Solid Food Waste — Emissions (CO2eq) in Australia

Australia: Solid Food Waste — Emissions (CO2eq) was 3,045 kt in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
3,045 kt
Change on year
up 0.4%
World rank
36th
of 180 countries
All-time high
3,045 kt
in 2023
All-time low
1,792 kt
in 1990
Years of data
34
1990–2023

Solid Food Waste — Emissions (CO2eq) in Australia, 1990–2023

01.0k2.0k3.0k1990200620231990: 1.8k kt1991: 1.9k kt1992: 2.0k kt1993: 2.1k kt1994: 2.1k kt1995: 2.2k kt1996: 2.3k kt1997: 2.3k kt1998: 2.4k kt1999: 2.4k kt2000: 2.5k kt2001: 2.5k kt2002: 2.6k kt2003: 2.6k kt2004: 2.6k kt2005: 2.7k kt2006: 2.7k kt2007: 2.7k kt2008: 2.8k kt2009: 2.8k kt2010: 2.8k kt2011: 2.9k kt2012: 2.9k kt2013: 2.9k kt2014: 2.9k kt2015: 2.9k kt2016: 3.0k kt2017: 3.0k kt2018: 3.0k kt2019: 3.0k kt2020: 3.0k kt2021: 3.0k kt2022: 3.0k kt2023: 3.0k kt

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in kt.

Analysis

The most recent figure for solid food waste — emissions (co2eq) in Australia is 3,045 kt, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 34 years on record.

That represents a change of up 0.4% on the previous year and up 5.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, solid food waste — emissions (co2eq) in Australia peaked at 3,045 kt in 2023 and was at its lowest, 1,792 kt, in 1990.

Australia ranks 36th of 180 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

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

Solid Food Waste — Emissions (CO2eq) in Australia, year by year

Annual values for Solid Food Waste — Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) in Australia, 1990 to 2023.
Year kt Change
1990 1,792 kt —
1991 1,890 kt +5.4%
1992 1,979 kt +4.7%
1993 2,060 kt +4.1%
1994 2,135 kt +3.7%
1995 2,206 kt +3.3%
1996 2,271 kt +3.0%
1997 2,332 kt +2.7%
1998 2,387 kt +2.4%
1999 2,437 kt +2.1%
2000 2,484 kt +1.9%
2001 2,526 kt +1.7%
2002 2,565 kt +1.5%
2003 2,603 kt +1.5%
2004 2,640 kt +1.4%
2005 2,675 kt +1.3%
2006 2,708 kt +1.2%
2007 2,740 kt +1.2%
2008 2,770 kt +1.1%
2009 2,797 kt +1.0%
2010 2,824 kt +1.0%
2011 2,851 kt +0.9%
2012 2,876 kt +0.9%
2013 2,899 kt +0.8%
2014 2,920 kt +0.7%
2015 2,938 kt +0.6%
2016 2,954 kt +0.5%
2017 2,969 kt +0.5%
2018 2,984 kt +0.5%
2019 2,998 kt +0.4%
2020 3,009 kt +0.4%
2021 3,022 kt +0.4%
2022 3,034 kt +0.4%
2023 3,045 kt +0.4%

Australia compared with similar countries

  • Australia's 3,045 kt is above the median for high income countries, which is 299.99 kt, 10.2× the median. (63 countries reporting)
  • Australia's 3,045 kt is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3,895 kt, 78% of the median. (12 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 2,149 kt 1,792 kt 2,437 kt 10
2000s 2,651 kt 2,484 kt 2,797 kt 10
2010s 2,921 kt 2,824 kt 2,998 kt 10
2020s 3,028 kt 3,009 kt 3,045 kt 4

Countries ranked near Australia

  1. 33 Ecuador 3,436 kt compare
  2. 34 Ghana 3,328 kt compare
  3. 35 Dominican Republic 3,211 kt compare
  4. 37 Poland 2,801 kt compare
  5. 38 Romania 2,730 kt compare
  6. 39 Greece 2,695 kt compare

See the full ranking of 226 places →

More climate change data for Australia

All data for Australia →

Frequently asked questions

What is solid food waste — emissions (co2eq) in Australia?
Solid food waste — emissions (co2eq) in Australia was 3,045 kt in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest solid food waste — emissions (co2eq) recorded in Australia?
The highest recorded value was 3,045 kt in 2023.
What is the lowest solid food waste — emissions (co2eq) recorded in Australia?
The lowest recorded value was 1,792 kt in 1990.
How does Australia rank for solid food waste — emissions (co2eq)?
Australia ranks 36th out of 180 countries with data for 2023.
Is solid food waste — emissions (co2eq) rising or falling in Australia?
Over the last ten years it is up 5.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Australia data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Solid Food Waste — Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Solid Food Waste — Emissions (CO2eq) in Australia. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 27 September 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/solid-food-waste-emissions-co2eq-ar5/australia/

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About this data

Indicator
Solid Food Waste — Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5)
Unit
kt
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
226 places, 7,416 data points, 1990–2023
Last refreshed

The FAOSTAT domain on Emissions from Pre- and post- agricultural production includes the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and related activity data, generated from pre- and post-agriculture production stages of the agri-food systems. Data are computed following the Tier 1 methods of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Guidelines for National greenhouse gas (GHG) Inventories (IPCC, 1996; 1997; 2000; 2002; 2006; 2014). The domain includes methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), carbon dioxide (CO2) and CO2 equivalent (CO2eq) emissions from the above activities as well as the aggregate fluorinated gases (F-gases) emissions. Estimates are available by country, with global coverage and are updated annually.The FAOSTAT domain disseminates information estimates of CH4, N2O, CO2 emissions, F-gases, their aggregates in CO2eq in units of kilotonnes (kt, or 10^6 kg), and the underlying activity data. CO2eq emissions are computed by using the IPCC Fifth Assessment report global warming potentials, AR5 (IPCC, 2014). Data are available for most countries and territories, for standard FAOSTAT regional aggregations, and for Annex I and non-Annex I country groups.