Australia vs Spain: Emissions of air pollutants
Australia
1.04 million tonnes
in 2022
Spain
1.15 million tonnes
in 2022
Australia rank
23rd
Spain rank
20th
Emissions of air pollutants over time
- Australia
- Spain
How they compare
Spain currently reports 1.15 million tonnes against 1.04 million tonnes in Australia, a difference of 110,100 tonnes.
That makes Spain's figure about 1.1 times Australia's.
The two have swapped places 12 times across 273 shared years of data; in 1750 it was Spain ahead.
Australia ranks 23rd and Spain ranks 20th of 220 countries.
Across the 28 decades both report, Australia averaged higher in 13 and Spain in 15.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Australia | Spain | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1750s | 0 tonnes | 2,093 tonnes | 2,093 tonnes | Spain |
| 1760s | 0 tonnes | 2,142 tonnes | 2,142 tonnes | Spain |
| 1770s | 0 tonnes | 2,192 tonnes | 2,192 tonnes | Spain |
| 1780s | 1.25 tonnes | 2,243 tonnes | 2,242 tonnes | Spain |
| 1790s | 5.65 tonnes | 2,295 tonnes | 2,290 tonnes | Spain |
| 1800s | 18.86 tonnes | 2,363 tonnes | 2,344 tonnes | Spain |
| 1810s | 65.52 tonnes | 2,451 tonnes | 2,386 tonnes | Spain |
| 1820s | 222.06 tonnes | 2,589 tonnes | 2,367 tonnes | Spain |
| 1830s | 606.45 tonnes | 2,739 tonnes | 2,132 tonnes | Spain |
| 1840s | 1,671 tonnes | 3,289 tonnes | 1,618 tonnes | Spain |
| 1850s | 4,868 tonnes | 4,719 tonnes | 148.82 tonnes | Australia |
| 1860s | 10,615 tonnes | 7,938 tonnes | 2,677 tonnes | Australia |
| 1870s | 16,862 tonnes | 10,349 tonnes | 6,513 tonnes | Australia |
| 1880s | 28,675 tonnes | 15,905 tonnes | 12,770 tonnes | Australia |
| 1890s | 38,674 tonnes | 21,256 tonnes | 17,418 tonnes | Australia |
| 1900s | 68,834 tonnes | 30,804 tonnes | 38,030 tonnes | Australia |
| 1910s | 89,155 tonnes | 40,833 tonnes | 48,322 tonnes | Australia |
| 1920s | 97,110 tonnes | 55,906 tonnes | 41,204 tonnes | Australia |
| 1930s | 94,899 tonnes | 63,729 tonnes | 31,170 tonnes | Australia |
| 1940s | 123,181 tonnes | 98,381 tonnes | 24,800 tonnes | Australia |
| 1950s | 325,995 tonnes | 251,011 tonnes | 74,984 tonnes | Australia |
| 1960s | 772,310 tonnes | 610,219 tonnes | 162,091 tonnes | Australia |
| 1970s | 1.16 million tonnes | 1.10 million tonnes | 65,019 tonnes | Australia |
| 1980s | 1.40 million tonnes | 1.45 million tonnes | 46,922 tonnes | Spain |
| 1990s | 1.57 million tonnes | 1.79 million tonnes | 222,586 tonnes | Spain |
| 2000s | 1.46 million tonnes | 2.01 million tonnes | 551,919 tonnes | Spain |
| 2010s | 1.28 million tonnes | 1.43 million tonnes | 141,964 tonnes | Spain |
| 2020s | 1.09 million tonnes | 1.11 million tonnes | 19,580 tonnes | Spain |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher emissions of air pollutants, Australia or Spain?
- Spain, at 1.15 million tonnes against 1.04 million tonnes in Australia as of 2022.
- What is the difference in emissions of air pollutants between Australia and Spain?
- 110,100 tonnes, with Spain ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and Spain?
- 273 years are reported by both, from 1750 to 2022.
- How do Australia and Spain rank globally for emissions of air pollutants?
- Australia ranks 23rd and Spain ranks 20th of 220 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Hoesly et al. (2024) – Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Emissions of air pollutants. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Nitrogen oxides (NOₓ) are gases that are mainly formed during the burning of fossil fuels. Exposure to NOₓ gases can have negative impacts on respiratory health. NOₓ gases can also lead to the formation of ozone – another air pollutant.