What is emissions of air pollutants in Canada?

Emissions of air pollutants in Canada was 1.41 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 Canada?

The highest recorded value was 3.04 million tonnes in 1980.

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

The lowest recorded value was 380.82 tonnes in 1750.

How does Canada rank for emissions of air pollutants?

Canada ranks 15th out of 220 countries with data for 2022.

Is emissions of air pollutants rising or falling in Canada?

Over the last ten years it is down 25.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.

Where does this Canada 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 Canada

Name: Emissions of air pollutants in Canada
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)

Canada: Emissions of air pollutants was 1.41 million tonnes in 2022. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2022)

1.41 million tonnes

Change on year

up 0.8%

World rank

15th

of 220 countries

All-time high

3.04 million tonnes

in 1980

All-time low

380.82 tonnes

in 1750

Years of data

273

1750–2022

Emissions of air pollutants in Canada, 1750–2022

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

Analysis

In 2022, emissions of air pollutants in Canada stood at 1.41 million tonnes.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.8% on the previous year and down 25.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, emissions of air pollutants in Canada peaked at 3.04 million tonnes in 1980 and was at its lowest, 380.82 tonnes, in 1750.

That places Canada 15th out of 220 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top 10%.

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	407.02 tonnes	380.82 tonnes	433.18 tonnes	10
1760s	470.27 tonnes	438.99 tonnes	501.5 tonnes	10
1770s	545.99 tonnes	508.43 tonnes	583.49 tonnes	10
1780s	642.01 tonnes	591.81 tonnes	692.12 tonnes	10
1790s	757.25 tonnes	702.16 tonnes	812.23 tonnes	10
1800s	893.22 tonnes	824.4 tonnes	962 tonnes	10
1810s	1,154 tonnes	977.27 tonnes	1,330 tonnes	10
1820s	1,619 tonnes	1,369 tonnes	1,869 tonnes	10
1830s	2,283 tonnes	1,924 tonnes	2,641 tonnes	10
1840s	3,290 tonnes	2,720 tonnes	3,905 tonnes	10
1850s	4,991 tonnes	4,097 tonnes	6,135 tonnes	10
1860s	8,683 tonnes	6,464 tonnes	11,093 tonnes	10
1870s	13,289 tonnes	11,007 tonnes	16,663 tonnes	10
1880s	31,921 tonnes	22,701 tonnes	45,751 tonnes	10
1890s	49,261 tonnes	44,488 tonnes	60,371 tonnes	10
1900s	104,285 tonnes	64,724 tonnes	144,727 tonnes	10
1910s	262,408 tonnes	160,831 tonnes	346,961 tonnes	10
1920s	352,656 tonnes	288,835 tonnes	472,231 tonnes	10
1930s	444,487 tonnes	366,371 tonnes	536,534 tonnes	10
1940s	727,692 tonnes	610,293 tonnes	819,888 tonnes	10
1950s	1.07 million tonnes	909,039 tonnes	1.19 million tonnes	10
1960s	1.65 million tonnes	1.27 million tonnes	2.09 million tonnes	10
1970s	2.63 million tonnes	2.23 million tonnes	3.00 million tonnes	10
1980s	2.72 million tonnes	2.58 million tonnes	3.04 million tonnes	10
1990s	2.73 million tonnes	2.42 million tonnes	3.02 million tonnes	10
2000s	2.58 million tonnes	2.12 million tonnes	2.98 million tonnes	10
2010s	1.78 million tonnes	1.58 million tonnes	2.13 million tonnes	10
2020s	1.39 million tonnes	1.38 million tonnes	1.41 million tonnes	3

Countries ranked near Canada

12 Iran 1.74 million tonnes compare
13 Pakistan 1.68 million tonnes compare
14 South Korea 1.63 million tonnes compare
16 Thailand 1.24 million tonnes compare
17 Mexico 1.23 million tonnes compare
18 Argentina 1.20 million tonnes compare

See the full ranking of 220 places →

More environment data for Canada

Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF 768.06 Mt CO2e (2024)
Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF per capita 18.61 t CO2e/capita (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture 30.53 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) 0.7994 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) 71.72 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) 0.2499 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 133.08 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 0.1643 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) 0.5773 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste 28.85 Mt CO2e (2024)

All data for Canada →

Frequently asked questions

What is emissions of air pollutants in Canada?: Emissions of air pollutants in Canada was 1.41 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 Canada?: The highest recorded value was 3.04 million tonnes in 1980.
What is the lowest emissions of air pollutants recorded in Canada?: The lowest recorded value was 380.82 tonnes in 1750.
How does Canada rank for emissions of air pollutants?: Canada ranks 15th out of 220 countries with data for 2022.
Is emissions of air pollutants rising or falling in Canada?: Over the last ten years it is down 25.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Canada 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.