Per capita greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Australia
Australia: Per capita greenhouse gas emissions by sector was 448.75 kilograms per person in 2023. ▲ Rising
Per capita greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Australia, 1990–2023
Source: Climate Watch (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in kilograms per person.
Analysis
In 2023, per capita greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Australia stood at 448.75 kilograms per person.
That represents a change of up 61.1% on the previous year and down 19.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, per capita greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Australia peaked at 695.37 kilograms per person in 2019 and was at its lowest, 198.02 kilograms per person, in 2021.
That places Australia 41st out of 191 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Per capita greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Australia, year by year
| Year | kilograms per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 382.45 kilograms per person | — |
| 1991 | 375.72 kilograms per person | -1.8% |
| 1992 | 393.18 kilograms per person | +4.6% |
| 1993 | 422.05 kilograms per person | +7.3% |
| 1994 | 439.73 kilograms per person | +4.2% |
| 1995 | 480.23 kilograms per person | +9.2% |
| 1996 | 502.59 kilograms per person | +4.7% |
| 1997 | 497.17 kilograms per person | -1.1% |
| 1998 | 512.25 kilograms per person | +3.0% |
| 1999 | 524.59 kilograms per person | +2.4% |
| 2000 | 538.35 kilograms per person | +2.6% |
| 2001 | 553.56 kilograms per person | +2.8% |
| 2002 | 451.64 kilograms per person | -18.4% |
| 2003 | 447.04 kilograms per person | -1.0% |
| 2004 | 502.33 kilograms per person | +12.4% |
| 2005 | 542.51 kilograms per person | +8.0% |
| 2006 | 564.34 kilograms per person | +4.0% |
| 2007 | 572.19 kilograms per person | +1.4% |
| 2008 | 575.09 kilograms per person | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 518.75 kilograms per person | -9.8% |
| 2010 | 563.64 kilograms per person | +8.7% |
| 2011 | 532.92 kilograms per person | -5.5% |
| 2012 | 567.11 kilograms per person | +6.4% |
| 2013 | 559.04 kilograms per person | -1.4% |
| 2014 | 600.11 kilograms per person | +7.3% |
| 2015 | 564.56 kilograms per person | -5.9% |
| 2016 | 588.58 kilograms per person | +4.3% |
| 2017 | 619.87 kilograms per person | +5.3% |
| 2018 | 643.32 kilograms per person | +3.8% |
| 2019 | 695.37 kilograms per person | +8.1% |
| 2020 | 539.94 kilograms per person | -22.4% |
| 2021 | 198.02 kilograms per person | -63.3% |
| 2022 | 278.62 kilograms per person | +40.7% |
| 2023 | 448.75 kilograms per person | +61.1% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 448.75 kilograms per person is below the median for high income countries, which is 559.34 kilograms per person, 80% of the median. (60 countries reporting)
- Australia's 448.75 kilograms per person is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 72.17 kilograms per person, 6.2× the median. (30 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Per capita greenhouse gas emissions by sector 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | -63.3% | 539.94 kilograms per person | 198.02 kilograms per person |
| 2023 | +61.1% | 278.62 kilograms per person | 448.75 kilograms per person |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 453 kilograms per person | 375.72 kilograms per person | 524.59 kilograms per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 526.58 kilograms per person | 447.04 kilograms per person | 575.09 kilograms per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 593.45 kilograms per person | 532.92 kilograms per person | 695.37 kilograms per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 366.33 kilograms per person | 198.02 kilograms per person | 539.94 kilograms per person | 4 |
Countries ranked near Australia
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 by sector in Australia?
- Per capita greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Australia was 448.75 kilograms per person in 2023, according to Climate Watch (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest per capita greenhouse gas emissions by sector recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 695.37 kilograms per person in 2019.
- What is the lowest per capita greenhouse gas emissions by sector recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 198.02 kilograms per person in 2021.
- How does Australia rank for per capita greenhouse gas emissions by sector?
- Australia ranks 41st out of 191 countries with data for 2023.
- Is per capita greenhouse gas emissions by sector rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 19.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Climate Watch (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Per capita greenhouse gas emissions by sector. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Emissions are measured in kilograms of carbon dioxide-equivalents per person.