Emissions of air pollutants in Australia
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.
Emissions of air pollutants in Australia, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1750 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1751 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1752 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1753 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1754 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1755 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1756 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1757 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1758 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1759 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1760 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1761 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1762 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1763 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1764 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1765 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1766 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1767 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1768 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1769 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1770 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1771 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1772 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1773 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1774 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1775 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1776 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1777 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1778 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1779 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1780 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1781 | 0.2775 tonnes | — |
| 1782 | 0.555 tonnes | +100.0% |
| 1783 | 0.8325 tonnes | +50.0% |
| 1784 | 1.11 tonnes | +33.3% |
| 1785 | 1.39 tonnes | +25.0% |
| 1786 | 1.66 tonnes | +20.0% |
| 1787 | 1.94 tonnes | +16.7% |
| 1788 | 2.22 tonnes | +14.3% |
| 1789 | 2.5 tonnes | +12.5% |
| 1790 | 2.77 tonnes | +11.1% |
| 1791 | 3.41 tonnes | +23.0% |
| 1792 | 4.05 tonnes | +18.7% |
| 1793 | 4.69 tonnes | +15.8% |
| 1794 | 5.33 tonnes | +13.6% |
| 1795 | 5.97 tonnes | +12.0% |
| 1796 | 6.61 tonnes | +10.7% |
| 1797 | 7.25 tonnes | +9.7% |
| 1798 | 7.88 tonnes | +8.8% |
| 1799 | 8.52 tonnes | +8.1% |
| 1800 | 9.16 tonnes | +7.5% |
| 1801 | 11.3 tonnes | +23.4% |
| 1802 | 13.45 tonnes | +19.0% |
| 1803 | 15.6 tonnes | +16.0% |
| 1804 | 17.76 tonnes | +13.8% |
| 1805 | 19.92 tonnes | +12.2% |
| 1806 | 22.09 tonnes | +10.9% |
| 1807 | 24.27 tonnes | +9.8% |
| 1808 | 26.45 tonnes | +9.0% |
| 1809 | 28.63 tonnes | +8.3% |
| 1810 | 30.82 tonnes | +7.7% |
| 1811 | 38.48 tonnes | +24.9% |
| 1812 | 46.16 tonnes | +20.0% |
| 1813 | 53.86 tonnes | +16.7% |
| 1814 | 61.58 tonnes | +14.3% |
| 1815 | 69.32 tonnes | +12.6% |
| 1816 | 77.07 tonnes | +11.2% |
| 1817 | 84.85 tonnes | +10.1% |
| 1818 | 92.64 tonnes | +9.2% |
| 1819 | 100.46 tonnes | +8.4% |
| 1820 | 108.29 tonnes | +7.8% |
| 1821 | 133.41 tonnes | +23.2% |
| 1822 | 158.58 tonnes | +18.9% |
| 1823 | 183.82 tonnes | +15.9% |
| 1824 | 209.13 tonnes | +13.8% |
| 1825 | 234.49 tonnes | +12.1% |
| 1826 | 259.91 tonnes | +10.8% |
| 1827 | 285.4 tonnes | +9.8% |
| 1828 | 310.95 tonnes | +9.0% |
| 1829 | 336.57 tonnes | +8.2% |
| 1830 | 362.25 tonnes | +7.6% |
| 1831 | 416.16 tonnes | +14.9% |
| 1832 | 470.21 tonnes | +13.0% |
| 1833 | 524.39 tonnes | +11.5% |
| 1834 | 578.71 tonnes | +10.4% |
| 1835 | 633.15 tonnes | +9.4% |
| 1836 | 687.71 tonnes | +8.6% |
| 1837 | 742.42 tonnes | +8.0% |
| 1838 | 797.25 tonnes | +7.4% |
| 1839 | 852.23 tonnes | +6.9% |
| 1840 | 907.33 tonnes | +6.5% |
