | -17.2% |
| 2011 | 220.98 million tonnes | +86.1% |
| 2012 | 221.32 million tonnes | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 141.56 million tonnes | -36.0% |
| 2014 | 163.47 million tonnes | +15.5% |
| 2015 | 154.68 million tonnes | -5.4% |
| 2016 | 122.60 million tonnes | -20.7% |
| 2017 | 165.76 million tonnes | +35.2% |
| 2018 | 163.52 million tonnes | -1.4% |
| 2019 | 130.76 million tonnes | -20.0% |
| 2020 | 108.89 million tonnes | -16.7% |
| 2021 | 128.13 million tonnes | +17.7% |
| 2022 | 132.22 million tonnes | +3.2% |
| 2023 | 214.60 million tonnes | +62.3% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 214.60 million tonnes is above the median for high income countries, which is 5.09 million tonnes, 42.1× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Australia's 214.60 million tonnes is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3.77 million tonnes, 56.8× the median. (30 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Australia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | +86.1% | 118.76 million tonnes | 220.98 million tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 172.88 million tonnes | 159.64 million tonnes | 197.49 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 175.90 million tonnes | 135.77 million tonnes | 233.08 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 160.34 million tonnes | 118.76 million tonnes | 221.32 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 145.96 million tonnes | 108.89 million tonnes | 214.60 million tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More climate change data for Australia
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 1.30 billion kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 118,578 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 34,162 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 84,416 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 128.91 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 3,015 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 12,473 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 10,966 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 1,507 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 41.38 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Australia?
- Greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Australia was 214.60 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 Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 233.08 million tonnes in 2001.
- What is the lowest greenhouse gas emissions by sector recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 108.89 million tonnes in 2020.
- How does Australia rank for greenhouse gas emissions by sector?
- Australia ranks 6th out of 193 countries with data for 2023.
- Is greenhouse gas emissions by sector rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 51.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Australia 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.