What is emissions of air pollutants in Spain?

Emissions of air pollutants in Spain was 1.15 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 Spain?

The highest recorded value was 2.11 million tonnes in 2005.

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

The lowest recorded value was 2,071 tonnes in 1750.

How does Spain rank for emissions of air pollutants?

Spain ranks 20th out of 220 countries with data for 2022.

Is emissions of air pollutants rising or falling in Spain?

Over the last ten years it is down 26.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.

Where does this Spain 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 Spain

Name: Emissions of air pollutants in Spain
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)

Spain: Emissions of air pollutants was 1.15 million tonnes in 2022. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2022)

1.15 million tonnes

Change on year

up 1.7%

World rank

20th

of 220 countries

All-time high

2.11 million tonnes

in 2005

All-time low

2,071 tonnes

in 1750

Years of data

273

1750–2022

Emissions of air pollutants in Spain, 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 Spain stood at 1.15 million tonnes.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.7% on the previous year and down 26.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, emissions of air pollutants in Spain peaked at 2.11 million tonnes in 2005 and was at its lowest, 2,071 tonnes, in 1750.

Spain ranks 20th 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	2,093 tonnes	2,071 tonnes	2,115 tonnes	10
1760s	2,142 tonnes	2,120 tonnes	2,164 tonnes	10
1770s	2,192 tonnes	2,169 tonnes	2,215 tonnes	10
1780s	2,243 tonnes	2,220 tonnes	2,266 tonnes	10
1790s	2,295 tonnes	2,272 tonnes	2,319 tonnes	10
1800s	2,363 tonnes	2,324 tonnes	2,402 tonnes	10
1810s	2,451 tonnes	2,411 tonnes	2,492 tonnes	10
1820s	2,589 tonnes	2,501 tonnes	2,677 tonnes	10
1830s	2,739 tonnes	2,705 tonnes	2,817 tonnes	10
1840s	3,289 tonnes	2,795 tonnes	3,664 tonnes	10
1850s	4,719 tonnes	3,986 tonnes	6,674 tonnes	10
1860s	7,938 tonnes	7,398 tonnes	8,532 tonnes	10
1870s	10,349 tonnes	9,223 tonnes	11,780 tonnes	10
1880s	15,905 tonnes	12,992 tonnes	17,613 tonnes	10
1890s	21,256 tonnes	19,076 tonnes	23,991 tonnes	10
1900s	30,804 tonnes	25,592 tonnes	36,626 tonnes	10
1910s	40,833 tonnes	36,198 tonnes	45,014 tonnes	10
1920s	55,906 tonnes	42,238 tonnes	75,929 tonnes	10
1930s	63,729 tonnes	25,038 tonnes	89,133 tonnes	10
1940s	98,381 tonnes	61,709 tonnes	170,359 tonnes	10
1950s	251,011 tonnes	150,929 tonnes	391,861 tonnes	10
1960s	610,219 tonnes	396,702 tonnes	860,559 tonnes	10
1970s	1.10 million tonnes	874,843 tonnes	1.44 million tonnes	10
1980s	1.45 million tonnes	1.33 million tonnes	1.60 million tonnes	10
1990s	1.79 million tonnes	1.67 million tonnes	1.98 million tonnes	10
2000s	2.01 million tonnes	1.75 million tonnes	2.11 million tonnes	10
2010s	1.43 million tonnes	1.28 million tonnes	1.64 million tonnes	10
2020s	1.11 million tonnes	1.03 million tonnes	1.15 million tonnes	3

Countries ranked near Spain

17 Mexico 1.23 million tonnes compare
18 Argentina 1.20 million tonnes compare
19 Vietnam 1.20 million tonnes compare
21 Netherlands 1.09 million tonnes compare
22 Bangladesh 1.06 million tonnes compare
23 Australia 1.04 million tonnes compare

See the full ranking of 220 places →

More environment data for Spain

Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF 285.64 Mt CO2e (2024)
Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF per capita 5.85 t CO2e/capita (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture 27.33 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) 0.8102 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) 1.37 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) 0.104 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 42.81 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 0.1099 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) 0.1597 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste 12.89 Mt CO2e (2024)

All data for Spain →

Frequently asked questions

What is emissions of air pollutants in Spain?: Emissions of air pollutants in Spain was 1.15 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 Spain?: The highest recorded value was 2.11 million tonnes in 2005.
What is the lowest emissions of air pollutants recorded in Spain?: The lowest recorded value was 2,071 tonnes in 1750.
How does Spain rank for emissions of air pollutants?: Spain ranks 20th out of 220 countries with data for 2022.
Is emissions of air pollutants rising or falling in Spain?: Over the last ten years it is down 26.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Spain 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.