Share of CO₂ emissions embedded in trade in United Kingdom

United Kingdom: Share of CO₂ emissions embedded in trade was 58.2% in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
58.2%
Change on year
down 5.5%
World rank
28th
of 120 countries
All-time high
61.6%
in 2022
All-time low
10.6%
in 1990
Years of data
34
1990–2023

Share of CO₂ emissions embedded in trade in United Kingdom, 1990–2023

2040601990200620231990: 10.6 %1991: 11.1 %1992: 18.2 %1993: 13.9 %1994: 13.4 %1995: 14.4 %1996: 14.8 %1997: 17.5 %1998: 21.7 %1999: 22.6 %2000: 29.9 %2001: 26.2 %2002: 31.2 %2003: 33.5 %2004: 35.1 %2005: 34.3 %2006: 35 %2007: 36.7 %2008: 34.2 %2009: 29.9 %2010: 34.2 %2011: 33.4 %2012: 31.4 %2013: 30.8 %2014: 37.9 %2015: 41.3 %2016: 45.9 %2017: 44.1 %2018: 43.6 %2019: 43.9 %2020: 44 %2021: 51.2 %2022: 61.6 %2023: 58.2 %

Source: Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

United Kingdom recorded 58.2% for share of co₂ emissions embedded in trade in 2023.

The figure is down 5.5% on the previous year and up 89.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of co₂ emissions embedded in trade in United Kingdom peaked at 61.6% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 10.6%, in 1990.

United Kingdom ranks 28th of 120 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 15.8% 10.6% 22.6% 10
2000s 32.6% 26.2% 36.7% 10
2010s 38.6% 30.8% 45.9% 10
2020s 53.8% 44.0% 61.6% 4

Countries ranked near United Kingdom

  1. 25 Bangladesh 60.6% compare
  2. 26 Israel 59.5% compare
  3. 27 Mozambique 58.7% compare
  4. 29 France 50.7% compare
  5. 30 Panama 50.1% compare
  6. 31 Finland 49.3% compare

See the full ranking of 120 places →

More climate change data for United Kingdom

All data for United Kingdom →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of co₂ emissions embedded in trade in United Kingdom?
Share of co₂ emissions embedded in trade in United Kingdom was 58.2% in 2023, according to Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of co₂ emissions embedded in trade recorded in United Kingdom?
The highest recorded value was 61.6% in 2022.
What is the lowest share of co₂ emissions embedded in trade recorded in United Kingdom?
The lowest recorded value was 10.6% in 1990.
How does United Kingdom rank for share of co₂ emissions embedded in trade?
United Kingdom ranks 28th out of 120 countries with data for 2023.
Is share of co₂ emissions embedded in trade rising or falling in United Kingdom?
Over the last ten years it is up 89.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
The figures come from Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of CO₂ emissions embedded in trade. 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

Indicator
Share of CO₂ emissions embedded in trade
Unit
%
Source
Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
120 places, 4,063 data points, 1990–2023
Last refreshed

Annual net carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions embedded in trade, measured as a percentage of emissions of CO₂.