Per capita CO₂ emissions by fuel type in Ireland
Ireland: Per capita CO₂ emissions by fuel type was 3.55 tonnes per person in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
3.55 tonnes per person
Change on year
down 0.1%
World rank
45th
of 213 countries
All-time high
6.41 tonnes per person
in 2001
All-time low
0.3383 tonnes per person
in 1950
Years of data
75
1950–2024
Per capita CO₂ emissions by fuel type 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 3.55 tonnes per person for per capita co₂ emissions by fuel type in 2024.
That represents a change of down 0.1% on the previous year and down 4.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, per capita co₂ emissions by fuel type in Ireland peaked at 6.41 tonnes per person in 2001 and was at its lowest, 0.3383 tonnes per person, in 1950.
That places Ireland 45th out of 213 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 75 years of available data.
Per capita CO₂ emissions by fuel type in Ireland, year by year
| Year | tonnes per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 0.3383 tonnes per person | — |
| 1951 | 0.4654 tonnes per person | +37.6% |
| 1952 | 0.37 tonnes per person | -20.5% |
| 1953 | 0.4603 tonnes per person | +24.4% |
| 1954 | 0.5294 tonnes per person | +15.0% |
| 1955 | 1.02 tonnes per person | +92.2% |
| 1956 | 1.21 tonnes per person | +19.2% |
| 1957 | 0.8965 tonnes per person | -26.1% |
| 1958 | 0.9629 tonnes per person | +7.4% |
| 1959 | 1.13 tonnes per person | +17.4% |
| 1960 | 1.14 tonnes per person | +0.4% |
| 1961 | 1.33 tonnes per person | +17.0% |
| 1962 | 1.59 tonnes per person | +19.7% |
| 1963 | 1.82 tonnes per person | +14.5% |
| 1964 | 2.05 tonnes per person | +12.5% |
| 1965 | 2.28 tonnes per person | +11.0% |
| 1966 | 2.47 tonnes per person | +8.5% |
| 1967 | 2.79 tonnes per person | +13.1% |
| 1968 | 2.83 tonnes per person | +1.3% |
| 1969 | 3.22 tonnes per person | +13.8% |
| 1970 | 3.65 tonnes per person | +13.6% |
| 1971 | 4.51 tonnes per person | +23.5% |
| 1972 | 4.47 tonnes per person | -0.9% |
| 1973 | 4.85 tonnes per person | +8.4% |
| 1974 | 4.81 tonnes per person | -0.8% |
| 1975 | 4.55 tonnes per person | -5.4% |
| 1976 | 4.51 tonnes per person | -0.9% |
| 1977 | 4.68 tonnes per person | +3.8% |
| 1978 | 4.95 tonnes per person | +5.7% |
| 1979 | 5.2 tonnes per person | +5.1% |
| 1980 | 4.75 tonnes per person | -8.8% |
| 1981 | 4.22 tonnes per person | -11.0% |
| 1982 | 3.62 tonnes per person | -14.2% |
| 1983 | 3.34 tonnes per person | -7.9% |
| 1984 | 3.35 tonnes per person | +0.4% |
| 1985 | 3.22 tonnes per person | -3.8% |
| 1986 | 3.83 tonnes per person | +18.7% |
| 1987 | 3.43 tonnes per person | -10.3% |
| 1988 | 3.05 tonnes per person | -11.2% |
| 1989 | 2.97 tonnes per person | -2.5% |
| 1990 | 3.5 tonnes per person | +17.9% |
| 1991 | 3.78 tonnes per person | +7.9% |
| 1992 | 3.91 tonnes per person | +3.6% |
| 1993 | 3.89 tonnes per person | -0.7% |
| 1994 | 4.37 tonnes per person | +12.4% |
| 1995 | 4.43 tonnes per person | +1.3% |
| 1996 | 4.52 tonnes per person | +2.1% |
| 1997 | 4.93 tonnes per person | +9.2% |
| 1998 | 5.51 tonnes per person | +11.7% |
| 1999 | 6.16 tonnes per person | +11.8% |
| 2000 | 6.2 tonnes per person | +0.7% |
| 2001 | 6.41 tonnes per person | +3.4% |
| 2002 | 6.03 tonnes per person | -5.9% |
| 2003 | 5.79 tonnes per person | -4.0% |
| 2004 | 5.98 tonnes per person | +3.3% |
| 2005 | 6.17 tonnes per person | +3.2% |
| 2006 | 5.91 tonnes per person | -4.2% |
| 2007 | 5.63 tonnes per person | -4.7% |
| 2008 | 5.42 tonnes per person | -3.7% |
| 2009 | 4.7 tonnes per person | -13.2% |
| 2010 | 4.43 tonnes per person | -5.8% |
| 2011 | 4 tonnes per person | -9.8% |
| 2012 | 3.78 tonnes per person | -5.4% |
| 2013 | 3.81 tonnes per person | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 3.72 tonnes per person | -2.3% |
| 2015 | 3.87 tonnes per person | +4.1% |
| 2016 | 3.96 tonnes per person | +2.3% |
| 2017 | 3.87 tonnes per person | -2.3% |
| 2018 | 3.98 tonnes per person | +2.8% |
| 2019 | 3.93 tonnes per person | -1.3% |
| 2020 | 3.61 tonnes per person | -8.0% |
| 2021 | 3.82 tonnes per person | +5.8% |
| 2022 | 3.75 tonnes per person | -1.9% |
| 2023 | 3.55 tonnes per person | -5.2% |
| 2024 | 3.55 tonnes per person | -0.1% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 3.55 tonnes per person is above the median for high income countries, which is 3.3 tonnes per person, 1.1× the median. (74 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 3.55 tonnes per person is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 2.34 tonnes per person, 1.5× the median. (52 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Per capita CO₂ emissions by fuel type in Ireland changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | +92.2% | 0.5294 tonnes per person | 1.02 tonnes per person |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 0.7383 tonnes per person | 0.3383 tonnes per person | 1.21 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 1960s | 2.15 tonnes per person | 1.14 tonnes per person | 3.22 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 1970s | 4.62 tonnes per person | 3.65 tonnes per person | 5.2 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.58 tonnes per person | 2.97 tonnes per person | 4.75 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.5 tonnes per person | 3.5 tonnes per person | 6.16 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.82 tonnes per person | 4.7 tonnes per person | 6.41 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.94 tonnes per person | 3.72 tonnes per person | 4.43 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.66 tonnes per person | 3.55 tonnes per person | 3.82 tonnes per person | 5 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
- 42 New Zealand 3.62 tonnes per person compare
- 43 Denmark 3.59 tonnes per person compare
- 44 Belgium 3.57 tonnes per person compare
- 46 South Korea 3.41 tonnes per person compare
- 47 Kazakhstan 3.37 tonnes per person compare
- 48 Greece 3.32 tonnes per person compare
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 fuel type in Ireland?
- Per capita co₂ emissions by fuel type in Ireland was 3.55 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 fuel type recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 6.41 tonnes per person in 2001.
- What is the lowest per capita co₂ emissions by fuel type recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.3383 tonnes per person in 1950.
- How does Ireland rank for per capita co₂ emissions by fuel type?
- Ireland ranks 45th out of 213 countries with data for 2024.
- Is per capita co₂ emissions by fuel type rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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 fuel type. 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 oil, measured in tonnes per person.