Per capita greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry in Australia
Australia: Per capita greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry 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 194 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 greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry 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
Australia recorded 17.05 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person for per capita greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.8% on the previous year and down 14.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, per capita greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry 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.
Australia ranks 10th of 194 countries on this measure, 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 greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry in Australia?
- Per capita greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry 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 greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 22.51 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 2007.
- What is the lowest per capita greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry 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 greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry?
- Australia ranks 10th out of 194 countries with data for 2024.
- Is per capita greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry 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 greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry. 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.