Emissions of air pollutants in Japan
Japan: Emissions of air pollutants was 2.07 million tonnes in 2022. ◆ Volatile
Emissions of air pollutants in Japan, 1750–2022
Source: Hoesly et al. (2024) - Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
Japan recorded 2.07 million tonnes for emissions of air pollutants in 2022.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.5% on the previous year and down 24.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, emissions of air pollutants in Japan peaked at 7.43 million tonnes in 1975 and was at its lowest, 3,144 tonnes, in 1750.
Japan ranks 9th of 220 countries on this measure, 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 | 3,158 tonnes | 3,144 tonnes | 3,172 tonnes | 10 |
| 1760s | 3,189 tonnes | 3,175 tonnes | 3,203 tonnes | 10 |
| 1770s | 3,220 tonnes | 3,206 tonnes | 3,233 tonnes | 10 |
| 1780s | 3,250 tonnes | 3,237 tonnes | 3,264 tonnes | 10 |
| 1790s | 3,281 tonnes | 3,267 tonnes | 3,295 tonnes | 10 |
| 1800s | 3,323 tonnes | 3,298 tonnes | 3,348 tonnes | 10 |
| 1810s | 3,379 tonnes | 3,353 tonnes | 3,404 tonnes | 10 |
| 1820s | 3,432 tonnes | 3,409 tonnes | 3,454 tonnes | 10 |
| 1830s | 3,485 tonnes | 3,459 tonnes | 3,510 tonnes | 10 |
| 1840s | 3,541 tonnes | 3,516 tonnes | 3,566 tonnes | 10 |
| 1850s | 3,567 tonnes | 3,488 tonnes | 3,618 tonnes | 10 |
| 1860s | 3,338 tonnes | 3,231 tonnes | 3,466 tonnes | 10 |
| 1870s | 5,571 tonnes | 3,188 tonnes | 9,645 tonnes | 10 |
| 1880s | 13,061 tonnes | 9,610 tonnes | 20,644 tonnes | 10 |
| 1890s | 35,063 tonnes | 22,240 tonnes | 50,487 tonnes | 10 |
| 1900s | 86,485 tonnes | 57,056 tonnes | 111,403 tonnes | 10 |
| 1910s | 165,912 tonnes | 111,193 tonnes | 225,137 tonnes | 10 |
| 1920s | 228,682 tonnes | 191,293 tonnes | 264,945 tonnes | 10 |
| 1930s | 291,363 tonnes | 220,569 tonnes | 364,384 tonnes | 10 |
| 1940s | 310,572 tonnes | 153,985 tonnes | 418,045 tonnes | 10 |
| 1950s | 602,827 tonnes | 311,331 tonnes | 907,347 tonnes | 10 |
| 1960s | 3.04 million tonnes | 1.38 million tonnes | 5.22 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1970s | 6.92 million tonnes | 5.96 million tonnes | 7.43 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 5.63 million tonnes | 5.03 million tonnes | 6.84 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.64 million tonnes | 4.33 million tonnes | 4.95 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.95 million tonnes | 3.13 million tonnes | 4.39 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.53 million tonnes | 2.16 million tonnes | 3.06 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.04 million tonnes | 2.02 million tonnes | 2.07 million tonnes | 3 |
Countries ranked near Japan
- 6 Singapore 4.03 million tonnes compare
- 7 Brazil 2.83 million tonnes compare
- 8 Saudi Arabia 2.69 million tonnes compare
- 10 United Arab Emirates 2.06 million tonnes compare
- 11 South Africa 1.86 million tonnes compare
- 12 Iran 1.74 million tonnes compare
More environment data for Japan
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF 1,063 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF per capita 8.58 t CO2e/capita (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture 38.9 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) 1.04 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) 3.5 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) 0.3162 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 50.87 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 0.6478 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) 0.4564 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste 5.74 Mt CO2e (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is emissions of air pollutants in Japan?
- Emissions of air pollutants in Japan was 2.07 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 Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 7.43 million tonnes in 1975.
- What is the lowest emissions of air pollutants recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 3,144 tonnes in 1750.
- How does Japan rank for emissions of air pollutants?
- Japan ranks 9th out of 220 countries with data for 2022.
- Is emissions of air pollutants rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 24.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Japan 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
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.