Emissions of air pollutants by country
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.
Countries reporting
214
Highest
20.99 million tonnes
China
Lowest
0 tonnes
Palestine
Median
72,488 tonnes
Years covered
273
1750–2022
Data points
60,060
What the numbers show
Emissions of air pollutants is currently reported for 214 countries. The highest value is 20.99 million tonnes in China; the lowest is 0 tonnes in Palestine.
The median across all reporting countries is 72,488 tonnes, and the mean is 516,243 tonnes.
Over the past decade 110 countries rose and 102 fell. The largest increase was in Mozambique (up 122.2%), and the largest decrease in Venezuela (down 74.3%).
Emissions of air pollutants: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | 20.99 million tonnes | 2022 | down 33.6% | volatile |
| 2 | India | 9.56 million tonnes | 2022 | up 6.2% | volatile |
| 3 | United States | 9.00 million tonnes | 2022 | down 31.3% | volatile |
| 4 | Indonesia | 5.51 million tonnes | 2022 | up 28.0% | volatile |
| 5 | Russia | 4.85 million tonnes | 2022 | down 1.4% | volatile |
| 6 | Singapore | 4.03 million tonnes | 2022 | up 13.4% | volatile |
| 7 | Brazil | 2.83 million tonnes | 2022 | down 14.6% | volatile |
| 8 | Saudi Arabia | 2.69 million tonnes | 2022 | up 11.0% | volatile |
| 9 | Japan | 2.07 million tonnes | 2022 | down 24.9% | volatile |
| 10 | United Arab Emirates | 2.06 million tonnes | 2022 | up 17.0% | volatile |
| 11 | South Africa | 1.86 million tonnes | 2022 | down 18.6% | volatile |
| 12 | Iran | 1.74 million tonnes | 2022 | down 1.5% | volatile |
| 13 | Pakistan | 1.68 million tonnes | 2022 | up 27.3% | volatile |
| 14 | South Korea | 1.63 million tonnes | 2022 | down 7.5% | volatile |
| 15 | Canada | 1.41 million tonnes | 2022 | down 25.4% | volatile |
| 16 | Thailand | 1.24 million tonnes | 2022 | up 2.2% | volatile |
| 17 | Mexico | 1.23 million tonnes | 2022 | down 41.2% | volatile |
| 18 | Argentina | 1.20 million tonnes | 2022 | down 7.5% | volatile |
| 19 | Vietnam | 1.20 million tonnes | 2022 | up 86.5% | volatile |
| 20 | Spain | 1.15 million tonnes | 2022 | down 26.8% | volatile |
| 21 | Netherlands | 1.09 million tonnes | 2022 | down 22.4% | volatile |
| 22 | Bangladesh | 1.06 million tonnes | 2022 | up 67.7% | volatile |
| 23 | Australia | 1.04 million tonnes | 2022 | down 20.7% | volatile |
| 24 | Nigeria | 1.02 million tonnes | 2022 | up 40.9% | volatile |
| 25 | Germany | 986,642 tonnes | 2022 | down 40.5% | volatile |
| 26 | Turkey | 934,732 tonnes | 2022 | up 3.7% | volatile |
| 27 | Kazakhstan | 928,518 tonnes | 2022 | up 14.1% | volatile |
| 28 | Malaysia | 900,940 tonnes | 2022 | up 13.0% | volatile |
| 29 | Egypt | 880,079 tonnes | 2022 | up 5.4% | volatile |
| 30 | Iraq | 858,061 tonnes | 2022 | up 31.5% | volatile |
| 31 | United Kingdom | 833,456 tonnes | 2022 | down 41.9% | volatile |
| 32 | France | 820,688 tonnes | 2022 | down 40.5% | volatile |
| 33 | Belgium | 750,371 tonnes | 2022 | up 5.0% | volatile |
