Nitrous oxide emissions in Canada
Canada: Nitrous oxide emissions was 44.73 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
44.73 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
Change on year
down 0.3%
World rank
11th
of 201 countries
All-time high
48.09 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 1996
All-time low
3.37 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 1850
Years of data
175
1850–2024
Nitrous oxide emissions in Canada, 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 nitrous oxide emissions in Canada is 44.73 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents, measured in 2024.
The figure is down 0.3% on the previous year and up 6.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, nitrous oxide emissions in Canada peaked at 48.09 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 1996 and was at its lowest, 3.37 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents, in 1850.
Canada ranks 11th 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 | 3.60 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.37 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.79 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1860s | 3.87 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.81 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.93 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1870s | 4.67 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.95 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5.55 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1880s | 5.86 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5.65 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 6.04 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1890s | 6.69 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 6.30 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 7.09 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1900s | 7.61 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 7.18 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 8.04 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1910s | 8.56 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 8.13 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 8.98 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1920s | 9.53 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 9.08 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 9.96 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1930s | 10.46 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10.04 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10.91 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1940s | 13.98 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 11.01 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 17.52 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1950s | 19.80 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 17.93 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 22.01 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1960s | 26.53 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 22.54 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 29.67 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1970s | 35.79 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 28.91 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 42.87 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1980s | 40.96 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 36.76 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 47.66 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1990s | 43.97 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 40.25 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 48.09 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2000s | 38.77 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 37.06 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 40.61 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2010s | 41.87 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 38.82 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 43.70 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2020s | 44.05 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 43.14 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 44.85 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5 |
Countries ranked near Canada
- 8 Australia 67.78 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
- 12 Nigeria 41.96 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 13 Turkey 40.17 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 14 Mexico 39.55 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
More climate change data for Canada
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.5% (2100)
- Population growth 0.9% (2025)
- Population, total 41.65 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 1.2% (2025)
- Urban population 34.52 million (2025)
- Urban population 82.9% (2025)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 13.42 tonnes per person (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions 35.64 billion tonnes (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita 13.42 tonnes per person (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 13.42 tonnes per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is nitrous oxide emissions in Canada?
- Nitrous oxide emissions in Canada was 44.73 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 Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 48.09 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 1996.
- What is the lowest nitrous oxide emissions recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.37 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 1850.
- How does Canada rank for nitrous oxide emissions?
- Canada ranks 11th out of 201 countries with data for 2024.
- Is nitrous oxide emissions rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Canada 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.