Nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Australia
Australia: Nitrous oxide emissions by sector was 89.30 million tonnes in 2023. ▼ Falling
Nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Australia, 1990–2023
Source: Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
In 2023, nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Australia stood at 89.30 million tonnes.
The figure is up 68.6% on the previous year and up 72.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Australia peaked at 91.95 million tonnes in 2001 and was at its lowest, 41.86 million tonnes, in 2020.
Australia ranks 5th of 193 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
Nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Australia, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 65.11 million tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 64.69 million tonnes | -0.6% |
| 1992 | 63.03 million tonnes | -2.6% |
| 1993 | 62.65 million tonnes | -0.6% |
| 1994 | 63.36 million tonnes | +1.1% |
| 1995 | 61.69 million tonnes | -2.6% |
| 1996 | 57.84 million tonnes | -6.2% |
| 1997 | 57.62 million tonnes | -0.4% |
| 1998 | 60.92 million tonnes | +5.7% |
| 1999 | 76.05 million tonnes | +24.8% |
| 2000 | 83.23 million tonnes | +9.4% |
| 2001 | 91.95 million tonnes | +10.5% |
| 2002 | 85.58 million tonnes | -6.9% |
| 2003 | 49.95 million tonnes | -41.6% |
| 2004 | 70.42 million tonnes | +41.0% |
| 2005 | 50.44 million tonnes | -28.4% |
| 2006 | 67.19 million tonnes | +33.2% |
| 2007 | 63.14 million tonnes | -6.0% |
| 2008 | 48.86 million tonnes | -22.6% |
| 2009 | 52.56 million tonnes | +7.6% |
| 2010 | 42.28 million tonnes | -19.6% |
| 2011 | 88.91 million tonnes | +110.3% |
| 2012 | 89.07 million tonnes | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 51.66 million tonnes | -42.0% |
| 2014 | 62.81 million tonnes | +21.6% |
| 2015 | 59.26 million tonnes | -5.7% |
| 2016 | 46.39 million tonnes | -21.7% |
| 2017 | 65.94 million tonnes | +42.1% |
| 2018 | 64.20 million tonnes | -2.6% |
| 2019 | 50.03 million tonnes | -22.1% |
| 2020 | 41.86 million tonnes | -16.3% |
| 2021 | 51.47 million tonnes | +23.0% |
| 2022 | 52.98 million tonnes | +2.9% |
| 2023 | 89.30 million tonnes | +68.6% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 89.30 million tonnes is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.79 million tonnes, 49.9× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Australia's 89.30 million tonnes is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1.39 million tonnes, 64.5× the median. (30 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Nitrous oxide 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 | +110.3% | 42.28 million tonnes | 88.91 million tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 63.30 million tonnes | 57.62 million tonnes | 76.05 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 66.33 million tonnes | 48.86 million tonnes | 91.95 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 62.05 million tonnes | 42.28 million tonnes | 89.07 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 58.90 million tonnes | 41.86 million tonnes | 89.30 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 nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Australia?
- Nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Australia was 89.30 million tonnes in 2023, according to Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest nitrous oxide emissions by sector recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 91.95 million tonnes in 2001.
- What is the lowest nitrous oxide emissions by sector recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 41.86 million tonnes in 2020.
- How does Australia rank for nitrous oxide emissions by sector?
- Australia ranks 5th out of 193 countries with data for 2023.
- Is nitrous oxide emissions by sector rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 72.9%. 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 Nitrous oxide 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.