| 34 | Italy | 748,652 tonnes | 2022 | down 28.2% | volatile |
| 35 | Philippines | 711,503 tonnes | 2022 | up 51.5% | volatile |
| 36 | Hong Kong | 677,510 tonnes | 2022 | down 25.6% | volatile |
| 37 | Turkmenistan | 676,311 tonnes | 2022 | up 80.3% | volatile |
| 38 | Algeria | 576,904 tonnes | 2022 | up 13.3% | volatile |
| 39 | Poland | 554,688 tonnes | 2022 | down 27.9% | volatile |
| 40 | Colombia | 550,464 tonnes | 2022 | up 5.4% | volatile |
| 41 | Myanmar | 549,616 tonnes | 2022 | up 98.9% | volatile |
| 42 | Chile | 440,221 tonnes | 2022 | down 5.7% | volatile |
| 43 | Israel | 425,057 tonnes | 2022 | up 22.2% | volatile |
| 44 | Ukraine | 391,067 tonnes | 2022 | down 57.7% | volatile |
| 45 | Afghanistan | 390,734 tonnes | 2022 | up 26.0% | volatile |
| 46 | Uzbekistan | 390,227 tonnes | 2022 | up 19.6% | volatile |
| 47 | Kuwait | 376,852 tonnes | 2022 | up 27.1% | volatile |
| 48 | Taiwan | 368,369 tonnes | 2022 | down 33.4% | volatile |
| 49 | Greece | 349,501 tonnes | 2022 | down 21.6% | volatile |
| 50 | Ecuador | 341,155 tonnes | 2022 | up 13.6% | volatile |
| 51 | Oman | 337,487 tonnes | 2022 | up 50.0% | volatile |
| 52 | Gibraltar | 333,827 tonnes | 2022 | up 1.1% | volatile |
| 53 | Panama | 320,577 tonnes | 2022 | down 8.4% | volatile |
| 54 | Peru | 319,740 tonnes | 2022 | up 10.9% | volatile |
| 55 | Sri Lanka | 314,146 tonnes | 2022 | up 15.3% | volatile |
| 56 | Sweden | 298,546 tonnes | 2022 | up 0.8% | volatile |
| 57 | Sudan | 297,518 tonnes | 2022 | up 41.6% | volatile |
| 58 | Morocco | 251,040 tonnes | 2022 | down 12.2% | volatile |
| 59 | Libya | 250,087 tonnes | 2022 | down 10.0% | volatile |
| 60 | Ethiopia | 242,659 tonnes | 2022 | up 37.0% | volatile |
| 61 | Nepal | 226,904 tonnes | 2022 | up 53.2% | volatile |
| 62 | Qatar | 223,569 tonnes | 2022 | up 26.4% | volatile |
| 63 | Dominican Republic | 218,352 tonnes | 2022 | up 20.8% | volatile |
| 64 | Venezuela | 215,493 tonnes | 2022 | down 74.3% | volatile |
| 65 | Guatemala | 214,868 tonnes | 2022 | up 49.6% | volatile |
| 66 | Kenya | 208,069 tonnes | 2022 | up 37.7% | volatile |
| 67 | Norway | 200,483 tonnes | 2022 | down 21.2% | volatile |
| 68 | Romania | 198,247 tonnes | 2022 | down 20.6% | volatile |
| 69 | Cambodia | 193,897 tonnes | 2022 | up 78.3% | volatile |
| 70 | New Zealand | 192,144 tonnes | 2022 | down 9.3% | volatile |
| 71 | Portugal | 187,940 tonnes | 2022 | down 17.7% | volatile |
| 72 | Angola | 183,271 tonnes | 2022 | up 9.4% | volatile |
| 73 | Tanzania | 175,303 tonnes | 2022 | up 24.8% | volatile |
| 74 | North Korea | 164,937 tonnes | 2022 | down 6.7% | volatile |
| 75 | Mongolia | 162,877 tonnes | 2022 | up 7.3% | volatile |
| 77 | Belarus | 152,752 tonnes | 2022 | down 29.7% | volatile |
| 78 | Czechia | 148,567 tonnes | 2022 | down 33.5% | volatile |
| 79 | Laos | 143,985 tonnes | 2022 | up 81.1% | volatile |
| 80 | Syria | 143,733 tonnes | 2022 | down 35.1% | volatile |
| 81 | Curacao | 138,316 tonnes | 2022 | down 25.9% | volatile |
