What is emissions of air pollutants in Hong Kong?

Emissions of air pollutants in Hong Kong was 677,510 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 Hong Kong?

The highest recorded value was 1.20 million tonnes in 2010.

What is the lowest emissions of air pollutants recorded in Hong Kong?

The lowest recorded value was 0.6473 tonnes in 1750.

How does Hong Kong rank for emissions of air pollutants?

Hong Kong ranks 36th out of 220 countries with data for 2022.

Is emissions of air pollutants rising or falling in Hong Kong?

Over the last ten years it is down 25.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.

Where does this Hong Kong 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 Hong Kong

Name: Emissions of air pollutants in Hong Kong
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)

Hong Kong: Emissions of air pollutants was 677,510 tonnes in 2022. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2022)

677,510 tonnes

Change on year

up 2.1%

World rank

36th

of 220 countries

All-time high

1.20 million tonnes

in 2010

All-time low

0.6473 tonnes

in 1750

Years of data

273

1750–2022

Emissions of air pollutants in Hong Kong, 1750–2022

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for emissions of air pollutants in Hong Kong is 677,510 tonnes, measured in 2022.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.1% on the previous year and down 25.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, emissions of air pollutants in Hong Kong peaked at 1.20 million tonnes in 2010 and was at its lowest, 0.6473 tonnes, in 1750.

Hong Kong ranks 36th of 220 countries on this measure, 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	0.6594 tonnes	0.6473 tonnes	0.6715 tonnes	10
1760s	0.6869 tonnes	0.6742 tonnes	0.6995 tonnes	10
1770s	0.7155 tonnes	0.7023 tonnes	0.7287 tonnes	10
1780s	0.7453 tonnes	0.7316 tonnes	0.759 tonnes	10
1790s	0.7764 tonnes	0.7621 tonnes	0.7907 tonnes	10
1800s	0.8105 tonnes	0.7938 tonnes	0.8272 tonnes	10
1810s	0.8484 tonnes	0.8309 tonnes	0.8659 tonnes	10
1820s	0.9502 tonnes	0.8698 tonnes	1.03 tonnes	10
1830s	1.15 tonnes	1.05 tonnes	1.25 tonnes	10
1840s	1.36 tonnes	1.27 tonnes	1.44 tonnes	10
1850s	2.39 tonnes	1.46 tonnes	3.49 tonnes	10
1860s	4.62 tonnes	3.79 tonnes	5.35 tonnes	10
1870s	6.37 tonnes	5.52 tonnes	7.28 tonnes	10
1880s	8.58 tonnes	7.49 tonnes	9.61 tonnes	10
1890s	11.62 tonnes	9.82 tonnes	13.66 tonnes	10
1900s	20.36 tonnes	14.19 tonnes	26.89 tonnes	10
1910s	37.11 tonnes	28.39 tonnes	45.39 tonnes	10
1920s	40.43 tonnes	31.18 tonnes	53.34 tonnes	10
1930s	35.9 tonnes	30.72 tonnes	38.19 tonnes	10
1940s	45.15 tonnes	41.25 tonnes	50.16 tonnes	10
1950s	14,217 tonnes	9,660 tonnes	19,401 tonnes	10
1960s	32,863 tonnes	21,038 tonnes	50,476 tonnes	10
1970s	141,957 tonnes	53,916 tonnes	182,543 tonnes	10
1980s	228,268 tonnes	162,675 tonnes	321,454 tonnes	10
1990s	459,104 tonnes	345,352 tonnes	668,160 tonnes	10
2000s	795,489 tonnes	610,980 tonnes	1.06 million tonnes	10
2010s	975,839 tonnes	843,378 tonnes	1.20 million tonnes	10
2020s	691,976 tonnes	663,341 tonnes	735,077 tonnes	3

Countries ranked near Hong Kong

33 Belgium 750,371 tonnes compare
34 Italy 748,652 tonnes compare
35 Philippines 711,503 tonnes compare
37 Turkmenistan 676,311 tonnes compare
38 Algeria 576,904 tonnes compare
39 Poland 554,688 tonnes compare

See the full ranking of 220 places →

More environment data for Hong Kong

Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF 40.31 Mt CO2e (2024)
Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF per capita 5.36 t CO2e/capita (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture 0.0153 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) 0.006 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) 0.0705 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) 0.0005 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 4.92 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 0.025 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) 0.0254 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste 4.78 Mt CO2e (2024)

All data for Hong Kong →

Frequently asked questions

What is emissions of air pollutants in Hong Kong?: Emissions of air pollutants in Hong Kong was 677,510 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 Hong Kong?: The highest recorded value was 1.20 million tonnes in 2010.
What is the lowest emissions of air pollutants recorded in Hong Kong?: The lowest recorded value was 0.6473 tonnes in 1750.
How does Hong Kong rank for emissions of air pollutants?: Hong Kong ranks 36th out of 220 countries with data for 2022.
Is emissions of air pollutants rising or falling in Hong Kong?: Over the last ten years it is down 25.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Hong Kong 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.