| 1841 | 1,076 tonnes | +18.6% |
| 1842 | 1,245 tonnes | +15.7% |
| 1843 | 1,414 tonnes | +13.6% |
| 1844 | 1,584 tonnes | +12.0% |
| 1845 | 1,754 tonnes | +10.7% |
| 1846 | 1,925 tonnes | +9.7% |
| 1847 | 2,096 tonnes | +8.9% |
| 1848 | 2,267 tonnes | +8.2% |
| 1849 | 2,439 tonnes | +7.6% |
| 1850 | 2,580 tonnes | +5.8% |
| 1851 | 3,046 tonnes | +18.1% |
| 1852 | 3,513 tonnes | +15.3% |
| 1853 | 3,980 tonnes | +13.3% |
| 1854 | 4,448 tonnes | +11.8% |
| 1855 | 4,918 tonnes | +10.5% |
| 1856 | 5,569 tonnes | +13.2% |
| 1857 | 6,221 tonnes | +11.7% |
| 1858 | 6,875 tonnes | +10.5% |
| 1859 | 7,529 tonnes | +9.5% |
| 1860 | 8,180 tonnes | +8.7% |
| 1861 | 9,162 tonnes | +12.0% |
| 1862 | 9,151 tonnes | -0.1% |
| 1863 | 9,656 tonnes | +5.5% |
| 1864 | 9,709 tonnes | +0.5% |
| 1865 | 10,502 tonnes | +8.2% |
| 1866 | 11,659 tonnes | +11.0% |
| 1867 | 12,617 tonnes | +8.2% |
| 1868 | 12,646 tonnes | +0.2% |
| 1869 | 12,866 tonnes | +1.7% |
| 1870 | 13,214 tonnes | +2.7% |
| 1871 | 14,099 tonnes | +6.7% |
| 1872 | 14,787 tonnes | +4.9% |
| 1873 | 15,856 tonnes | +7.2% |
| 1874 | 16,568 tonnes | +4.5% |
| 1875 | 17,063 tonnes | +3.0% |
| 1876 | 17,918 tonnes | +5.0% |
| 1877 | 18,861 tonnes | +5.3% |
| 1878 | 19,199 tonnes | +1.8% |
| 1879 | 21,055 tonnes | +9.7% |
| 1880 | 23,596 tonnes | +12.1% |
| 1881 | 23,316 tonnes | -1.2% |
| 1882 | 24,813 tonnes | +6.4% |
| 1883 | 26,750 tonnes | +7.8% |
| 1884 | 27,999 tonnes | +4.7% |
| 1885 | 29,733 tonnes | +6.2% |
| 1886 | 30,519 tonnes | +2.6% |
| 1887 | 31,735 tonnes | +4.0% |
| 1888 | 33,855 tonnes | +6.7% |
| 1889 | 34,434 tonnes | +1.7% |
| 1890 | 35,594 tonnes | +3.4% |
| 1891 | 36,613 tonnes | +2.9% |
| 1892 | 36,810 tonnes | +0.5% |
| 1893 | 36,154 tonnes | -1.8% |
| 1894 | 37,007 tonnes | +2.4% |
| 1895 | 37,437 tonnes | +1.2% |
| 1896 | 38,189 tonnes | +2.0% |
| 1897 | 40,391 tonnes | +5.8% |
| 1898 | 43,022 tonnes | +6.5% |
| 1899 | 45,519 tonnes | +5.8% |
| 1900 | 57,832 tonnes | +27.1% |
| 1901 | 62,879 tonnes | +8.7% |
| 1902 | 62,431 tonnes | -0.7% |
| 1903 | 63,276 tonnes | +1.4% |
| 1904 | 64,910 tonnes | +2.6% |
| 1905 | 67,091 tonnes | +3.4% |
| 1906 | 73,781 tonnes | +10.0% |
| 1907 | 77,687 tonnes | +5.3% |
| 1908 | 81,520 tonnes | +4.9% |
| 1909 | 76,936 tonnes | -5.6% |
| 1910 | 83,071 tonnes | +8.0% |
| 1911 | 87,064 tonnes | +4.8% |
| 1912 | 90,368 tonnes | +3.8% |
| 1913 | 93,778 tonnes | +3.8% |
| 1914 | 98,353 tonnes | +4.9% |
| 1915 | 90,824 tonnes | -7.7% |
| 1916 | 83,616 tonnes | -7.9% |
| 1917 | 86,465 tonnes | +3.4% |
| 1918 | 90,970 tonnes | +5.2% |
| 1919 | 87,037 tonnes | -4.3% |
| 1920 | 95,876 tonnes | +10.2% |
| 1921 | 89,520 tonnes | -6.6% |
| 1922 | 92,430 tonnes | +3.3% |
| 1923 | 93,592 tonnes | +1.3% |
| 1924 | 98,976 tonnes | +5.8% |
| 1925 | 102,445 tonnes | +3.5% |
| 1926 | 102,281 tonnes | -0.2% |
| 1927 | 105,383 tonnes | +3.0% |
| 1928 | 98,424 tonnes | -6.6% |
| 1929 | 92,176 tonnes | -6.3% |
| 1930 | 88,332 tonnes | -4.2% |
| 1931 | 82,651 tonnes | -6.4% |
| 1932 | 84,830 tonnes | +2.6% |
| 1933 | 87,698 tonnes | +3.4% |
| 1934 | 90,160 tonnes | +2.8% |
| 1935 | 95,873 tonnes | +6.3% |
| 1936 | 100,250 tonnes | +4.6% |
| 1937 | 104,445 tonnes | +4.2% |
| 1938 | 102,968 tonnes | -1.4% |
| 1939 | 111,782 tonnes | +8.6% |
| 1940 | 104,656 tonnes | -6.4% |
| 1941 | 117,870 tonnes | +12.6% |
| 1942 | 123,235 tonnes | +4.6% |
| 1943 | 120,979 tonnes | -1.8% |
| 1944 | 120,149 tonnes | -0.7% |
| 1945 | 117,491 tonnes | -2.2% |
| 1946 | 125,112 tonnes | +6.5% |
| 1947 | 132,412 tonnes | +5.8% |
| 1948 | 134,870 tonnes | +1.9% |
| 1949 | 135,034 tonnes | +0.1% |
| 1950 | 247,626 tonnes | +83.4% |
| 1951 | 274,461 tonnes | +10.8% |
| 1952 | 278,277 tonnes | +1.4% |
| 1953 | 261,419 tonnes | -6.1% |
| 1954 | 317,143 tonnes | +21.3% |
| 1955 | 341,743 tonnes | +7.8% |
| 1956 | 361,985 tonnes | +5.9% |
| 1957 | 371,251 tonnes | +2.6% |
| 1958 | 390,406 tonnes | +5.2% |
