What is emissions of air pollutants in Iran?

Emissions of air pollutants in Iran was 1.74 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 Iran?

The highest recorded value was 2.07 million tonnes in 2014.

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

The lowest recorded value was 1,782 tonnes in 1750.

How does Iran rank for emissions of air pollutants?

Iran ranks 12th out of 220 countries with data for 2022.

Is emissions of air pollutants rising or falling in Iran?

Over the last ten years it is down 1.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.

Where does this Iran 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 Iran

Name: Emissions of air pollutants in Iran
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)

Iran: Emissions of air pollutants was 1.74 million tonnes in 2022. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2022)

1.74 million tonnes

Change on year

up 4.0%

World rank

12th

of 220 countries

All-time high

2.07 million tonnes

in 2014

All-time low

1,782 tonnes

in 1750

Years of data

273

1750–2022

Emissions of air pollutants in Iran, 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 Iran is 1.74 million tonnes, measured in 2022.

The figure is up 4.0% on the previous year and down 1.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, emissions of air pollutants in Iran peaked at 2.07 million tonnes in 2014 and was at its lowest, 1,782 tonnes, in 1750.

That places Iran 12th 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	1,799 tonnes	1,782 tonnes	1,815 tonnes	10
1760s	1,836 tonnes	1,819 tonnes	1,853 tonnes	10
1770s	1,874 tonnes	1,857 tonnes	1,891 tonnes	10
1780s	1,913 tonnes	1,895 tonnes	1,931 tonnes	10
1790s	1,952 tonnes	1,934 tonnes	1,970 tonnes	10
1800s	2,012 tonnes	1,974 tonnes	2,049 tonnes	10
1810s	2,096 tonnes	2,057 tonnes	2,134 tonnes	10
1820s	2,217 tonnes	2,143 tonnes	2,291 tonnes	10
1830s	2,384 tonnes	2,308 tonnes	2,461 tonnes	10
1840s	2,556 tonnes	2,478 tonnes	2,635 tonnes	10
1850s	2,723 tonnes	2,659 tonnes	2,788 tonnes	10
1860s	2,901 tonnes	2,802 tonnes	3,000 tonnes	10
1870s	3,254 tonnes	3,022 tonnes	3,489 tonnes	10
1880s	3,788 tonnes	3,542 tonnes	4,037 tonnes	10
1890s	4,313 tonnes	4,094 tonnes	4,534 tonnes	10
1900s	4,826 tonnes	4,583 tonnes	5,071 tonnes	10
1910s	8,733 tonnes	5,126 tonnes	12,328 tonnes	10
1920s	16,688 tonnes	13,127 tonnes	20,014 tonnes	10
1930s	23,499 tonnes	20,660 tonnes	27,323 tonnes	10
1940s	32,268 tonnes	28,056 tonnes	38,592 tonnes	10
1950s	63,236 tonnes	36,888 tonnes	113,161 tonnes	10
1960s	173,896 tonnes	143,951 tonnes	219,729 tonnes	10
1970s	394,899 tonnes	247,796 tonnes	513,424 tonnes	10
1980s	658,872 tonnes	466,353 tonnes	846,344 tonnes	10
1990s	1.10 million tonnes	912,027 tonnes	1.25 million tonnes	10
2000s	1.44 million tonnes	1.26 million tonnes	1.74 million tonnes	10
2010s	1.78 million tonnes	1.65 million tonnes	2.07 million tonnes	10
2020s	1.68 million tonnes	1.62 million tonnes	1.74 million tonnes	3

Countries ranked near Iran

9 Japan 2.07 million tonnes compare
10 United Arab Emirates 2.06 million tonnes compare
11 South Africa 1.86 million tonnes compare
13 Pakistan 1.68 million tonnes compare
14 South Korea 1.63 million tonnes compare
15 Canada 1.41 million tonnes compare

See the full ranking of 220 places →

More environment data for Iran

Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF 1,055 Mt CO2e (2024)
Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF per capita 11.52 t CO2e/capita (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture 23.95 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) 1.36 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) 132.92 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) 0.0799 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 175.7 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 0.3082 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) 2.67 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste 13.99 Mt CO2e (2024)

All data for Iran →

Frequently asked questions

What is emissions of air pollutants in Iran?: Emissions of air pollutants in Iran was 1.74 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 Iran?: The highest recorded value was 2.07 million tonnes in 2014.
What is the lowest emissions of air pollutants recorded in Iran?: The lowest recorded value was 1,782 tonnes in 1750.
How does Iran rank for emissions of air pollutants?: Iran ranks 12th out of 220 countries with data for 2022.
Is emissions of air pollutants rising or falling in Iran?: Over the last ten years it is down 1.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Iran 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.