Nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Germany
Germany: Nitrous oxide emissions by sector was 21.92 million tonnes in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
21.92 million tonnes
Change on year
up 3.9%
World rank
20th
of 193 countries
All-time high
32.14 million tonnes
in 1990
All-time low
21.10 million tonnes
in 2022
Years of data
34
1990–2023
Nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Germany, 1990–2023
Source: Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
Germany recorded 21.92 million tonnes for nitrous oxide emissions by sector in 2023.
That represents a change of up 3.9% on the previous year and down 19.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Germany peaked at 32.14 million tonnes in 1990 and was at its lowest, 21.10 million tonnes, in 2022.
Germany ranks 20th 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 Germany, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 32.14 million tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 30.79 million tonnes | -4.2% |
| 1992 | 28.84 million tonnes | -6.3% |
| 1993 | 28.09 million tonnes | -2.6% |
| 1994 | 28.94 million tonnes | +3.0% |
| 1995 | 28.98 million tonnes | +0.1% |
| 1996 | 28.91 million tonnes | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 29.19 million tonnes | +1.0% |
| 1998 | 29.49 million tonnes | +1.0% |
| 1999 | 30.00 million tonnes | +1.7% |
| 2000 | 28.89 million tonnes | -3.7% |
| 2001 | 28.71 million tonnes | -0.6% |
| 2002 | 28.20 million tonnes | -1.8% |
| 2003 | 27.96 million tonnes | -0.9% |
| 2004 | 27.98 million tonnes | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 27.75 million tonnes | -0.8% |
| 2006 | 26.42 million tonnes | -4.8% |
| 2007 | 27.45 million tonnes | +3.9% |
| 2008 | 26.69 million tonnes | -2.8% |
| 2009 | 26.74 million tonnes | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 27.50 million tonnes | +2.8% |
| 2011 | 26.53 million tonnes | -3.5% |
| 2012 | 26.76 million tonnes | +0.9% |
| 2013 | 27.23 million tonnes | +1.8% |
| 2014 | 28.20 million tonnes | +3.6% |
| 2015 | 27.42 million tonnes | -2.8% |
| 2016 | 26.86 million tonnes | -2.0% |
| 2017 | 25.90 million tonnes | -3.6% |
| 2018 | 23.54 million tonnes | -9.1% |
| 2019 | 23.85 million tonnes | +1.3% |
| 2020 | 23.87 million tonnes | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 21.71 million tonnes | -9.0% |
| 2022 | 21.10 million tonnes | -2.8% |
| 2023 | 21.92 million tonnes | +3.9% |
Germany compared with similar countries
- Germany's 21.92 million tonnes is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.79 million tonnes, 12.2× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Germany's 21.92 million tonnes is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 2.65 million tonnes, 8.3× the median. (50 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 29.54 million tonnes | 28.09 million tonnes | 32.14 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 27.68 million tonnes | 26.42 million tonnes | 28.89 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 26.38 million tonnes | 23.54 million tonnes | 28.20 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 22.15 million tonnes | 21.10 million tonnes | 23.87 million tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Germany
More climate change data for Germany
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 1.70 billion kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 43,971 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 9,073 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 34,898 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 34.24 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 1,246 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 12,350 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 12,227 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 122.64 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 46.14 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Germany?
- Nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Germany was 21.92 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 Germany?
- The highest recorded value was 32.14 million tonnes in 1990.
- What is the lowest nitrous oxide emissions by sector recorded in Germany?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.10 million tonnes in 2022.
- How does Germany rank for nitrous oxide emissions by sector?
- Germany ranks 20th out of 193 countries with data for 2023.
- Is nitrous oxide emissions by sector rising or falling in Germany?
- Over the last ten years it is down 19.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Germany 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.