| 82 | Cuba | 136,600 tonnes | 2022 | down 26.1% | volatile |
| 83 | Uganda | 136,387 tonnes | 2022 | up 53.3% | volatile |
| 84 | Honduras | 134,445 tonnes | 2022 | up 2.0% | volatile |
| 85 | Ghana | 132,088 tonnes | 2022 | up 10.6% | volatile |
| 86 | Finland | 125,339 tonnes | 2022 | down 29.4% | volatile |
| 87 | Bolivia | 122,818 tonnes | 2022 | up 21.0% | volatile |
| 88 | Lebanon | 120,722 tonnes | 2022 | down 24.0% | volatile |
| 89 | Austria | 118,745 tonnes | 2022 | down 39.6% | volatile |
| 90 | Tunisia | 111,409 tonnes | 2022 | up 11.0% | volatile |
| 91 | Denmark | 111,133 tonnes | 2022 | down 30.9% | volatile |
| 92 | Azerbaijan | 107,837 tonnes | 2022 | up 2.2% | volatile |
| 93 | Paraguay | 104,784 tonnes | 2022 | up 54.6% | volatile |
| 94 | Jordan | 100,010 tonnes | 2022 | down 22.2% | volatile |
| 95 | Senegal | 96,959 tonnes | 2022 | up 47.6% | volatile |
| 96 | Tajikistan | 96,174 tonnes | 2022 | up 53.7% | volatile |
| 97 | Mauritius | 95,999 tonnes | 2022 | up 65.6% | volatile |
| 98 | Serbia | 94,884 tonnes | 2022 | down 40.1% | volatile |
| 99 | Hungary | 93,676 tonnes | 2022 | down 25.3% | volatile |
| 100 | Mozambique | 93,012 tonnes | 2022 | up 122.2% | volatile |
| 101 | Bulgaria | 90,824 tonnes | 2022 | down 26.8% | volatile |
| 103 | Uruguay | 83,677 tonnes | 2022 | down 12.0% | volatile |
| 104 | Democratic Republic of Congo | 82,418 tonnes | 2022 | down 11.3% | volatile |
| 105 | Cote d'Ivoire | 80,310 tonnes | 2022 | up 33.4% | volatile |
| 106 | Jamaica | 79,290 tonnes | 2022 | up 33.2% | volatile |
| 107 | Costa Rica | 79,121 tonnes | 2022 | up 11.8% | volatile |
| 108 | Madagascar | 77,423 tonnes | 2022 | up 47.1% | volatile |
| 109 | Zimbabwe | 74,017 tonnes | 2022 | down 14.5% | volatile |
| 110 | Kyrgyzstan | 70,959 tonnes | 2022 | down 31.1% | volatile |
| 111 | Cameroon | 68,676 tonnes | 2022 | up 5.0% | volatile |
| 112 | Burkina Faso | 66,536 tonnes | 2022 | up 45.3% | volatile |
| 113 | Switzerland | 64,647 tonnes | 2022 | down 37.6% | volatile |
| 114 | Mali | 62,918 tonnes | 2022 | up 54.9% | volatile |
| 115 | El Salvador | 62,839 tonnes | 2022 | down 5.0% | volatile |
| 116 | Lithuania | 62,114 tonnes | 2022 | up 0.4% | volatile |
| 117 | Bahrain | 61,971 tonnes | 2022 | up 8.6% | volatile |
| 118 | Papua New Guinea | 61,833 tonnes | 2022 | up 21.4% | volatile |
| 119 | Yemen | 60,162 tonnes | 2022 | down 54.0% | volatile |
| 120 | Benin | 60,140 tonnes | 2022 | up 32.2% | volatile |
| 121 | Zambia | 57,281 tonnes | 2022 | up 29.6% | volatile |
| 122 | Guinea | 56,242 tonnes | 2022 | up 37.0% | volatile |
| 123 | Nicaragua | 54,155 tonnes | 2022 | down 0.1% | volatile |
| 124 | Slovakia | 52,425 tonnes | 2022 | down 28.8% | volatile |
| 125 | Trinidad and Tobago | 51,542 tonnes | 2022 | down 47.2% | volatile |
| 126 | Gabon | 51,341 tonnes | 2022 | up 5.5% | volatile |
| 127 | Haiti | 49,733 tonnes | 2022 | up 17.3% | volatile |
| 128 | Georgia | 47,976 tonnes | 2022 | up 38.0% | volatile |
