Total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry in Australia
Australia: Total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry was 455.56 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
455.56 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
Change on year
down 0.8%
World rank
16th
of 198 countries
All-time high
503.42 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 2019
All-time low
918,856 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 1850
Years of data
175
1850–2024
Total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry in Australia, 1850–2024
Source: Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes of CO₂ equivalents.
Analysis
In 2024, total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry in Australia stood at 455.56 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents.
That represents a change of down 0.8% on the previous year and down 3.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry in Australia peaked at 503.42 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2019 and was at its lowest, 918,856 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents, in 1850.
Australia ranks 16th of 198 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 | 1.32 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 918,856 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.86 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1860s | 2.67 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.02 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.39 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1870s | 4.24 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.33 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5.15 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1880s | 7.63 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5.23 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 9.96 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1890s | 11.29 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 9.27 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 13.47 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1900s | 19.73 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 16.10 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 24.77 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1910s | 31.06 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 26.02 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 35.32 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1920s | 38.87 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 34.20 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 43.52 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1930s | 40.40 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 32.58 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 51.71 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1940s | 57.98 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 48.36 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 65.94 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1950s | 93.49 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 76.08 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 111.20 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1960s | 143.25 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 116.72 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 178.11 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1970s | 213.37 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 188.52 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 238.33 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1980s | 278.37 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 249.32 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 315.73 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1990s | 366.15 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 336.93 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 409.15 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2000s | 451.13 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 415.18 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 480.73 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2010s | 485.51 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 470.10 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 503.42 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2020s | 463.80 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 455.56 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 480.32 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 13 Germany 608.40 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 14 Mexico 551.31 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 15 South Africa 508.19 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 17 Vietnam 423.65 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 18 Iraq 389.44 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 19 United Kingdom 334.16 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 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 total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry in Australia?
- Total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry in Australia was 455.56 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2024, according to Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 503.42 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2019.
- What is the lowest total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 918,856 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 1850.
- How does Australia rank for total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry?
- Australia ranks 16th out of 198 countries with data for 2024.
- Is total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.1%. 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) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Total 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 of carbon dioxide-equivalents over a 100-year timescale.