France vs United Kingdom: Emissions of air pollutants
France
820,688 tonnes
in 2022
United Kingdom
833,456 tonnes
in 2022
France rank
32nd
United Kingdom rank
31st
Emissions of air pollutants over time
- France
- United Kingdom
How they compare
United Kingdom currently reports 833,456 tonnes against 820,688 tonnes in France, a difference of 12,768 tonnes.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 273 shared years of data; in 1750 it was France ahead.
France ranks 32nd and United Kingdom ranks 31st of 220 countries.
Across the 28 decades both report, France averaged higher in 2 and United Kingdom in 26.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | France | United Kingdom | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1750s | 18,295 tonnes | 13,973 tonnes | 4,322 tonnes | France |
| 1760s | 18,664 tonnes | 16,134 tonnes | 2,529 tonnes | France |
| 1770s | 19,027 tonnes | 19,288 tonnes | 261.1 tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1780s | 19,385 tonnes | 23,475 tonnes | 4,090 tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1790s | 19,739 tonnes | 29,109 tonnes | 9,371 tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1800s | 20,871 tonnes | 38,759 tonnes | 17,888 tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1810s | 23,451 tonnes | 48,707 tonnes | 25,256 tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1820s | 25,930 tonnes | 60,869 tonnes | 34,939 tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1830s | 30,199 tonnes | 86,872 tonnes | 56,673 tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1840s | 36,191 tonnes | 117,932 tonnes | 81,741 tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1850s | 51,469 tonnes | 159,049 tonnes | 107,579 tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1860s | 77,983 tonnes | 280,207 tonnes | 202,224 tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1870s | 98,761 tonnes | 430,153 tonnes | 331,393 tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1880s | 127,275 tonnes | 564,677 tonnes | 437,402 tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1890s | 159,866 tonnes | 673,612 tonnes | 513,746 tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1900s | 190,304 tonnes | 823,740 tonnes | 633,436 tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1910s | 188,021 tonnes | 907,414 tonnes | 719,393 tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1920s | 293,416 tonnes | 692,720 tonnes | 399,304 tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1930s | 387,412 tonnes | 716,698 tonnes | 329,286 tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1940s | 269,868 tonnes | 863,735 tonnes | 593,867 tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1950s | 645,334 tonnes | 1.44 million tonnes | 798,726 tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1960s | 1.38 million tonnes | 2.70 million tonnes | 1.32 million tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1970s | 2.52 million tonnes | 3.18 million tonnes | 657,582 tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1980s | 2.37 million tonnes | 2.95 million tonnes | 582,463 tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 1990s | 2.28 million tonnes | 2.81 million tonnes | 531,716 tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 2000s | 1.84 million tonnes | 1.97 million tonnes | 123,051 tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 2010s | 1.24 million tonnes | 1.28 million tonnes | 35,879 tonnes | United Kingdom |
| 2020s | 822,482 tonnes | 822,824 tonnes | 342 tonnes | United Kingdom |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher emissions of air pollutants, France or United Kingdom?
- United Kingdom, at 833,456 tonnes against 820,688 tonnes in France as of 2022.
- What is the difference in emissions of air pollutants between France and United Kingdom?
- 12,768 tonnes, with United Kingdom ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for France and United Kingdom?
- 273 years are reported by both, from 1750 to 2022.
- How do France and United Kingdom rank globally for emissions of air pollutants?
- France ranks 32nd and United Kingdom ranks 31st 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.