Per capita greenhouse gas emissions in Ireland
Ireland: Per capita greenhouse gas emissions was 11.46 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
11.46 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person
Change on year
down 1.6%
World rank
30th
of 199 countries
All-time high
22.16 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person
in 2001
All-time low
10.62 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person
in 1954
Years of data
75
1950–2024
Per capita greenhouse gas emissions in Ireland, 1950–2024
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 Ireland is 11.46 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of down 1.6% on the previous year and down 19.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, per capita greenhouse gas emissions in Ireland peaked at 22.16 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 2001 and was at its lowest, 10.62 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person, in 1954.
Ireland ranks 30th of 199 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 75 years of available data.
Per capita greenhouse gas emissions in Ireland, year by year
| Year | tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 11 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | — |
| 1951 | 11.28 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +2.6% |
| 1952 | 11.19 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.9% |
| 1953 | 11.01 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.6% |
| 1954 | 10.62 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -3.5% |
| 1955 | 11.8 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +11.1% |
| 1956 | 11.5 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -2.5% |
| 1957 | 11.09 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -3.6% |
| 1958 | 10.64 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -4.1% |
| 1959 | 12.37 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +16.3% |
| 1960 | 11.54 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -6.8% |
| 1961 | 13.47 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +16.7% |
| 1962 | 13.2 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -2.0% |
| 1963 | 13.71 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +3.9% |
| 1964 | 14.27 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +4.0% |
| 1965 | 14.78 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +3.6% |
| 1966 | 15.41 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +4.2% |
| 1967 | 15.59 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.2% |
| 1968 | 16.26 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +4.3% |
| 1969 | 16.5 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.5% |
| 1970 | 16.62 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.7% |
| 1971 | 18.03 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +8.5% |
| 1972 | 17.31 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -4.0% |
| 1973 | 17.45 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.8% |
| 1974 | 17.38 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.4% |
| 1975 | 17.11 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.6% |
| 1976 | 17.59 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +2.8% |
| 1977 | 17.36 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.3% |
| 1978 | 17.2 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.9% |
| 1979 | 18.34 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +6.6% |
| 1980 | 17.07 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -6.9% |
| 1981 | 16.47 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -3.5% |
| 1982 | 16.46 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.1% |
| 1983 | 17.02 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +3.4% |
| 1984 | 16.49 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -3.1% |
| 1985 | 16.78 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.7% |
| 1986 | 16.69 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.5% |
| 1987 | 16.71 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.2% |
| 1988 | 16.23 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -2.9% |
| 1989 | 16.2 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.2% |
| 1990 | 17.03 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +5.1% |
| 1991 | 17.12 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.5% |
| 1992 | 17.09 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.1% |
| 1993 | 17.16 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.4% |
| 1994 | 17.52 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +2.1% |
| 1995 | 17.69 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.9% |
| 1996 | 18.32 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +3.6% |
| 1997 | 18.6 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.5% |
| 1998 | 19.34 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +4.0% |
| 1999 | 20.74 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +7.2% |
| 2000 | 21.46 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +3.4% |
| 2001 | 22.16 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +3.2% |
| 2002 | 21.15 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -4.5% |
| 2003 | 20.48 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -3.2% |
| 2004 | 19.86 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -3.0% |
| 2005 | 19.69 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.8% |
| 2006 | 18.86 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -4.2% |
| 2007 | 21.13 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +12.0% |
| 2008 | 18.68 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -11.6% |
| 2009 | 16.88 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -9.7% |
| 2010 | 16.16 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -4.3% |
| 2011 | 15.19 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -6.0% |
| 2012 | 15 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.2% |
| 2013 | 14.53 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -3.2% |
| 2014 | 14.2 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -2.2% |
| 2015 | 14.88 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +4.8% |
| 2016 | 15.4 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +3.5% |
| 2017 | 14.96 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -2.8% |
| 2018 | 14.23 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -4.9% |
| 2019 | 13.53 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -4.9% |
| 2020 | 12.63 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -6.7% |
| 2021 | 13.18 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +4.4% |
| 2022 | 12.54 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -4.8% |
| 2023 | 11.65 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -7.1% |
| 2024 | 11.46 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.6% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 11.46 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person is above the median for high income countries, which is 7.8 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person, 1.5× the median. (67 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 11.46 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 6.18 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person, 1.9× the median. (50 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 11.25 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10.62 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 12.37 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1960s | 14.47 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 11.54 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 16.5 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1970s | 17.44 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 16.62 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 18.34 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 16.61 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 16.2 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 17.07 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 18.06 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 17.03 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 20.74 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 20.04 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 16.88 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 22.16 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.81 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 13.53 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 16.16 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 12.29 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 11.46 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 13.18 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 5 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
- 27 Taiwan 12.21 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 28 South Korea 12.19 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 29 Luxembourg 11.8 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 31 Iran 11.05 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 32 Malaysia 10.93 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 33 Gabon 10.79 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
More climate change data for Ireland
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 320.11 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 18,098 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 3,665 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 14,433 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 13.83 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 515.47 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 1,902 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 1,899 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 2.7 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 7.17 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is per capita greenhouse gas emissions in Ireland?
- Per capita greenhouse gas emissions in Ireland was 11.46 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 Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 22.16 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 2001.
- What is the lowest per capita greenhouse gas emissions recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.62 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 1954.
- How does Ireland rank for per capita greenhouse gas emissions?
- Ireland ranks 30th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is per capita greenhouse gas emissions rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 19.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ireland 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 — 75 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.