Nitrous oxide emissions in Australia
Australia: Nitrous oxide emissions was 67.78 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
67.78 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
Change on year
up 2.0%
World rank
8th
of 201 countries
All-time high
103.92 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 2001
All-time low
8.03 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 1850
Years of data
175
1850–2024
Nitrous oxide emissions in Australia, 1850–2024
Source: Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes of CO₂ equivalents.
Analysis
Australia recorded 67.78 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents for nitrous oxide emissions in 2024.
The figure is up 2.0% on the previous year and down 10.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, nitrous oxide emissions in Australia peaked at 103.92 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2001 and was at its lowest, 8.03 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents, in 1850.
Australia ranks 8th of 201 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
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 | 8.67 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 8.03 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 9.15 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1860s | 9.24 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 9.18 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 9.29 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1870s | 11.63 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 9.31 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 14.46 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1880s | 15.33 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 14.77 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 15.80 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1890s | 15.27 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 13.97 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 17.58 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1900s | 16.15 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 13.96 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 18.93 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1910s | 20.13 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 19.30 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 20.86 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1920s | 22.32 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 21.05 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 23.45 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1930s | 23.30 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 23.07 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 23.51 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1940s | 29.27 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 23.08 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 37.07 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1950s | 41.89 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 38.06 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 46.14 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1960s | 52.68 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 47.15 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 59.37 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1970s | 67.31 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 55.70 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 81.45 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1980s | 67.60 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 57.61 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 83.45 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1990s | 73.22 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 67.58 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 88.31 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2000s | 77.91 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 60.32 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 103.92 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2010s | 75.08 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 53.30 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 102.90 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2020s | 63.81 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 54.75 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 67.78 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 5 Russia 85.24 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 6 Pakistan 71.43 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 7 Indonesia 70.98 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 9 Argentina 52.29 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 10 Ethiopia 51.63 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 11 Canada 44.73 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
More climate change data for Australia
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.4% (2100)
- Population growth 1.5% (2025)
- Population, total 27.61 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 1.7% (2025)
- Urban population 24.22 million (2025)
- Urban population 87.7% (2025)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 14.48 tonnes per person (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions 20.04 billion tonnes (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita 14.48 tonnes per person (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 14.48 tonnes per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is nitrous oxide emissions in Australia?
- Nitrous oxide emissions in Australia was 67.78 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 nitrous oxide emissions recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 103.92 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2001.
- What is the lowest nitrous oxide emissions recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.03 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 1850.
- How does Australia rank for nitrous oxide emissions?
- Australia ranks 8th out of 201 countries with data for 2024.
- Is nitrous oxide emissions rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Nitrous oxide emissions. 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
Measured in tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalents over a 100-year timescale.