What is emissions of air pollutants in Australia?

Emissions of air pollutants in Australia was 1.04 million tonnes in 2022, according to Hoesly et al. (2024) - Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data.

What is the highest emissions of air pollutants recorded in Australia?

The highest recorded value was 1.60 million tonnes in 1996.

What is the lowest emissions of air pollutants recorded in Australia?

The lowest recorded value was 0 tonnes in 1750.

How does Australia rank for emissions of air pollutants?

Australia ranks 23rd out of 220 countries with data for 2022.

Is emissions of air pollutants rising or falling in Australia?

Over the last ten years it is down 20.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.

Where does this Australia data come from?

The figures come from Hoesly et al. (2024) - Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Emissions of air pollutants. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Emissions of air pollutants in Australia

Name: Emissions of air pollutants in Australia
Creator: Hoesly et al. (2024) - Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

Australia: Emissions of air pollutants was 1.04 million tonnes in 2022. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2022)

1.04 million tonnes

Change on year

down 2.6%

World rank

23rd

of 220 countries

All-time high

1.60 million tonnes

in 1996

All-time low

0 tonnes

in 1750

Years of data

273

1750–2022

Emissions of air pollutants in Australia, 1750–2022

Source: Hoesly et al. (2024) - Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.

Analysis

Australia recorded 1.04 million tonnes for emissions of air pollutants in 2022.

That represents a change of down 2.6% on the previous year and down 20.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, emissions of air pollutants in Australia peaked at 1.60 million tonnes in 1996 and was at its lowest, 0 tonnes, in 1750.

That places Australia 23rd out of 220 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1750s	0 tonnes	0 tonnes	0 tonnes	10
1760s	0 tonnes	0 tonnes	0 tonnes	10
1770s	0 tonnes	0 tonnes	0 tonnes	10
1780s	1.25 tonnes	0 tonnes	2.5 tonnes	10
1790s	5.65 tonnes	2.77 tonnes	8.52 tonnes	10
1800s	18.86 tonnes	9.16 tonnes	28.63 tonnes	10
1810s	65.52 tonnes	30.82 tonnes	100.46 tonnes	10
1820s	222.06 tonnes	108.29 tonnes	336.57 tonnes	10
1830s	606.45 tonnes	362.25 tonnes	852.23 tonnes	10
1840s	1,671 tonnes	907.33 tonnes	2,439 tonnes	10
1850s	4,868 tonnes	2,580 tonnes	7,529 tonnes	10
1860s	10,615 tonnes	8,180 tonnes	12,866 tonnes	10
1870s	16,862 tonnes	13,214 tonnes	21,055 tonnes	10
1880s	28,675 tonnes	23,316 tonnes	34,434 tonnes	10
1890s	38,674 tonnes	35,594 tonnes	45,519 tonnes	10
1900s	68,834 tonnes	57,832 tonnes	81,520 tonnes	10
1910s	89,155 tonnes	83,071 tonnes	98,353 tonnes	10
1920s	97,110 tonnes	89,520 tonnes	105,383 tonnes	10
1930s	94,899 tonnes	82,651 tonnes	111,782 tonnes	10
1940s	123,181 tonnes	104,656 tonnes	135,034 tonnes	10
1950s	325,995 tonnes	247,626 tonnes	415,638 tonnes	10
1960s	772,310 tonnes	597,216 tonnes	998,813 tonnes	10
1970s	1.16 million tonnes	990,230 tonnes	1.33 million tonnes	10
1980s	1.40 million tonnes	1.33 million tonnes	1.57 million tonnes	10
1990s	1.57 million tonnes	1.54 million tonnes	1.60 million tonnes	10
2000s	1.46 million tonnes	1.38 million tonnes	1.56 million tonnes	10
2010s	1.28 million tonnes	1.24 million tonnes	1.36 million tonnes	10
2020s	1.09 million tonnes	1.04 million tonnes	1.15 million tonnes	3

Countries ranked near Australia

20 Spain 1.15 million tonnes compare
21 Netherlands 1.09 million tonnes compare
22 Bangladesh 1.06 million tonnes compare
24 Nigeria 1.02 million tonnes compare
25 Germany 986,642 tonnes compare
26 Turkey 934,732 tonnes compare

See the full ranking of 220 places →

More environment data for Australia

Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF 591.45 Mt CO2e (2024)
Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF per capita 21.75 t CO2e/capita (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture 84.7 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) 0.4769 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) 43.21 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) 0.1578 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 144.58 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 0.104 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) 0.1978 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste 15.7 Mt CO2e (2024)

All data for Australia →

Frequently asked questions

What is emissions of air pollutants in Australia?: Emissions of air pollutants in Australia was 1.04 million tonnes in 2022, according to Hoesly et al. (2024) - Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest emissions of air pollutants recorded in Australia?: The highest recorded value was 1.60 million tonnes in 1996.
What is the lowest emissions of air pollutants recorded in Australia?: The lowest recorded value was 0 tonnes in 1750.
How does Australia rank for emissions of air pollutants?: Australia ranks 23rd out of 220 countries with data for 2022.
Is emissions of air pollutants rising or falling in Australia?: Over the last ten years it is down 20.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Australia data come from?: The figures come from Hoesly et al. (2024) - Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Emissions of air pollutants. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 273 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator: Emissions of air pollutants
Unit: tonnes
Source: Hoesly et al. (2024) - Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 220 places, 60,060 data points, 1750–2022
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

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.