Per capita GHG emissions vs. per capita CO₂ emissions in Australia
Australia: Per capita GHG emissions vs. per capita CO₂ emissions was 17.05 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
17.05 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person
Change on year
down 1.8%
World rank
10th
of 197 countries
All-time high
22.51 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person
in 2007
All-time low
1.45 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person
in 1858
Years of data
175
1850–2024
Per capita GHG emissions vs. per capita CO₂ emissions in Australia, 1850–2024
Source: Jones et al. (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person.
Analysis
In 2024, per capita ghg emissions vs. per capita co₂ emissions in Australia stood at 17.05 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person.
The figure is down 1.8% on the previous year and down 14.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, per capita ghg emissions vs. per capita co₂ emissions in Australia peaked at 22.51 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 2007 and was at its lowest, 1.45 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person, in 1858.
That places Australia 10th out of 197 countries with data for 2024, putting it 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 | 1.49 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.45 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.53 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1860s | 1.76 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.53 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 2.03 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1870s | 2.17 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.89 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 2.4 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1880s | 2.95 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 2.37 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 3.36 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1890s | 3.37 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 3.02 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 3.71 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1900s | 4.95 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 4.36 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 5.92 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1910s | 6.56 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 5.96 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 7.55 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1920s | 6.76 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 6.06 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 7.23 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1930s | 6.09 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 5.08 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 7.51 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1940s | 7.75 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 6.94 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 8.22 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1950s | 10.22 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 9.3 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 11.05 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1960s | 12.66 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 11.15 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 14.51 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1970s | 15.53 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 14.73 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 16.4 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 17.65 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 16.94 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 18.72 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 20.3 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 19.58 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 21.64 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 22.22 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 21.7 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 22.51 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 20.43 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 19.76 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 21.78 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 17.7 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 17.05 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 18.66 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 5 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 7 United Arab Emirates 23.56 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 8 Oman 21.76 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 9 Mongolia 19.4 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 11 Palau 16.46 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 12 United States 16.2 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 13 Canada 15.91 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 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 per capita ghg emissions vs. per capita co₂ emissions in Australia?
- Per capita ghg emissions vs. per capita co₂ emissions in Australia was 17.05 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 2024, according to Jones et al. (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest per capita ghg emissions vs. per capita co₂ emissions recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 22.51 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 2007.
- What is the lowest per capita ghg emissions vs. per capita co₂ emissions recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.45 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 1858.
- How does Australia rank for per capita ghg emissions vs. per capita co₂ emissions?
- Australia ranks 10th out of 197 countries with data for 2024.
- Is per capita ghg emissions vs. per capita co₂ emissions rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.4%. 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); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Per capita GHG emissions vs. per capita CO₂ 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
Greenhouse gas emissions are measured in tonnes per person of carbon dioxide-equivalents over a 100-year timescale.