Nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Iceland
Iceland: Nitrous oxide emissions by sector was 280,000 tonnes in 2023. ▼ Falling
Nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Iceland, 1990–2023
Source: Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
Iceland recorded 280,000 tonnes for nitrous oxide emissions by sector in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 34 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.4% on the previous year and down 3.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Iceland peaked at 330,000 tonnes in 2008 and was at its lowest, 280,000 tonnes, in 2023.
Iceland ranks 145th of 193 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
Nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Iceland, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 320,000 tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 320,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 310,000 tonnes | -3.1% |
| 1993 | 310,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 310,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 300,000 tonnes | -3.2% |
| 1996 | 310,000 tonnes | +3.3% |
| 1997 | 310,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 320,000 tonnes | +3.2% |
| 1999 | 320,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 320,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 290,000 tonnes | -9.4% |
| 2002 | 300,000 tonnes | +3.4% |
| 2003 | 300,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 290,000 tonnes | -3.3% |
| 2005 | 290,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 310,000 tonnes | +6.9% |
| 2007 | 320,000 tonnes | +3.2% |
| 2008 | 330,000 tonnes | +3.1% |
| 2009 | 290,000 tonnes | -12.1% |
| 2010 | 290,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 290,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 300,000 tonnes | +3.4% |
| 2013 | 290,000 tonnes | -3.3% |
| 2014 | 300,000 tonnes | +3.4% |
| 2015 | 310,000 tonnes | +3.3% |
| 2016 | 310,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 320,000 tonnes | +3.2% |
| 2018 | 310,000 tonnes | -3.1% |
| 2019 | 300,000 tonnes | -3.2% |
| 2020 | 300,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 300,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 290,000 tonnes | -3.3% |
| 2023 | 280,000 tonnes | -3.4% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 280,000 tonnes is below the median for high income countries, which is 1.79 million tonnes, 16% of the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 280,000 tonnes is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 2.65 million tonnes, 11% of the median. (50 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 313,000 tonnes | 300,000 tonnes | 320,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 304,000 tonnes | 290,000 tonnes | 330,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 302,000 tonnes | 290,000 tonnes | 320,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 292,500 tonnes | 280,000 tonnes | 300,000 tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
More climate change data for Iceland
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 16.80 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 462.45 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 110.24 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 352.21 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 0.416 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 12.58 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 92.86 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 92.86 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 0.3504 kt (2050)
- Synthetic Fertilizers — Emissions (CO2eq) 92.72 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Iceland?
- Nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Iceland was 280,000 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 Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 330,000 tonnes in 2008.
- What is the lowest nitrous oxide emissions by sector recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 280,000 tonnes in 2023.
- How does Iceland rank for nitrous oxide emissions by sector?
- Iceland ranks 145th out of 193 countries with data for 2023.
- Is nitrous oxide emissions by sector rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Iceland 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.