Annual greenhouse gas emissions by world region in Iceland
Iceland: Annual greenhouse gas emissions by world region was 5.06 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
5.06 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
Change on year
up 5.9%
World rank
161st
of 199 countries
All-time high
6.30 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 1959
All-time low
170,129 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 1909
Years of data
175
1850–2024
Annual greenhouse gas emissions by world region in Iceland, 1850–2024
Source: Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes of CO₂ equivalents.
Analysis
Iceland recorded 5.06 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents for annual greenhouse gas emissions by world region in 2024.
The figure is up 5.9% on the previous year and up 8.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual greenhouse gas emissions by world region in Iceland peaked at 6.30 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 1959 and was at its lowest, 170,129 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents, in 1909.
Iceland ranks 161st of 199 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850s | 771,706 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 735,330 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 806,292 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1860s | 564,004 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 481,699 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 669,484 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1870s | 440,616 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 416,430 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 471,221 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1880s | 372,704 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 335,106 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 408,466 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1890s | 303,089 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 282,604 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 320,641 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1900s | 225,448 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 170,129 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 276,210 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1910s | 1.34 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 671,574 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.87 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1920s | 1.94 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.82 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.06 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1930s | 2.30 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.12 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.47 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1940s | 3.07 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.83 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.45 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1950s | 5.05 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.79 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 6.30 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1960s | 4.56 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.47 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5.37 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1970s | 3.51 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.41 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.65 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.23 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.03 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.37 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.76 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.46 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 4.12 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.43 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 4.09 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5.06 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.88 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 4.67 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5.62 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.82 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 4.62 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5.06 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
- 158 Lesotho 6.17 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 159 Suriname 5.64 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 160 Mauritius 5.44 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 162 East Timor 4.88 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 163 Bahamas 3.46 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 164 Solomon Islands 3.40 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
More climate change data for Iceland
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.0% (2100)
- Population growth 1.5% (2025)
- Population, total 392,404 (2025)
- Urban population growth 1.6% (2025)
- Urban population 369,715 (2025)
- Urban population 94.2% (2025)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 9.67 tonnes per person (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions 171.69 million tonnes (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita 9.67 tonnes per person (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 9.67 tonnes per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual greenhouse gas emissions by world region in Iceland?
- Annual greenhouse gas emissions by world region in Iceland was 5.06 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2024, according to Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual greenhouse gas emissions by world region recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 6.30 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 1959.
- What is the lowest annual greenhouse gas emissions by world region recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 170,129 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 1909.
- How does Iceland rank for annual greenhouse gas emissions by world region?
- Iceland ranks 161st out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is annual greenhouse gas emissions by world region rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Iceland data come from?
- The figures come from Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual greenhouse gas emissions by world region. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 175 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Greenhouse gas emissions are measured in tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalents over a 100-year timescale.