Greenhouse gas emissions in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Greenhouse gas emissions was 390.27 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
390.27 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
Change on year
up 0.9%
World rank
23rd
of 199 countries
All-time high
858.47 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 1971
All-time low
183.53 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 1853
Years of data
175
1850–2024
Greenhouse gas emissions in United Kingdom, 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 United Kingdom stood at 390.27 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents.
That represents a change of up 0.9% on the previous year and down 26.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, greenhouse gas emissions in United Kingdom peaked at 858.47 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 1971 and was at its lowest, 183.53 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents, in 1853.
United Kingdom ranks 23rd of 199 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 175 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850s | 199.90 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 183.53 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 218.55 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1860s | 290.25 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 244.78 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 330.55 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1870s | 373.42 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 338.09 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 390.19 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1880s | 442.94 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 418.39 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 471.46 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1890s | 501.11 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 440.75 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 556.87 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1900s | 591.05 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 555.19 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 628.30 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1910s | 635.74 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 603.40 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 665.86 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1920s | 575.70 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 372.77 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 638.50 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1930s | 599.12 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 552.06 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 645.01 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1940s | 657.41 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 616.79 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 694.42 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1950s | 746.55 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 684.86 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 779.61 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1960s | 815.34 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 789.57 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 833.59 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1970s | 825.17 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 798.97 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 858.47 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1980s | 749.15 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 696.41 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 775.45 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1990s | 748.66 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 706.62 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 792.38 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2000s | 685.91 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 595.14 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 715.18 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2010s | 528.18 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 453.99 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 608.75 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2020s | 401.31 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 386.61 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 425.77 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
- 20 Thailand 456.71 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 21 Argentina 416.98 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 22 Iraq 398.13 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 24 Malaysia 388.69 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 25 Nigeria 384.68 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 26 Kazakhstan 372.23 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
More climate change data for United Kingdom
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.7% (2100)
- Population growth 0.3% (2025)
- Population, total 69.49 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 0.4% (2025)
- Urban population 57.90 million (2025)
- Urban population 83.3% (2025)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 4.53 tonnes per person (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions 80.08 billion tonnes (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita 4.53 tonnes per person (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 4.53 tonnes per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is greenhouse gas emissions in United Kingdom?
- Greenhouse gas emissions in United Kingdom was 390.27 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 greenhouse gas emissions recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 858.47 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 1971.
- What is the lowest greenhouse gas emissions recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 183.53 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 1853.
- How does United Kingdom rank for greenhouse gas emissions?
- United Kingdom ranks 23rd out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is greenhouse gas emissions rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 26.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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.