What is emissions of air pollutants in Pakistan?

Emissions of air pollutants in Pakistan was 1.68 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 Pakistan?

The highest recorded value was 1.70 million tonnes in 2021.

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

The lowest recorded value was 1,511 tonnes in 1750.

How does Pakistan rank for emissions of air pollutants?

Pakistan ranks 13th out of 220 countries with data for 2022.

Is emissions of air pollutants rising or falling in Pakistan?

Over the last ten years it is up 27.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.

Where does this Pakistan 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 Pakistan

Name: Emissions of air pollutants in Pakistan
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)

Pakistan: Emissions of air pollutants was 1.68 million tonnes in 2022. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2022)

1.68 million tonnes

Change on year

down 1.1%

World rank

13th

of 220 countries

All-time high

1.70 million tonnes

in 2021

All-time low

1,511 tonnes

in 1750

Years of data

273

1750–2022

Emissions of air pollutants in Pakistan, 1750–2022

Source: Hoesly et al. (2024) - Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.

Analysis

In 2022, emissions of air pollutants in Pakistan stood at 1.68 million tonnes.

The figure is down 1.1% on the previous year and up 27.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, emissions of air pollutants in Pakistan peaked at 1.70 million tonnes in 2021 and was at its lowest, 1,511 tonnes, in 1750.

That places Pakistan 13th 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	1,523 tonnes	1,511 tonnes	1,535 tonnes	10
1760s	1,550 tonnes	1,538 tonnes	1,562 tonnes	10
1770s	1,577 tonnes	1,565 tonnes	1,589 tonnes	10
1780s	1,604 tonnes	1,592 tonnes	1,617 tonnes	10
1790s	1,632 tonnes	1,620 tonnes	1,645 tonnes	10
1800s	1,678 tonnes	1,647 tonnes	1,708 tonnes	10
1810s	1,800 tonnes	1,715 tonnes	1,885 tonnes	10
1820s	1,998 tonnes	1,904 tonnes	2,092 tonnes	10
1830s	2,217 tonnes	2,113 tonnes	2,321 tonnes	10
1840s	2,458 tonnes	2,344 tonnes	2,572 tonnes	10
1850s	2,734 tonnes	2,598 tonnes	2,871 tonnes	10
1860s	3,035 tonnes	2,902 tonnes	3,171 tonnes	10
1870s	3,377 tonnes	3,243 tonnes	3,513 tonnes	10
1880s	3,689 tonnes	3,544 tonnes	3,848 tonnes	10
1890s	4,079 tonnes	3,889 tonnes	4,273 tonnes	10
1900s	5,854 tonnes	4,316 tonnes	7,520 tonnes	10
1910s	9,745 tonnes	7,925 tonnes	11,606 tonnes	10
1920s	14,889 tonnes	12,035 tonnes	18,027 tonnes	10
1930s	22,228 tonnes	18,641 tonnes	26,707 tonnes	10
1940s	34,204 tonnes	27,907 tonnes	40,332 tonnes	10
1950s	87,120 tonnes	60,906 tonnes	116,184 tonnes	10
1960s	180,552 tonnes	126,194 tonnes	245,950 tonnes	10
1970s	302,666 tonnes	256,707 tonnes	378,904 tonnes	10
1980s	478,260 tonnes	395,597 tonnes	587,746 tonnes	10
1990s	737,444 tonnes	597,727 tonnes	909,352 tonnes	10
2000s	1.15 million tonnes	885,636 tonnes	1.35 million tonnes	10
2010s	1.44 million tonnes	1.30 million tonnes	1.61 million tonnes	10
2020s	1.67 million tonnes	1.63 million tonnes	1.70 million tonnes	3

Countries ranked near Pakistan

10 United Arab Emirates 2.06 million tonnes compare
11 South Africa 1.86 million tonnes compare
12 Iran 1.74 million tonnes compare
14 South Korea 1.63 million tonnes compare
15 Canada 1.41 million tonnes compare
16 Thailand 1.24 million tonnes compare

See the full ranking of 220 places →

More environment data for Pakistan

Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF 525.88 Mt CO2e (2024)
Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF per capita 2.09 t CO2e/capita (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture 203.87 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) 9.39 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) 12.41 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) 0.1976 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 250.9 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 0.0509 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) 0.3976 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste 24.59 Mt CO2e (2024)

All data for Pakistan →

Frequently asked questions

What is emissions of air pollutants in Pakistan?: Emissions of air pollutants in Pakistan was 1.68 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 Pakistan?: The highest recorded value was 1.70 million tonnes in 2021.
What is the lowest emissions of air pollutants recorded in Pakistan?: The lowest recorded value was 1,511 tonnes in 1750.
How does Pakistan rank for emissions of air pollutants?: Pakistan ranks 13th out of 220 countries with data for 2022.
Is emissions of air pollutants rising or falling in Pakistan?: Over the last ten years it is up 27.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Pakistan 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.