Per capita greenhouse gas emissions in Australia
Australia: Per capita greenhouse gas emissions was 22.83 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
22.83 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person
Change on year
down 1.2%
World rank
9th
of 199 countries
All-time high
69.21 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person
in 1850
All-time low
22.83 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person
in 2024
Years of data
175
1850–2024
Per capita greenhouse gas 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 greenhouse gas emissions in Australia stood at 22.83 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person. That is the lowest value across all 175 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.2% on the previous year and down 19.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, per capita greenhouse gas emissions in Australia peaked at 69.21 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 1850 and was at its lowest, 22.83 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person, in 2024.
That places Australia 9th out of 199 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 175 years of available data.
Per capita greenhouse gas emissions in Australia, year by year
| Year | tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1850 | 69.21 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | — |
| 1851 | 65.67 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -5.1% |
| 1852 | 62.59 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -4.7% |
| 1853 | 59.95 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -4.2% |
| 1854 | 56.23 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -6.2% |
| 1855 | 52.56 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -6.5% |
| 1856 | 49.58 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -5.7% |
| 1857 | 46.5 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -6.2% |
| 1858 | 44.27 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -4.8% |
| 1859 | 42.05 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -5.0% |
| 1860 | 41.23 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.9% |
| 1861 | 40.52 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.7% |
| 1862 | 40.24 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.7% |
| 1863 | 39.9 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.9% |
| 1864 | 39.3 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.5% |
| 1865 | 40.28 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +2.5% |
| 1866 | 40.18 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.2% |
| 1867 | 40.03 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.4% |
| 1868 | 39.73 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.7% |
| 1869 | 39.57 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.4% |
| 1870 | 40.61 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +2.6% |
| 1871 | 42.29 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +4.1% |
| 1872 | 42.47 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.4% |
| 1873 | 42.73 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.6% |
| 1874 | 43.29 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.3% |
| 1875 | 43.03 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.6% |
| 1876 | 44.03 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +2.3% |
| 1877 | 43.92 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.2% |
| 1878 | 43.32 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.4% |
| 1879 | 43.03 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.7% |
| 1880 | 41.97 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -2.4% |
| 1881 | 41.29 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.6% |
| 1882 | 40.09 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -2.9% |
| 1883 | 39.6 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.2% |
| 1884 | 38.84 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.9% |
| 1885 | 37.71 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -2.9% |
| 1886 | 36.47 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -3.3% |
| 1887 | 35.94 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.4% |
| 1888 | 35.14 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -2.2% |
| 1889 | 34.59 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.6% |
| 1890 | 36.24 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +4.8% |
| 1891 | 36.14 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.3% |
| 1892 | 35.97 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.5% |
| 1893 | 35.41 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.5% |
| 1894 | 35.28 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.4% |
| 1895 | 35.05 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.7% |
| 1896 | 34.52 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.5% |
| 1897 | 35.04 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.5% |
| 1898 | 34.51 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.5% |
| 1899 | 34.27 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.7% |
| 1900 | 34.3 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.1% |
| 1901 | 34.48 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.5% |
| 1902 | 33.8 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -2.0% |
| 1903 | 33.88 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.2% |
| 1904 | 33.92 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.1% |
| 1905 | 33.45 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.4% |
| 1906 | 34.3 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +2.5% |
| 1907 | 34.73 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.3% |
| 1908 | 34.43 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.9% |
| 1909 | 33.55 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -2.6% |
| 1910 | 33.97 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.2% |
| 1911 | 33.5 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.4% |
| 1912 | 33.75 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.8% |
| 1913 | 33.52 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.7% |
| 1914 | 33.21 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.9% |
| 1915 | 32.24 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -2.9% |
| 1916 | 31.01 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -3.8% |
| 1917 | 30.77 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.8% |
| 1918 | 30.52 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.8% |
| 1919 | 29.5 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -3.3% |
| 1920 | 36.05 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +22.2% |
| 1921 | 37.2 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +3.2% |
| 1922 | 38.18 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +2.6% |
| 1923 | 38.17 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.0% |
| 1924 | 38.79 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.6% |
| 1925 | 38.85 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.2% |
| 1926 | 38.41 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.1% |
| 1927 | 38.49 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.2% |
| 1928 | 37.48 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -2.6% |
| 1929 | 36.54 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -2.5% |
| 1930 | 31.38 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -14.1% |
| 1931 | 27.99 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -10.8% |
| 1932 | 26.93 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -3.8% |
| 1933 | 26.33 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -2.2% |
| 1934 | 25.72 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -2.3% |
| 1935 | 25.63 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.3% |
| 1936 | 25.39 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.9% |
| 1937 | 25.37 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.1% |
| 1938 | 25.04 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.3% |
| 1939 | 25.32 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.1% |
| 1940 | 24.78 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -2.1% |
| 1941 | 25.5 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +2.9% |
| 1942 | 26.29 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +3.1% |
| 1943 | 25.6 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -2.6% |
| 1944 | 25.49 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.4% |
| 1945 | 25.58 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.4% |
| 1946 | 25.87 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.2% |
| 1947 | 26.36 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.9% |
| 1948 | 26.72 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.4% |
| 1949 | 26.69 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.1% |
| 1950 | 31.42 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +17.7% |
| 1951 | 32.96 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +4.9% |
| 1952 | 33.59 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.9% |
| 1953 | 34 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.2% |
| 1954 | 34.69 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +2.0% |
| 1955 | 35.45 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +2.2% |
| 1956 | 35.89 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.3% |
| 1957 | 35.99 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.3% |
| 1958 | 36.26 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.7% |
| 1959 | 36.55 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.8% |
| 1960 | 34.86 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -4.6% |
| 1961 | 36.44 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +4.5% |
| 1962 | 32.86 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -9.8% |
| 1963 | 35.77 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +8.9% |
| 1964 | 38.06 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +6.4% |
| 1965 | 40.64 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +6.8% |
| 1966 | 37.24 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -8.4% |
| 1967 | 48.48 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +30.2% |
| 1968 | 37.61 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -22.4% |
| 1969 | 33.76 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -10.2% |
| 1970 | 30.1 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -10.8% |
