Greenhouse gas emissions in India
India: Greenhouse gas emissions was 4.26 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
4.26 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
Change on year
up 3.4%
World rank
3rd
of 199 countries
All-time high
4.26 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 2024
All-time low
298.31 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 1862
Years of data
175
1850–2024
Greenhouse gas emissions in India, 1850–2024
Source: Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes of CO₂ equivalents.
Analysis
In 2024, greenhouse gas emissions in India stood at 4.26 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents. That is the highest value across all 175 years on record.
The figure is up 3.4% on the previous year and up 32.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, greenhouse gas emissions in India peaked at 4.26 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2024 and was at its lowest, 298.31 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents, in 1862.
That places India 3rd out of 199 countries with data for 2024, putting it 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 | 317.39 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 299.40 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 372.71 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1860s | 300.26 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 298.31 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 302.58 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1870s | 312.67 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 304.02 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 322.91 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1880s | 341.37 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 326.12 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 356.09 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1890s | 366.21 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 360.33 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 373.63 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1900s | 374.68 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 373.07 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 378.03 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1910s | 392.78 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 377.83 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 409.34 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1920s | 562.09 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 475.91 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 612.01 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1930s | 652.44 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 621.58 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 694.30 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1940s | 737.20 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 706.51 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 768.80 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1950s | 944.44 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 837.25 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.04 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1960s | 936.76 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 899.84 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.03 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.04 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 904.87 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.15 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.30 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.12 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.51 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.72 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.53 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.94 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.26 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.99 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.74 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.26 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.85 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.62 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.88 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.44 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 4.26 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5 |
Countries ranked near India
More climate change data for India
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 14.8% (2100)
- Population growth 0.9% (2025)
- Population, total 1.46 billion (2025)
- Urban population growth 1.8% (2025)
- Urban population 522.44 million (2025)
- Urban population 35.7% (2025)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 2.2 tonnes per person (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions 66.07 billion tonnes (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita 2.2 tonnes per person (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 2.2 tonnes per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is greenhouse gas emissions in India?
- Greenhouse gas emissions in India was 4.26 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2024, according to Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest greenhouse gas emissions recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 4.26 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2024.
- What is the lowest greenhouse gas emissions recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 298.31 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 1862.
- How does India rank for greenhouse gas emissions?
- India ranks 3rd out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is greenhouse gas emissions rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is up 32.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this India data come from?
- The figures come from Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Greenhouse gas emissions. 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.