Annual greenhouse gas emissions by world region in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Annual greenhouse gas emissions by world region was 390.27 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
390.27 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
Change on year
up 0.9%
World rank
23rd
of 199 countries
All-time high
858.47 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 1971
All-time low
183.53 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 1853
Years of data
175
1850–2024
Annual greenhouse gas emissions by world region in United Kingdom, 1850–2024
Source: Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes of CO₂ equivalents.
Analysis
The most recent figure for annual greenhouse gas emissions by world region in United Kingdom is 390.27 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.9% on the previous year and down 26.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual greenhouse gas emissions by world region in United Kingdom peaked at 858.47 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 1971 and was at its lowest, 183.53 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents, in 1853.
That places United Kingdom 23rd out of 199 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 175 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850s | 199.90 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 183.53 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 218.55 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1860s | 290.25 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 244.78 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 330.55 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1870s | 373.42 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 338.09 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 390.19 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1880s | 442.94 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 418.39 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 471.46 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1890s | 501.11 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 440.75 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 556.87 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1900s | 591.05 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 555.19 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 628.30 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1910s | 635.74 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 603.40 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 665.86 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1920s | 575.70 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 372.77 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 638.50 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1930s | 599.12 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 552.06 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 645.01 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1940s | 657.41 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 616.79 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 694.42 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1950s | 746.55 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 684.86 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 779.61 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1960s | 815.34 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 789.57 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 833.59 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1970s | 825.17 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 798.97 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 858.47 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1980s | 749.15 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 696.41 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 775.45 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1990s | 748.66 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 706.62 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 792.38 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2000s | 685.91 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 595.14 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 715.18 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2010s | 528.18 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 453.99 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 608.75 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2020s | 401.31 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 386.61 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 425.77 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
- 20 Thailand 456.71 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 21 Argentina 416.98 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 22 Iraq 398.13 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 24 Malaysia 388.69 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 25 Nigeria 384.68 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 26 Kazakhstan 372.23 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 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 annual greenhouse gas emissions by world region in United Kingdom?
- Annual greenhouse gas emissions by world region in United Kingdom was 390.27 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 United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 858.47 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 1971.
- What is the lowest annual greenhouse gas emissions by world region recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 183.53 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 1853.
- How does United Kingdom rank for annual greenhouse gas emissions by world region?
- United Kingdom ranks 23rd out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is annual greenhouse gas emissions by world region rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 26.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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.