| 129 | Croatia | 47,766 tonnes | 2022 | down 19.0% | volatile |
| 130 | Latvia | 46,182 tonnes | 2022 | down 19.5% | volatile |
| 131 | Mauritania | 45,788 tonnes | 2022 | up 61.6% | volatile |
| 132 | Chad | 44,196 tonnes | 2022 | up 45.8% | volatile |
| 133 | Botswana | 42,942 tonnes | 2022 | up 9.7% | volatile |
| 134 | Estonia | 42,447 tonnes | 2022 | down 36.9% | volatile |
| 135 | Niger | 42,446 tonnes | 2022 | up 30.9% | volatile |
| 136 | Togo | 40,029 tonnes | 2022 | up 93.4% | volatile |
| 137 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 39,262 tonnes | 2022 | down 40.3% | volatile |
| 138 | Guyana | 38,237 tonnes | 2022 | up 13.8% | volatile |
| 139 | South Sudan | 35,475 tonnes | 2022 | up 17.0% | volatile |
| 140 | Reunion | 34,888 tonnes | 2022 | up 62.3% | volatile |
| 141 | Somalia | 34,661 tonnes | 2022 | up 15.0% | volatile |
| 142 | Moldova | 34,168 tonnes | 2022 | up 12.4% | volatile |
| 143 | Malawi | 33,528 tonnes | 2022 | up 38.4% | volatile |
| 144 | Cyprus | 31,550 tonnes | 2022 | down 15.1% | volatile |
| 145 | Slovenia | 30,360 tonnes | 2022 | down 37.7% | volatile |
| 146 | Bahamas | 28,784 tonnes | 2022 | down 13.7% | volatile |
| 148 | Congo | 28,422 tonnes | 2022 | up 10.4% | volatile |
| 149 | Puerto Rico | 27,455 tonnes | 2022 | down 14.9% | volatile |
| 150 | Namibia | 26,104 tonnes | 2022 | down 11.2% | volatile |
| 151 | Suriname | 25,681 tonnes | 2022 | down 0.2% | volatile |
| 153 | Armenia | 25,032 tonnes | 2022 | up 51.0% | volatile |
| 155 | Sierra Leone | 24,282 tonnes | 2022 | up 60.1% | volatile |
| 156 | Liberia | 23,684 tonnes | 2022 | up 49.5% | volatile |
| 157 | Equatorial Guinea | 23,410 tonnes | 2022 | up 38.9% | volatile |
| 158 | New Caledonia | 23,358 tonnes | 2022 | up 13.4% | volatile |
| 159 | Iceland | 22,292 tonnes | 2022 | down 17.9% | volatile |
| 160 | Fiji | 20,982 tonnes | 2022 | up 20.5% | volatile |
| 161 | Albania | 20,384 tonnes | 2022 | down 14.8% | volatile |
| 162 | Bhutan | 20,019 tonnes | 2022 | up 20.1% | volatile |
| 163 | North Macedonia | 19,647 tonnes | 2022 | down 45.3% | volatile |
| 164 | Rwanda | 19,507 tonnes | 2022 | up 25.7% | volatile |
| 165 | Seychelles | 17,214 tonnes | 2022 | up 61.9% | volatile |
| 166 | Eritrea | 17,145 tonnes | 2022 | up 40.8% | volatile |
| 167 | Barbados | 17,001 tonnes | 2022 | down 14.9% | volatile |
| 168 | Djibouti | 16,260 tonnes | 2022 | up 54.7% | volatile |
| 169 | Cape Verde | 16,204 tonnes | 2022 | up 54.0% | volatile |
| 170 | Central African Republic | 13,356 tonnes | 2022 | up 27.8% | volatile |
| 171 | Burundi | 13,274 tonnes | 2022 | up 16.8% | volatile |
| 172 | Maldives | 12,723 tonnes | 2022 | up 10.1% | volatile |
| 173 | Lesotho | 12,414 tonnes | 2022 | up 44.0% | volatile |
| 174 | Brunei | 11,077 tonnes | 2022 | down 41.4% | volatile |
| 175 | Sint Maarten (Dutch part) | 11,017 tonnes | 2022 | down 2.9% | volatile |
| 176 | Eswatini | 10,764 tonnes | 2022 | up 16.2% | volatile |
