Per capita CO₂ emissions from transport in Japan

Japan: Per capita CO₂ emissions from transport was 1,498 kilograms per person in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
1,498 kilograms per person
Change on year
up 0.5%
World rank
52nd
of 191 countries
All-time high
2,072 kilograms per person
in 2001
All-time low
1,429 kilograms per person
in 2020
Years of data
34
1990–2023

Per capita CO₂ emissions from transport in Japan, 1990–2023

05001.0k1.5k2.0k1990200620231990: 1.7k kilograms per person1991: 1.8k kilograms per person1992: 1.8k kilograms per person1993: 1.9k kilograms per person1994: 1.9k kilograms per person1995: 2.0k kilograms per person1996: 2.1k kilograms per person1997: 2.1k kilograms per person1998: 2.1k kilograms per person1999: 2.1k kilograms per person2000: 2.1k kilograms per person2001: 2.1k kilograms per person2002: 2.0k kilograms per person2003: 2.0k kilograms per person2004: 2.0k kilograms per person2005: 2.0k kilograms per person2006: 2.0k kilograms per person2007: 1.9k kilograms per person2008: 1.8k kilograms per person2009: 1.8k kilograms per person2010: 1.8k kilograms per person2011: 1.7k kilograms per person2012: 1.7k kilograms per person2013: 1.7k kilograms per person2014: 1.7k kilograms per person2015: 1.7k kilograms per person2016: 1.6k kilograms per person2017: 1.6k kilograms per person2018: 1.6k kilograms per person2019: 1.6k kilograms per person2020: 1.4k kilograms per person2021: 1.5k kilograms per person2022: 1.5k kilograms per person2023: 1.5k kilograms per person

Source: Climate Watch (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in kilograms per person.

Analysis

In 2023, per capita co₂ emissions from transport in Japan stood at 1,498 kilograms per person.

The figure is up 0.5% on the previous year and down 12.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, per capita co₂ emissions from transport in Japan peaked at 2,072 kilograms per person in 2001 and was at its lowest, 1,429 kilograms per person, in 2020.

Japan ranks 52nd of 191 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 1,939 kilograms per person 1,718 kilograms per person 2,066 kilograms per person 10
2000s 1,962 kilograms per person 1,776 kilograms per person 2,072 kilograms per person 10
2010s 1,675 kilograms per person 1,585 kilograms per person 1,784 kilograms per person 10
2020s 1,469 kilograms per person 1,429 kilograms per person 1,498 kilograms per person 4

Countries ranked near Japan

  1. 49 Germany 1,620 kilograms per person compare
  2. 50 Seychelles 1,563 kilograms per person compare
  3. 51 United Kingdom 1,544 kilograms per person compare
  4. 53 Suriname 1,495 kilograms per person compare
  5. 54 Turkmenistan 1,492 kilograms per person compare
  6. 55 Cyprus 1,465 kilograms per person compare

See the full ranking of 191 places →

More climate change data for Japan

All data for Japan →

Frequently asked questions

What is per capita co₂ emissions from transport in Japan?
Per capita co₂ emissions from transport in Japan was 1,498 kilograms per person in 2023, according to Climate Watch (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest per capita co₂ emissions from transport recorded in Japan?
The highest recorded value was 2,072 kilograms per person in 2001.
What is the lowest per capita co₂ emissions from transport recorded in Japan?
The lowest recorded value was 1,429 kilograms per person in 2020.
How does Japan rank for per capita co₂ emissions from transport?
Japan ranks 52nd out of 191 countries with data for 2023.
Is per capita co₂ emissions from transport rising or falling in Japan?
Over the last ten years it is down 12.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Japan data come from?
The figures come from Climate Watch (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Per capita CO₂ emissions from transport. 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

Indicator
Per capita CO₂ emissions from transport
Unit
kilograms per person
Source
Climate Watch (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
191 places, 6,476 data points, 1990–2023
Last refreshed

Emissions are measured in kilograms per person.