Canada vs Iran: Emissions of air pollutants
Canada
1.41 million tonnes
in 2022
Iran
1.74 million tonnes
in 2022
Canada rank
15th
Iran rank
12th
Emissions of air pollutants over time
- Canada
- Iran
How they compare
Iran currently reports 1.74 million tonnes against 1.41 million tonnes in Canada, a difference of 332,370 tonnes.
That makes Iran's figure about 1.2 times Canada's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 273 shared years of data; in 1750 it was Iran ahead.
Canada ranks 15th and Iran ranks 12th of 220 countries.
Across the 28 decades both report, Canada averaged higher in 17 and Iran in 11.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Canada | Iran | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1750s | 407.02 tonnes | 1,799 tonnes | 1,392 tonnes | Iran |
| 1760s | 470.27 tonnes | 1,836 tonnes | 1,366 tonnes | Iran |
| 1770s | 545.99 tonnes | 1,874 tonnes | 1,328 tonnes | Iran |
| 1780s | 642.01 tonnes | 1,913 tonnes | 1,271 tonnes | Iran |
| 1790s | 757.25 tonnes | 1,952 tonnes | 1,195 tonnes | Iran |
| 1800s | 893.22 tonnes | 2,012 tonnes | 1,118 tonnes | Iran |
| 1810s | 1,154 tonnes | 2,096 tonnes | 942.03 tonnes | Iran |
| 1820s | 1,619 tonnes | 2,217 tonnes | 597.85 tonnes | Iran |
| 1830s | 2,283 tonnes | 2,384 tonnes | 101.14 tonnes | Iran |
| 1840s | 3,290 tonnes | 2,556 tonnes | 734.34 tonnes | Canada |
| 1850s | 4,991 tonnes | 2,723 tonnes | 2,267 tonnes | Canada |
| 1860s | 8,683 tonnes | 2,901 tonnes | 5,783 tonnes | Canada |
| 1870s | 13,289 tonnes | 3,254 tonnes | 10,036 tonnes | Canada |
| 1880s | 31,921 tonnes | 3,788 tonnes | 28,134 tonnes | Canada |
| 1890s | 49,261 tonnes | 4,313 tonnes | 44,949 tonnes | Canada |
| 1900s | 104,285 tonnes | 4,826 tonnes | 99,458 tonnes | Canada |
| 1910s | 262,408 tonnes | 8,733 tonnes | 253,674 tonnes | Canada |
| 1920s | 352,656 tonnes | 16,688 tonnes | 335,968 tonnes | Canada |
| 1930s | 444,487 tonnes | 23,499 tonnes | 420,987 tonnes | Canada |
| 1940s | 727,692 tonnes | 32,268 tonnes | 695,424 tonnes | Canada |
| 1950s | 1.07 million tonnes | 63,236 tonnes | 1.00 million tonnes | Canada |
| 1960s | 1.65 million tonnes | 173,896 tonnes | 1.48 million tonnes | Canada |
| 1970s | 2.63 million tonnes | 394,899 tonnes | 2.24 million tonnes | Canada |
| 1980s | 2.72 million tonnes | 658,872 tonnes | 2.06 million tonnes | Canada |
| 1990s | 2.73 million tonnes | 1.10 million tonnes | 1.63 million tonnes | Canada |
| 2000s | 2.58 million tonnes | 1.44 million tonnes | 1.13 million tonnes | Canada |
| 2010s | 1.78 million tonnes | 1.78 million tonnes | 801 tonnes | Iran |
| 2020s | 1.39 million tonnes | 1.68 million tonnes | 282,627 tonnes | Iran |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher emissions of air pollutants, Canada or Iran?
- Iran, at 1.74 million tonnes against 1.41 million tonnes in Canada as of 2022.
- What is the difference in emissions of air pollutants between Canada and Iran?
- 332,370 tonnes, with Iran ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Canada and Iran?
- 273 years are reported by both, from 1750 to 2022.
- How do Canada and Iran rank globally for emissions of air pollutants?
- Canada ranks 15th and Iran ranks 12th 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.