What is emissions of air pollutants in Iceland?

Emissions of air pollutants in Iceland was 22,292 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 Iceland?

The highest recorded value was 38,334 tonnes in 2000.

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

The lowest recorded value was 3.61 tonnes in 1750.

How does Iceland rank for emissions of air pollutants?

Iceland ranks 159th out of 220 countries with data for 2022.

Is emissions of air pollutants rising or falling in Iceland?

Over the last ten years it is down 17.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.

Where does this Iceland 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 Iceland

Name: Emissions of air pollutants in Iceland
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)

Iceland: Emissions of air pollutants was 22,292 tonnes in 2022. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2022)

22,292 tonnes

Change on year

down 1.2%

World rank

159th

of 220 countries

All-time high

38,334 tonnes

in 2000

All-time low

3.61 tonnes

in 1750

Years of data

273

1750–2022

Emissions of air pollutants in Iceland, 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 Iceland is 22,292 tonnes, measured in 2022.

That represents a change of down 1.2% on the previous year and down 17.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, emissions of air pollutants in Iceland peaked at 38,334 tonnes in 2000 and was at its lowest, 3.61 tonnes, in 1750.

That places Iceland 159th out of 220 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.

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	3.69 tonnes	3.61 tonnes	3.76 tonnes	10
1760s	3.85 tonnes	3.77 tonnes	3.92 tonnes	10
1770s	4.02 tonnes	3.94 tonnes	4.09 tonnes	10
1780s	4.19 tonnes	4.11 tonnes	4.27 tonnes	10
1790s	4.37 tonnes	4.29 tonnes	4.46 tonnes	10
1800s	4.61 tonnes	4.47 tonnes	4.74 tonnes	10
1810s	5.04 tonnes	4.77 tonnes	5.31 tonnes	10
1820s	5.68 tonnes	5.37 tonnes	5.98 tonnes	10
1830s	6.39 tonnes	6.05 tonnes	6.73 tonnes	10
1840s	7.18 tonnes	6.8 tonnes	7.57 tonnes	10
1850s	8.13 tonnes	7.65 tonnes	8.57 tonnes	10
1860s	8.87 tonnes	8.67 tonnes	9.06 tonnes	10
1870s	9.29 tonnes	9.11 tonnes	9.45 tonnes	10
1880s	9.59 tonnes	9.48 tonnes	9.74 tonnes	10
1890s	10.69 tonnes	9.85 tonnes	11.85 tonnes	10
1900s	21.33 tonnes	12.16 tonnes	32.36 tonnes	10
1910s	51.01 tonnes	34.83 tonnes	70.12 tonnes	10
1920s	100.83 tonnes	75.47 tonnes	123.7 tonnes	10
1930s	211.84 tonnes	127.63 tonnes	446.48 tonnes	10
1940s	377.5 tonnes	205.68 tonnes	715.48 tonnes	10
1950s	14,415 tonnes	10,438 tonnes	18,819 tonnes	10
1960s	17,600 tonnes	15,538 tonnes	19,863 tonnes	10
1970s	20,488 tonnes	16,690 tonnes	23,762 tonnes	10
1980s	26,384 tonnes	23,112 tonnes	31,364 tonnes	10
1990s	34,948 tonnes	30,095 tonnes	37,504 tonnes	10
2000s	34,533 tonnes	31,171 tonnes	38,334 tonnes	10
2010s	27,202 tonnes	24,228 tonnes	29,936 tonnes	10
2020s	21,441 tonnes	19,466 tonnes	22,565 tonnes	3

Countries ranked near Iceland

156 Liberia 23,684 tonnes compare
157 Equatorial Guinea 23,410 tonnes compare
158 New Caledonia 23,358 tonnes compare
160 Fiji 20,982 tonnes compare
161 Albania 20,384 tonnes compare
162 Bhutan 20,019 tonnes compare

See the full ranking of 220 places →

More environment data for Iceland

Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF 4.28 Mt CO2e (2024)
Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF per capita 11.08 t CO2e/capita (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture 0.2793 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) 0.0015 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) 0 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) 0.0001 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 0.4807 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 0 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) 0.0021 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste 0.194 Mt CO2e (2024)

All data for Iceland →

Frequently asked questions

What is emissions of air pollutants in Iceland?: Emissions of air pollutants in Iceland was 22,292 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 Iceland?: The highest recorded value was 38,334 tonnes in 2000.
What is the lowest emissions of air pollutants recorded in Iceland?: The lowest recorded value was 3.61 tonnes in 1750.
How does Iceland rank for emissions of air pollutants?: Iceland ranks 159th out of 220 countries with data for 2022.
Is emissions of air pollutants rising or falling in Iceland?: Over the last ten years it is down 17.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Iceland 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.