| 1971 | 30.7 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +2.0% |
| 1972 | 29.89 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -2.6% |
| 1973 | 29.67 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.7% |
| 1974 | 28.51 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -3.9% |
| 1975 | 32.98 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +15.7% |
| 1976 | 34.46 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +4.5% |
| 1977 | 39.03 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +13.2% |
| 1978 | 35.22 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -9.8% |
| 1979 | 36.12 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +2.6% |
| 1980 | 36.25 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.4% |
| 1981 | 35.45 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -2.2% |
| 1982 | 34.43 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -2.9% |
| 1983 | 37.24 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +8.2% |
| 1984 | 33.16 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -10.9% |
| 1985 | 34.21 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +3.1% |
| 1986 | 29.66 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -13.3% |
| 1987 | 27.44 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -7.5% |
| 1988 | 27.35 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.3% |
| 1989 | 28.39 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +3.8% |
| 1990 | 31.44 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +10.7% |
| 1991 | 30.11 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -4.2% |
| 1992 | 32.42 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +7.7% |
| 1993 | 32.76 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.1% |
| 1994 | 30.96 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -5.5% |
| 1995 | 37.18 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +20.1% |
| 1996 | 36.99 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.5% |
| 1997 | 35.09 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -5.1% |
| 1998 | 37.73 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +7.5% |
| 1999 | 37.58 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.4% |
| 2000 | 40.32 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +7.3% |
| 2001 | 38.01 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -5.7% |
| 2002 | 35.73 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -6.0% |
| 2003 | 37.06 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +3.7% |
| 2004 | 38 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +2.5% |
| 2005 | 31.41 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -17.3% |
| 2006 | 32.19 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +2.5% |
| 2007 | 33.28 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +3.4% |
| 2008 | 37.31 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +12.1% |
| 2009 | 32.56 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -12.7% |
| 2010 | 41.02 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +26.0% |
| 2011 | 38.64 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -5.8% |
| 2012 | 34.84 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -9.8% |
| 2013 | 29.86 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -14.3% |
| 2014 | 28.44 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -4.7% |
| 2015 | 26.64 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -6.3% |
| 2016 | 27.84 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +4.5% |
| 2017 | 28.96 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +4.0% |
| 2018 | 27.11 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -6.4% |
| 2019 | 25.34 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -6.5% |
| 2020 | 24.78 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -2.2% |
| 2021 | 24.12 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -2.7% |
| 2022 | 23.24 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -3.6% |
| 2023 | 23.12 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.5% |
| 2024 | 22.83 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.2% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 22.83 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person is above the median for high income countries, which is 7.8 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person, 2.9× the median. (67 countries reporting)
- Australia's 22.83 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 5.25 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person, 4.4× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Per capita greenhouse gas emissions in Australia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | +30.2% | 37.24 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 48.48 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person |
| 2010 | +26.0% | 32.56 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 41.02 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850s | 54.86 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 42.05 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 69.21 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1860s | 40.1 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 39.3 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 41.23 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1870s | 42.87 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 40.61 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 44.03 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1880s | 38.16 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 34.59 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 41.97 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1890s | 35.24 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 34.27 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 36.24 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1900s | 34.08 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 33.45 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 34.73 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1910s | 32.2 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 29.5 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 33.97 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1920s | 37.82 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 36.05 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 38.85 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1930s | 26.51 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 25.04 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 31.38 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1940s | 25.89 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 24.78 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 26.72 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1950s | 34.68 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 31.42 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 36.55 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1960s | 37.57 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 32.86 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 48.48 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1970s | 32.67 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 28.51 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 39.03 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 32.36 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 27.35 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 37.24 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 34.23 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 30.11 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 37.73 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 35.59 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 31.41 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 40.32 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 30.87 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 25.34 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 41.02 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 23.62 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 22.83 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 24.78 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 5 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 6 Trinidad and Tobago 27.18 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 7 Saudi Arabia 24.2 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 8 United Arab Emirates 23.77 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 10 Oman 22.17 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 11 Canada 20.2 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 12 Belize 19.06 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
More climate change data for Australia
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 1.30 billion kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 118,578 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 34,162 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 84,416 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 128.91 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 3,015 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 12,473 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 10,966 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 1,507 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 41.38 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is per capita greenhouse gas emissions in Australia?
- Per capita greenhouse gas emissions in Australia was 22.83 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 greenhouse gas emissions recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 69.21 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 1850.
- What is the lowest per capita greenhouse gas emissions recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 22.83 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 2024.
- How does Australia rank for per capita greenhouse gas emissions?
- Australia ranks 9th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is per capita greenhouse gas emissions rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 19.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- 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 greenhouse gas 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.