What is emissions of air pollutants in Mexico?

Emissions of air pollutants in Mexico was 1.23 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 Mexico?

The highest recorded value was 2.22 million tonnes in 2008.

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

The lowest recorded value was 1,922 tonnes in 1750.

How does Mexico rank for emissions of air pollutants?

Mexico ranks 17th out of 220 countries with data for 2022.

Is emissions of air pollutants rising or falling in Mexico?

Over the last ten years it is down 41.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.

Where does this Mexico 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 Mexico

Name: Emissions of air pollutants in Mexico
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)

Mexico: Emissions of air pollutants was 1.23 million tonnes in 2022. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2022)

1.23 million tonnes

Change on year

up 2.9%

World rank

17th

of 220 countries

All-time high

2.22 million tonnes

in 2008

All-time low

1,922 tonnes

in 1750

Years of data

273

1750–2022

Emissions of air pollutants in Mexico, 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 Mexico is 1.23 million tonnes, measured in 2022.

That represents a change of up 2.9% on the previous year and down 41.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, emissions of air pollutants in Mexico peaked at 2.22 million tonnes in 2008 and was at its lowest, 1,922 tonnes, in 1750.

Mexico ranks 17th 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	1,948 tonnes	1,922 tonnes	1,975 tonnes	10
1760s	2,009 tonnes	1,981 tonnes	2,036 tonnes	10
1770s	2,071 tonnes	2,042 tonnes	2,099 tonnes	10
1780s	2,134 tonnes	2,105 tonnes	2,163 tonnes	10
1790s	2,199 tonnes	2,169 tonnes	2,229 tonnes	10
1800s	2,283 tonnes	2,236 tonnes	2,332 tonnes	10
1810s	2,392 tonnes	2,342 tonnes	2,442 tonnes	10
1820s	2,525 tonnes	2,454 tonnes	2,596 tonnes	10
1830s	2,691 tonnes	2,612 tonnes	2,770 tonnes	10
1840s	2,871 tonnes	2,788 tonnes	2,955 tonnes	10
1850s	3,139 tonnes	3,003 tonnes	3,278 tonnes	10
1860s	3,487 tonnes	3,308 tonnes	3,664 tonnes	10
1870s	4,075 tonnes	3,714 tonnes	4,454 tonnes	10
1880s	5,101 tonnes	4,542 tonnes	5,690 tonnes	10
1890s	8,063 tonnes	5,829 tonnes	9,568 tonnes	10
1900s	17,020 tonnes	10,445 tonnes	30,095 tonnes	10
1910s	75,997 tonnes	31,073 tonnes	101,305 tonnes	10
1920s	130,693 tonnes	109,370 tonnes	151,323 tonnes	10
1930s	178,381 tonnes	156,447 tonnes	199,786 tonnes	10
1940s	212,333 tonnes	171,288 tonnes	258,799 tonnes	10
1950s	289,336 tonnes	234,885 tonnes	361,117 tonnes	10
1960s	444,849 tonnes	386,022 tonnes	557,348 tonnes	10
1970s	888,594 tonnes	601,338 tonnes	1.25 million tonnes	10
1980s	1.56 million tonnes	1.39 million tonnes	1.75 million tonnes	10
1990s	1.88 million tonnes	1.73 million tonnes	2.00 million tonnes	10
2000s	2.12 million tonnes	2.01 million tonnes	2.22 million tonnes	10
2010s	1.92 million tonnes	1.66 million tonnes	2.16 million tonnes	10
2020s	1.21 million tonnes	1.19 million tonnes	1.23 million tonnes	3

Countries ranked near Mexico

14 South Korea 1.63 million tonnes compare
15 Canada 1.41 million tonnes compare
16 Thailand 1.24 million tonnes compare
18 Argentina 1.20 million tonnes compare
19 Vietnam 1.20 million tonnes compare
20 Spain 1.15 million tonnes compare

See the full ranking of 220 places →

More environment data for Mexico

Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF 686.78 Mt CO2e (2024)
Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF per capita 5.25 t CO2e/capita (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture 87.24 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) 2.11 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) 11.8 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) 0.0973 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 150.68 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 0.2057 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) 0.6771 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste 48.48 Mt CO2e (2024)

All data for Mexico →

Frequently asked questions

What is emissions of air pollutants in Mexico?: Emissions of air pollutants in Mexico was 1.23 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 Mexico?: The highest recorded value was 2.22 million tonnes in 2008.
What is the lowest emissions of air pollutants recorded in Mexico?: The lowest recorded value was 1,922 tonnes in 1750.
How does Mexico rank for emissions of air pollutants?: Mexico ranks 17th out of 220 countries with data for 2022.
Is emissions of air pollutants rising or falling in Mexico?: Over the last ten years it is down 41.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Mexico 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.