| 1959 | 415,638 tonnes | +6.5% |
| 1960 | 597,216 tonnes | +43.7% |
| 1961 | 615,379 tonnes | +3.0% |
| 1962 | 630,735 tonnes | +2.5% |
| 1963 | 683,073 tonnes | +8.3% |
| 1964 | 733,425 tonnes | +7.4% |
| 1965 | 780,850 tonnes | +6.5% |
| 1966 | 824,343 tonnes | +5.6% |
| 1967 | 895,403 tonnes | +8.6% |
| 1968 | 963,866 tonnes | +7.6% |
| 1969 | 998,813 tonnes | +3.6% |
| 1970 | 990,230 tonnes | -0.9% |
| 1971 | 1.01 million tonnes | +1.9% |
| 1972 | 998,604 tonnes | -1.0% |
| 1973 | 1.12 million tonnes | +12.2% |
| 1974 | 1.18 million tonnes | +5.6% |
| 1975 | 1.19 million tonnes | +0.9% |
| 1976 | 1.20 million tonnes | +0.7% |
| 1977 | 1.28 million tonnes | +6.6% |
| 1978 | 1.32 million tonnes | +2.9% |
| 1979 | 1.33 million tonnes | +0.9% |
| 1980 | 1.35 million tonnes | +1.1% |
| 1981 | 1.35 million tonnes | +0.6% |
| 1982 | 1.35 million tonnes | -0.0% |
| 1983 | 1.33 million tonnes | -2.0% |
| 1984 | 1.35 million tonnes | +2.0% |
| 1985 | 1.40 million tonnes | +3.4% |
| 1986 | 1.39 million tonnes | -0.5% |
| 1987 | 1.44 million tonnes | +3.7% |
| 1988 | 1.50 million tonnes | +3.6% |
| 1989 | 1.57 million tonnes | +5.2% |
| 1990 | 1.60 million tonnes | +1.7% |
| 1991 | 1.54 million tonnes | -3.7% |
| 1992 | 1.55 million tonnes | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 1.54 million tonnes | -0.4% |
| 1994 | 1.54 million tonnes | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 1.57 million tonnes | +2.2% |
| 1996 | 1.60 million tonnes | +2.0% |
| 1997 | 1.58 million tonnes | -1.3% |
| 1998 | 1.58 million tonnes | -0.3% |
| 1999 | 1.57 million tonnes | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 1.56 million tonnes | -0.6% |
| 2001 | 1.52 million tonnes | -3.0% |
| 2002 | 1.49 million tonnes | -1.8% |
| 2003 | 1.46 million tonnes | -2.0% |
| 2004 | 1.44 million tonnes | -1.4% |
| 2005 | 1.45 million tonnes | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 1.43 million tonnes | -1.1% |
| 2007 | 1.43 million tonnes | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 1.42 million tonnes | -0.6% |
| 2009 | 1.38 million tonnes | -2.8% |
| 2010 | 1.36 million tonnes | -1.9% |
| 2011 | 1.31 million tonnes | -3.3% |
| 2012 | 1.32 million tonnes | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 1.29 million tonnes | -1.8% |
| 2014 | 1.29 million tonnes | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 1.27 million tonnes | -1.5% |
| 2016 | 1.25 million tonnes | -2.0% |
| 2017 | 1.24 million tonnes | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 1.27 million tonnes | +1.9% |
| 2019 | 1.24 million tonnes | -2.4% |
| 2020 | 1.15 million tonnes | -7.1% |
| 2021 | 1.07 million tonnes | -6.7% |
| 2022 | 1.04 million tonnes | -2.6% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 1.04 million tonnes is above the median for high income countries, which is 90,409 tonnes, 11.6× the median. (78 countries reporting)
- Australia's 1.04 million tonnes is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 102,909 tonnes, 10.2× the median. (34 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Emissions of air pollutants in Australia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1782 | +100.0% | 0.2775 tonnes | 0.555 tonnes |
| 1950 | +83.4% | 135,034 tonnes | 247,626 tonnes |
| 1783 | +50.0% | 0.555 tonnes | 0.8325 tonnes |
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
More environment data for Australia
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -4.75 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -5.98 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.345 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.4 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.6708 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), annual growth rate 0.0861 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
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
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.