| 177 | Gambia | 9,139 tonnes | 2022 | up 63.6% | volatile |
| 178 | Guinea-Bissau | 9,086 tonnes | 2022 | up 38.1% | volatile |
| 179 | Bermuda | 8,715 tonnes | 2022 | up 12.1% | volatile |
| 180 | Aruba | 8,525 tonnes | 2022 | down 0.5% | volatile |
| 181 | French Guiana | 8,094 tonnes | 2022 | up 5.7% | volatile |
| 182 | French Polynesia | 7,923 tonnes | 2022 | down 11.8% | volatile |
| 183 | Antigua and Barbuda | 7,620 tonnes | 2022 | down 8.0% | volatile |
| 184 | Palau | 7,532 tonnes | 2022 | down 23.0% | volatile |
| 185 | Belize | 7,408 tonnes | 2022 | down 12.0% | volatile |
| 186 | Cayman Islands | 6,897 tonnes | 2022 | down 9.8% | volatile |
| 187 | Montenegro | 6,414 tonnes | 2022 | down 38.5% | volatile |
| 188 | Macao | 6,330 tonnes | 2022 | down 24.5% | volatile |
| 189 | Saint Lucia | 5,825 tonnes | 2022 | down 6.3% | volatile |
| 190 | East Timor | 4,999 tonnes | 2022 | up 47.2% | volatile |
| 191 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 3,608 tonnes | 2022 | down 5.2% | volatile |
| 192 | Grenada | 3,422 tonnes | 2022 | down 10.9% | volatile |
| 193 | Comoros | 2,935 tonnes | 2022 | up 32.1% | volatile |
| 194 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 2,822 tonnes | 2022 | down 16.8% | volatile |
| 195 | Sao Tome and Principe | 2,506 tonnes | 2022 | up 53.1% | volatile |
| 196 | British Virgin Islands | 2,095 tonnes | 2022 | down 8.4% | volatile |
| 197 | Dominica | 1,910 tonnes | 2022 | down 7.0% | volatile |
| 198 | Solomon Islands | 1,764 tonnes | 2022 | down 6.6% | volatile |
| 199 | Samoa | 1,763 tonnes | 2022 | down 8.8% | volatile |
| 200 | Vanuatu | 1,502 tonnes | 2022 | down 1.3% | volatile |
| 201 | United States Virgin Islands | 1,383 tonnes | 2022 | down 15.1% | volatile |
| 202 | Tonga | 1,092 tonnes | 2022 | down 7.5% | volatile |
| 203 | Micronesia (country) | 795.19 tonnes | 2022 | down 23.2% | volatile |
| 204 | Saint Pierre and Miquelon | 774.39 tonnes | 2022 | down 14.9% | volatile |
| 205 | Turks and Caicos Islands | 768.23 tonnes | 2022 | up 2.4% | volatile |
| 206 | Falkland Islands | 643.99 tonnes | 2022 | down 10.0% | volatile |
| 207 | Cook Islands | 616.51 tonnes | 2022 | down 9.1% | volatile |
| 208 | Kiribati | 594.77 tonnes | 2022 | down 9.1% | volatile |
| 209 | Western Sahara | 571.23 tonnes | 2022 | down 23.4% | volatile |
| 210 | American Samoa | 497.74 tonnes | 2022 | down 25.2% | volatile |
| 211 | Marshall Islands | 384.79 tonnes | 2022 | down 26.1% | volatile |
| 212 | Montserrat | 345.43 tonnes | 2022 | up 15.4% | volatile |
| 213 | Wallis and Futuna | 139.72 tonnes | 2022 | down 21.2% | volatile |
| 214 | Niue | 38.67 tonnes | 2022 | down 27.1% | volatile |
| 215 | Faroe Islands | 21.69 tonnes | 2022 | up 0.2% | volatile |
| 216 | Greenland | 12.54 tonnes | 2022 | down 0.6% | volatile |
| 217 | Tokelau | 2.55 tonnes | 2022 | up 2.9% | volatile |
| 219 | Guam | 0 tonnes | 2022 | — | volatile |
| 219 | Palestine | 0 tonnes | 2022 | — | flat |
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.