What is emissions of air pollutants in Puerto Rico?

Emissions of air pollutants in Puerto Rico was 27,455 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 Puerto Rico?

The highest recorded value was 32,268 tonnes in 2012.

What is the lowest emissions of air pollutants recorded in Puerto Rico?

The lowest recorded value was 49.17 tonnes in 1750.

How does Puerto Rico rank for emissions of air pollutants?

Puerto Rico ranks 149th out of 220 countries with data for 2022.

Is emissions of air pollutants rising or falling in Puerto Rico?

Over the last ten years it is down 14.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.

Where does this Puerto Rico 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 Puerto Rico

Name: Emissions of air pollutants in Puerto Rico
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)

Puerto Rico: Emissions of air pollutants was 27,455 tonnes in 2022. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2022)

27,455 tonnes

Change on year

up 7.0%

World rank

149th

of 220 countries

All-time high

32,268 tonnes

in 2012

All-time low

49.17 tonnes

in 1750

Years of data

273

1750–2022

Emissions of air pollutants in Puerto Rico, 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 Puerto Rico is 27,455 tonnes, measured in 2022.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 7.0% on the previous year and down 14.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, emissions of air pollutants in Puerto Rico peaked at 32,268 tonnes in 2012 and was at its lowest, 49.17 tonnes, in 1750.

Puerto Rico ranks 149th of 220 countries 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	50.95 tonnes	49.17 tonnes	52.73 tonnes	10
1760s	55.05 tonnes	53.13 tonnes	56.97 tonnes	10
1770s	59.47 tonnes	57.4 tonnes	61.54 tonnes	10
1780s	64.23 tonnes	62 tonnes	66.46 tonnes	10
1790s	69.36 tonnes	66.95 tonnes	71.76 tonnes	10
1800s	75.25 tonnes	72.42 tonnes	78.09 tonnes	10
1810s	81.82 tonnes	78.73 tonnes	84.92 tonnes	10
1820s	93.84 tonnes	85.61 tonnes	102.17 tonnes	10
1830s	112.71 tonnes	104.07 tonnes	121.29 tonnes	10
1840s	138.68 tonnes	123.2 tonnes	154.69 tonnes	10
1850s	170.5 tonnes	164.94 tonnes	186.3 tonnes	10
1860s	254.46 tonnes	198 tonnes	327.17 tonnes	10
1870s	405.47 tonnes	347.08 tonnes	534.18 tonnes	10
1880s	588.62 tonnes	538.07 tonnes	642.43 tonnes	10
1890s	776.29 tonnes	703.78 tonnes	835.38 tonnes	10
1900s	1,588 tonnes	889.08 tonnes	2,255 tonnes	10
1910s	3,299 tonnes	2,500 tonnes	4,304 tonnes	10
1920s	6,941 tonnes	5,217 tonnes	8,759 tonnes	10
1930s	8,337 tonnes	6,946 tonnes	9,900 tonnes	10
1940s	12,608 tonnes	10,557 tonnes	15,474 tonnes	10
1950s	14,665 tonnes	12,359 tonnes	16,458 tonnes	10
1960s	9,731 tonnes	7,782 tonnes	11,772 tonnes	10
1970s	20,991 tonnes	7,744 tonnes	27,967 tonnes	10
1980s	25,266 tonnes	21,525 tonnes	31,978 tonnes	10
1990s	30,877 tonnes	29,580 tonnes	32,237 tonnes	10
2000s	30,226 tonnes	28,130 tonnes	31,692 tonnes	10
2010s	27,949 tonnes	20,672 tonnes	32,268 tonnes	10
2020s	25,398 tonnes	23,084 tonnes	27,455 tonnes	3

Countries ranked near Puerto Rico

146 Bahamas 28,784 tonnes compare
148 Congo 28,422 tonnes compare
150 Namibia 26,104 tonnes compare
151 Suriname 25,681 tonnes compare

See the full ranking of 220 places →

More environment data for Puerto Rico

Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF 17.62 Mt CO2e (2024)
Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF per capita 5.5 t CO2e/capita (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture 0.46 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) 0.0026 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) 0.0017 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) 0.0001 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 1.55 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 0.0075 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) 0.0093 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste 1.06 Mt CO2e (2024)

All data for Puerto Rico →

Frequently asked questions

What is emissions of air pollutants in Puerto Rico?: Emissions of air pollutants in Puerto Rico was 27,455 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 Puerto Rico?: The highest recorded value was 32,268 tonnes in 2012.
What is the lowest emissions of air pollutants recorded in Puerto Rico?: The lowest recorded value was 49.17 tonnes in 1750.
How does Puerto Rico rank for emissions of air pollutants?: Puerto Rico ranks 149th out of 220 countries with data for 2022.
Is emissions of air pollutants rising or falling in Puerto Rico?: Over the last ten years it is down 14.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Puerto Rico 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.