Per capita CO₂ emissions by source in Ireland
Ireland: Per capita CO₂ emissions by source was 0.3706 tonnes per person in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
0.3706 tonnes per person
Change on year
down 28.3%
World rank
63rd
of 179 countries
All-time high
4.17 tonnes per person
in 1990
All-time low
0.3706 tonnes per person
in 2024
Years of data
75
1950–2024
Per capita CO₂ emissions by source in Ireland, 1950–2024
Source: Global Carbon Budget (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes per person.
Analysis
Ireland recorded 0.3706 tonnes per person for per capita co₂ emissions by source in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 75 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 28.3% on the previous year and down 80.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, per capita co₂ emissions by source in Ireland peaked at 4.17 tonnes per person in 1990 and was at its lowest, 0.3706 tonnes per person, in 2024.
Ireland ranks 63rd of 179 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 75 years of available data.
Per capita CO₂ emissions by source in Ireland, year by year
| Year | tonnes per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 2.93 tonnes per person | — |
| 1951 | 3.04 tonnes per person | +3.9% |
| 1952 | 2.82 tonnes per person | -7.2% |
| 1953 | 2.72 tonnes per person | -3.8% |
| 1954 | 2.49 tonnes per person | -8.4% |
| 1955 | 2.91 tonnes per person | +16.9% |
| 1956 | 2.45 tonnes per person | -15.7% |
| 1957 | 2.4 tonnes per person | -2.1% |
| 1958 | 2.08 tonnes per person | -13.2% |
| 1959 | 3.1 tonnes per person | +48.6% |
| 1960 | 2.68 tonnes per person | -13.3% |
| 1961 | 2.94 tonnes per person | +9.5% |
| 1962 | 2.91 tonnes per person | -1.2% |
| 1963 | 2.77 tonnes per person | -4.7% |
| 1964 | 2.76 tonnes per person | -0.4% |
| 1965 | 2.32 tonnes per person | -15.9% |
| 1966 | 2.57 tonnes per person | +10.7% |
| 1967 | 2.63 tonnes per person | +2.5% |
| 1968 | 3.03 tonnes per person | +15.3% |
| 1969 | 2.86 tonnes per person | -5.7% |
| 1970 | 2.75 tonnes per person | -3.8% |
| 1971 | 2.75 tonnes per person | -0.1% |
| 1972 | 2.54 tonnes per person | -7.6% |
| 1973 | 2.3 tonnes per person | -9.4% |
| 1974 | 2.38 tonnes per person | +3.4% |
| 1975 | 2.13 tonnes per person | -10.2% |
| 1976 | 2.15 tonnes per person | +0.6% |
| 1977 | 2.26 tonnes per person | +5.4% |
| 1978 | 1.85 tonnes per person | -18.3% |
| 1979 | 2.28 tonnes per person | +23.7% |
| 1980 | 2.17 tonnes per person | -5.0% |
| 1981 | 2.29 tonnes per person | +5.8% |
| 1982 | 2.4 tonnes per person | +4.7% |
| 1983 | 2.63 tonnes per person | +9.6% |
| 1984 | 2.49 tonnes per person | -5.6% |
| 1985 | 2.87 tonnes per person | +15.5% |
| 1986 | 3.15 tonnes per person | +9.6% |
| 1987 | 4.02 tonnes per person | +27.6% |
| 1988 | 4.12 tonnes per person | +2.5% |
| 1989 | 4.15 tonnes per person | +0.7% |
| 1990 | 4.17 tonnes per person | +0.6% |
| 1991 | 4.07 tonnes per person | -2.6% |
| 1992 | 3.87 tonnes per person | -4.8% |
| 1993 | 3.69 tonnes per person | -4.6% |
| 1994 | 3.5 tonnes per person | -5.2% |
| 1995 | 3.51 tonnes per person | +0.3% |
| 1996 | 3.59 tonnes per person | +2.4% |
| 1997 | 3.32 tonnes per person | -7.5% |
| 1998 | 3.2 tonnes per person | -3.6% |
| 1999 | 2.74 tonnes per person | -14.4% |
| 2000 | 2.92 tonnes per person | +6.5% |
| 2001 | 3.02 tonnes per person | +3.3% |
| 2002 | 2.88 tonnes per person | -4.6% |
| 2003 | 2.72 tonnes per person | -5.7% |
| 2004 | 2.51 tonnes per person | -7.6% |
| 2005 | 2.69 tonnes per person | +7.0% |
| 2006 | 2.35 tonnes per person | -12.6% |
| 2007 | 2.2 tonnes per person | -6.2% |
| 2008 | 2.15 tonnes per person | -2.3% |
| 2009 | 1.9 tonnes per person | -11.7% |
| 2010 | 1.85 tonnes per person | -2.6% |
| 2011 | 1.81 tonnes per person | -1.8% |
| 2012 | 2.09 tonnes per person | +15.3% |
| 2013 | 1.89 tonnes per person | -9.7% |
| 2014 | 1.86 tonnes per person | -1.8% |
| 2015 | 1.99 tonnes per person | +7.1% |
| 2016 | 1.94 tonnes per person | -2.6% |
| 2017 | 1.64 tonnes per person | -15.5% |
| 2018 | 1.3 tonnes per person | -20.3% |
| 2019 | 0.9209 tonnes per person | -29.4% |
| 2020 | 0.7541 tonnes per person | -18.1% |
| 2021 | 0.9802 tonnes per person | +30.0% |
| 2022 | 0.7899 tonnes per person | -19.4% |
| 2023 | 0.5168 tonnes per person | -34.6% |
| 2024 | 0.3706 tonnes per person | -28.3% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 0.3706 tonnes per person is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.2688 tonnes per person, 1.4× the median. (68 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 0.3706 tonnes per person is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.418 tonnes per person, 89% of the median. (52 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 2.69 tonnes per person | 2.08 tonnes per person | 3.1 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 1960s | 2.75 tonnes per person | 2.32 tonnes per person | 3.03 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 1970s | 2.34 tonnes per person | 1.85 tonnes per person | 2.75 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.03 tonnes per person | 2.17 tonnes per person | 4.15 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.57 tonnes per person | 2.74 tonnes per person | 4.17 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.53 tonnes per person | 1.9 tonnes per person | 3.02 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.73 tonnes per person | 0.9209 tonnes per person | 2.09 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.6823 tonnes per person | 0.3706 tonnes per person | 0.9802 tonnes per person | 5 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
More climate change data for Ireland
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 320.11 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 18,098 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 3,665 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 14,433 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 13.83 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 515.47 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 1,902 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 1,899 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 2.7 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 7.17 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is per capita co₂ emissions by source in Ireland?
- Per capita co₂ emissions by source in Ireland was 0.3706 tonnes per person in 2024, according to Global Carbon Budget (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest per capita co₂ emissions by source recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 4.17 tonnes per person in 1990.
- What is the lowest per capita co₂ emissions by source recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.3706 tonnes per person in 2024.
- How does Ireland rank for per capita co₂ emissions by source?
- Ireland ranks 63rd out of 179 countries with data for 2024.
- Is per capita co₂ emissions by source rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 80.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from Global Carbon Budget (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Per capita CO₂ emissions by source. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 75 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Annual emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from coal, measured in tonnes per person.