Greenhouse gas emissions in Japan
Japan: Greenhouse gas emissions was 1.01 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
1.01 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
Change on year
down 2.4%
World rank
8th
of 199 countries
All-time high
1.35 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 2013
All-time low
21.92 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 1850
Years of data
175
1850–2024
Greenhouse gas emissions in Japan, 1850–2024
Source: Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes of CO₂ equivalents.
Analysis
Japan recorded 1.01 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents for greenhouse gas emissions in 2024.
The figure is down 2.4% on the previous year and down 22.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, greenhouse gas emissions in Japan peaked at 1.35 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2013 and was at its lowest, 21.92 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents, in 1850.
That places Japan 8th 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 | 22.86 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 21.92 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 23.74 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1860s | 24.40 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 23.45 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 24.94 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1870s | 28.88 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 25.87 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 32.57 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1880s | 37.39 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 33.18 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 42.69 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1890s | 54.87 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 45.65 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 65.33 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1900s | 83.92 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 69.46 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 98.51 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1910s | 122.13 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 98.88 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 149.53 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1920s | 160.16 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 138.06 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 181.76 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1930s | 196.94 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 164.42 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 229.01 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1940s | 221.86 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 159.01 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 259.02 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1950s | 276.61 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 222.27 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 336.80 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1960s | 532.97 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 371.33 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 791.43 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1970s | 990.39 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 903.03 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.05 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.02 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 968.66 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.10 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.27 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.23 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.32 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.30 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.19 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.34 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.26 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.14 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.35 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.06 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.01 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.11 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5 |
Countries ranked near Japan
- 5 Russia 2.73 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 6 Indonesia 1.90 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 7 Iran 1.01 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 9 Saudi Arabia 821.84 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 10 Canada 802.73 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 11 Democratic Republic of Congo 680.71 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
More climate change data for Japan
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.8% (2100)
- Population growth -0.5% (2025)
- Population, total 123.37 million (2025)
- Urban population growth -0.4% (2025)
- Urban population 113.87 million (2025)
- Urban population 92.3% (2025)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 7.77 tonnes per person (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions 69.61 billion tonnes (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita 7.77 tonnes per person (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 7.77 tonnes per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is greenhouse gas emissions in Japan?
- Greenhouse gas emissions in Japan was 1.01 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 Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 1.35 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2013.
- What is the lowest greenhouse gas emissions recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.92 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 1850.
- How does Japan rank for greenhouse gas emissions?
- Japan ranks 8th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is greenhouse gas emissions rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 22.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Japan 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.