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Per capita greenhouse gas emissions in Iceland

Iceland: Per capita greenhouse gas emissions was 12.85 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
12.85 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person
Change on year
up 4.3%
World rank
25th
of 199 countries
All-time high
36.64 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person
in 1959
All-time low
1.97 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person
in 1909
Years of data
175
1850–2024

Per capita greenhouse gas emissions in Iceland, 1850–2024

010203040185019372024

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 Iceland is 12.85 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person, measured in 2024.

That represents a change of up 4.3% on the previous year and down 9.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, per capita greenhouse gas emissions in Iceland peaked at 36.64 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 1959 and was at its lowest, 1.97 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person, in 1909.

That places Iceland 25th out of 199 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1850s 12.37 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 11.14 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 13.59 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 10
1860s 8.28 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 6.92 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 10.05 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 10
1870s 6.23 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 5.82 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 6.75 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 10
1880s 5.22 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 4.72 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 5.7 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 10
1890s 4.11 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 3.67 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 4.5 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 10
1900s 2.77 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 1.97 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 3.55 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 10
1910s 14.48 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 7.67 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 19.38 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 10
1920s 18.93 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 18.64 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 19.21 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 10
1930s 20.23 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 19.55 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 20.75 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 10
1940s 23.57 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 22.87 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 24.7 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 10
1950s 32.1 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 26.55 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 36.64 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 10
1960s 24.12 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 17.06 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 30.59 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 10
1970s 16.3 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 15.64 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 17.19 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 10
1980s 13.46 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 12.78 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 14.75 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 10
1990s 14.13 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 13.44 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 14.84 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 10
2000s 14.83 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 14.35 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 15.93 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 10
2010s 14.68 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 13.53 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 17.67 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 10
2020s 12.68 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 12.32 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 12.85 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 5

Countries ranked near Iceland

  1. 22 Bolivia 12.89 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
  2. 23 Central African Republic 12.88 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
  3. 24 Libya 12.87 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
  4. 26 Uruguay 12.71 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
  5. 27 Taiwan 12.21 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
  6. 28 South Korea 12.19 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More climate change data for Iceland

All data for Iceland →

Frequently asked questions

What is per capita greenhouse gas emissions in Iceland?
Per capita greenhouse gas emissions in Iceland was 12.85 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 Iceland?
The highest recorded value was 36.64 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 1959.
What is the lowest per capita greenhouse gas emissions recorded in Iceland?
The lowest recorded value was 1.97 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 1909.
How does Iceland rank for per capita greenhouse gas emissions?
Iceland ranks 25th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
Is per capita greenhouse gas emissions rising or falling in Iceland?
Over the last ten years it is down 9.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Iceland 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

Indicator
Per capita greenhouse gas emissions
Unit
tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person
Source
Jones et al. (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
199 places, 34,079 data points, 1850–2024
Last refreshed

Greenhouse gas emissions are measured in tonnes per person of carbon dioxide-equivalents over a 100-year timescale.