What is emissions of air pollutants in Ireland?

Emissions of air pollutants in Ireland was 89,994 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 Ireland?

The highest recorded value was 181,390 tonnes in 2001.

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

The lowest recorded value was 1,626 tonnes in 1750.

How does Ireland rank for emissions of air pollutants?

Ireland ranks 102nd out of 220 regions with data for 2022.

Is emissions of air pollutants rising or falling in Ireland?

Over the last ten years it is down 16.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.

Where does this Ireland 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 Ireland

Name: Emissions of air pollutants in Ireland
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)

Ireland: Emissions of air pollutants was 89,994 tonnes in 2022. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2022)

89,994 tonnes

Change on year

down 2.0%

Rank

102nd

of 220 regions

All-time high

181,390 tonnes

in 2001

All-time low

1,626 tonnes

in 1750

Years of data

273

1750–2022

Emissions of air pollutants in Ireland, 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 Ireland is 89,994 tonnes, measured in 2022.

That represents a change of down 2.0% on the previous year and down 16.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, emissions of air pollutants in Ireland peaked at 181,390 tonnes in 2001 and was at its lowest, 1,626 tonnes, in 1750.

Ireland ranks 102nd of 220 regions on this measure, 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	1,628 tonnes	1,626 tonnes	1,630 tonnes	10
1760s	1,633 tonnes	1,630 tonnes	1,635 tonnes	10
1770s	1,725 tonnes	1,635 tonnes	1,815 tonnes	10
1780s	1,996 tonnes	1,835 tonnes	2,157 tonnes	10
1790s	2,270 tonnes	2,192 tonnes	2,348 tonnes	10
1800s	2,535 tonnes	2,365 tonnes	2,706 tonnes	10
1810s	2,979 tonnes	2,745 tonnes	3,215 tonnes	10
1820s	3,427 tonnes	3,267 tonnes	3,587 tonnes	10
1830s	3,741 tonnes	3,622 tonnes	3,860 tonnes	10
1840s	3,587 tonnes	3,287 tonnes	3,886 tonnes	10
1850s	3,244 tonnes	2,931 tonnes	5,245 tonnes	10
1860s	2,871 tonnes	2,832 tonnes	2,909 tonnes	10
1870s	2,795 tonnes	2,770 tonnes	2,823 tonnes	10
1880s	3,056 tonnes	2,625 tonnes	4,594 tonnes	10
1890s	2,587 tonnes	2,561 tonnes	2,614 tonnes	10
1900s	2,614 tonnes	2,553 tonnes	2,681 tonnes	10
1910s	3,574 tonnes	2,678 tonnes	3,899 tonnes	10
1920s	23,278 tonnes	2,169 tonnes	49,073 tonnes	10
1930s	45,803 tonnes	31,589 tonnes	53,263 tonnes	10
1940s	36,832 tonnes	28,828 tonnes	53,043 tonnes	10
1950s	52,417 tonnes	43,569 tonnes	67,246 tonnes	10
1960s	75,652 tonnes	58,937 tonnes	99,679 tonnes	10
1970s	116,704 tonnes	106,162 tonnes	138,446 tonnes	10
1980s	136,773 tonnes	127,756 tonnes	149,248 tonnes	10
1990s	166,246 tonnes	157,343 tonnes	177,044 tonnes	10
2000s	167,141 tonnes	124,565 tonnes	181,390 tonnes	10
2010s	110,211 tonnes	104,312 tonnes	119,910 tonnes	10
2020s	89,979 tonnes	88,082 tonnes	91,862 tonnes	3

Countries ranked near Ireland

99 Hungary 93,676 tonnes compare
100 Mozambique 93,012 tonnes compare
101 Bulgaria 90,824 tonnes compare
103 Uruguay 83,677 tonnes compare
104 Democratic Republic of Congo 82,418 tonnes compare
105 Cote d'Ivoire 80,310 tonnes compare

See the full ranking of 220 places →

More environment data for Ireland

Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF 59.68 Mt CO2e (2024)
Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF per capita 11.06 t CO2e/capita (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture 15.58 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) 0.0879 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) 1.23 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) 0.0115 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 18.11 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 0.0209 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) 0.0087 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste 1.16 Mt CO2e (2024)

All data for Ireland →

Frequently asked questions

What is emissions of air pollutants in Ireland?: Emissions of air pollutants in Ireland was 89,994 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 Ireland?: The highest recorded value was 181,390 tonnes in 2001.
What is the lowest emissions of air pollutants recorded in Ireland?: The lowest recorded value was 1,626 tonnes in 1750.
How does Ireland rank for emissions of air pollutants?: Ireland ranks 102nd out of 220 regions with data for 2022.
Is emissions of air pollutants rising or falling in Ireland?: Over the last ten years it is down 16.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Ireland 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.