What is emissions of air pollutants in Germany?

Emissions of air pollutants in Germany was 986,642 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 Germany?

The highest recorded value was 3.24 million tonnes in 1986.

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

The lowest recorded value was 5,263 tonnes in 1750.

How does Germany rank for emissions of air pollutants?

Germany ranks 25th out of 220 countries with data for 2022.

Is emissions of air pollutants rising or falling in Germany?

Over the last ten years it is down 40.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.

Where does this Germany 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 Germany

Name: Emissions of air pollutants in Germany
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)

Germany: Emissions of air pollutants was 986,642 tonnes in 2022. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2022)

986,642 tonnes

Change on year

down 8.2%

World rank

25th

of 220 countries

All-time high

3.24 million tonnes

in 1986

All-time low

5,263 tonnes

in 1750

Years of data

273

1750–2022

Emissions of air pollutants in Germany, 1750–2022

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

Analysis

Germany recorded 986,642 tonnes for emissions of air pollutants in 2022.

That represents a change of down 8.2% on the previous year and down 40.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, emissions of air pollutants in Germany peaked at 3.24 million tonnes in 1986 and was at its lowest, 5,263 tonnes, in 1750.

That places Germany 25th 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	5,322 tonnes	5,263 tonnes	5,381 tonnes	10
1760s	5,450 tonnes	5,394 tonnes	5,505 tonnes	10
1770s	5,569 tonnes	5,516 tonnes	5,620 tonnes	10
1780s	5,680 tonnes	5,631 tonnes	5,728 tonnes	10
1790s	6,782 tonnes	5,738 tonnes	7,344 tonnes	10
1800s	8,659 tonnes	6,824 tonnes	10,188 tonnes	10
1810s	10,234 tonnes	9,301 tonnes	10,898 tonnes	10
1820s	10,676 tonnes	9,392 tonnes	11,782 tonnes	10
1830s	13,850 tonnes	11,738 tonnes	17,439 tonnes	10
1840s	22,989 tonnes	18,218 tonnes	27,676 tonnes	10
1850s	47,474 tonnes	28,560 tonnes	63,614 tonnes	10
1860s	100,193 tonnes	64,400 tonnes	135,779 tonnes	10
1870s	188,415 tonnes	134,959 tonnes	219,613 tonnes	10
1880s	297,611 tonnes	235,718 tonnes	373,261 tonnes	10
1890s	471,716 tonnes	394,320 tonnes	591,507 tonnes	10
1900s	741,463 tonnes	639,158 tonnes	856,315 tonnes	10
1910s	897,294 tonnes	758,306 tonnes	1.02 million tonnes	10
1920s	891,250 tonnes	589,448 tonnes	1.07 million tonnes	10
1930s	871,412 tonnes	661,795 tonnes	1.19 million tonnes	10
1940s	953,027 tonnes	464,596 tonnes	1.36 million tonnes	10
1950s	1.12 million tonnes	816,955 tonnes	1.36 million tonnes	10
1960s	2.16 million tonnes	1.72 million tonnes	2.48 million tonnes	10
1970s	2.91 million tonnes	2.64 million tonnes	3.18 million tonnes	10
1980s	3.11 million tonnes	3.00 million tonnes	3.24 million tonnes	10
1990s	2.53 million tonnes	2.20 million tonnes	3.11 million tonnes	10
2000s	1.92 million tonnes	1.69 million tonnes	2.13 million tonnes	10
2010s	1.55 million tonnes	1.25 million tonnes	1.72 million tonnes	10
2020s	1.04 million tonnes	986,642 tonnes	1.08 million tonnes	3

Countries ranked near Germany

22 Bangladesh 1.06 million tonnes compare
23 Australia 1.04 million tonnes compare
24 Nigeria 1.02 million tonnes compare
26 Turkey 934,732 tonnes compare
27 Kazakhstan 928,518 tonnes compare
28 Malaysia 900,940 tonnes compare

See the full ranking of 220 places →

More environment data for Germany

Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF 674.36 Mt CO2e (2024)
Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF per capita 8.07 t CO2e/capita (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture 33.97 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) 2.87 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) 9.52 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) 0.2198 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 55.51 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 0.3905 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) 0.1987 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste 8.1 Mt CO2e (2024)

All data for Germany →

Frequently asked questions

What is emissions of air pollutants in Germany?: Emissions of air pollutants in Germany was 986,642 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 Germany?: The highest recorded value was 3.24 million tonnes in 1986.
What is the lowest emissions of air pollutants recorded in Germany?: The lowest recorded value was 5,263 tonnes in 1750.
How does Germany rank for emissions of air pollutants?: Germany ranks 25th out of 220 countries with data for 2022.
Is emissions of air pollutants rising or falling in Germany?: Over the last ten years it is down 40.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Germany 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.