Per capita greenhouse gas emissions in Belgium
Belgium: Per capita greenhouse gas emissions was 9.2 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 2024. ▲ Rising
Per capita greenhouse gas emissions in Belgium, 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
The most recent figure for per capita greenhouse gas emissions in Belgium is 9.2 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.6% on the previous year and down 14.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, per capita greenhouse gas emissions in Belgium peaked at 17.29 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 1973 and was at its lowest, 4.87 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person, in 1850.
That places Belgium 41st out of 199 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 175 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850s | 5.47 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 4.87 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 5.81 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1860s | 6.45 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 5.99 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 7.14 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1870s | 7.71 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 7.36 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 8.21 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1880s | 8.58 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 8.13 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 8.94 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1890s | 9.19 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 8.57 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 9.62 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1900s | 10.05 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 9.58 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10.55 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1910s | 8.6 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 6.32 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 11.29 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1920s | 11.55 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 8.65 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 14.29 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1930s | 11.52 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10.24 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 13.74 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1940s | 9.22 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 5.56 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 12.06 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1950s | 12.32 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10.95 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 13.4 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1960s | 14.06 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 12.61 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 15.93 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1970s | 16.38 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 15.44 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 17.29 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 13.95 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 12.73 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 16.52 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 14.97 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 14.56 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 15.41 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 14.04 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 12.02 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 14.87 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 11.16 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10.71 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 12.57 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.6 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 9.14 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10.21 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 5 |
Countries ranked near Belgium
- 38 China 9.94 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 39 Paraguay 9.56 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 40 Bhutan 9.33 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 42 Argentina 9.13 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 43 Estonia 8.91 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 44 Suriname 8.89 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
More climate change data for Belgium
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.1% (2100)
- Population growth 0.7% (2025)
- Population, total 11.94 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 0.8% (2025)
- Urban population 10.47 million (2025)
- Urban population 87.7% (2025)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 7.28 tonnes per person (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions 12.91 billion tonnes (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita 7.28 tonnes per person (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 7.28 tonnes per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is per capita greenhouse gas emissions in Belgium?
- Per capita greenhouse gas emissions in Belgium was 9.2 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 Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 17.29 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 1973.
- What is the lowest per capita greenhouse gas emissions recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.87 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 1850.
- How does Belgium rank for per capita greenhouse gas emissions?
- Belgium ranks 41st out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is per capita greenhouse gas emissions rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Belgium 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.