What is emissions of air pollutants in Switzerland?

Emissions of air pollutants in Switzerland was 64,647 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 Switzerland?

The highest recorded value was 256,833 tonnes in 1973.

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

The lowest recorded value was 698.5 tonnes in 1750.

How does Switzerland rank for emissions of air pollutants?

Switzerland ranks 113th out of 220 countries with data for 2022.

Is emissions of air pollutants rising or falling in Switzerland?

Over the last ten years it is down 37.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.

Where does this Switzerland 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 Switzerland

Name: Emissions of air pollutants in Switzerland
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)

Switzerland: Emissions of air pollutants was 64,647 tonnes in 2022. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2022)

64,647 tonnes

Change on year

up 3.9%

World rank

113th

of 220 countries

All-time high

256,833 tonnes

in 1973

All-time low

698.5 tonnes

in 1750

Years of data

273

1750–2022

Emissions of air pollutants in Switzerland, 1750–2022

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

Analysis

Switzerland recorded 64,647 tonnes for emissions of air pollutants in 2022.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.9% on the previous year and down 37.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, emissions of air pollutants in Switzerland peaked at 256,833 tonnes in 1973 and was at its lowest, 698.5 tonnes, in 1750.

That places Switzerland 113th out of 220 countries with data for 2022, putting it 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	707.39 tonnes	698.5 tonnes	716.25 tonnes	10
1760s	727.34 tonnes	718.21 tonnes	736.45 tonnes	10
1770s	747.85 tonnes	738.47 tonnes	757.21 tonnes	10
1780s	768.92 tonnes	759.28 tonnes	778.54 tonnes	10
1790s	790.58 tonnes	780.67 tonnes	800.46 tonnes	10
1800s	816.09 tonnes	802.65 tonnes	829.57 tonnes	10
1810s	877.58 tonnes	832.57 tonnes	922.71 tonnes	10
1820s	970.43 tonnes	932.77 tonnes	1,008 tonnes	10
1830s	1,055 tonnes	1,017 tonnes	1,094 tonnes	10
1840s	1,143 tonnes	1,102 tonnes	1,183 tonnes	10
1850s	1,288 tonnes	1,186 tonnes	1,594 tonnes	10
1860s	2,251 tonnes	1,752 tonnes	2,581 tonnes	10
1870s	4,259 tonnes	3,367 tonnes	4,683 tonnes	10
1880s	5,880 tonnes	5,039 tonnes	7,006 tonnes	10
1890s	9,538 tonnes	7,521 tonnes	11,850 tonnes	10
1900s	14,125 tonnes	12,028 tonnes	16,707 tonnes	10
1910s	16,722 tonnes	9,433 tonnes	20,731 tonnes	10
1920s	17,941 tonnes	10,667 tonnes	26,263 tonnes	10
1930s	31,799 tonnes	26,237 tonnes	36,310 tonnes	10
1940s	22,507 tonnes	5,391 tonnes	42,206 tonnes	10
1950s	55,029 tonnes	38,492 tonnes	73,898 tonnes	10
1960s	143,140 tonnes	86,609 tonnes	197,392 tonnes	10
1970s	223,555 tonnes	178,791 tonnes	256,833 tonnes	10
1980s	180,751 tonnes	167,116 tonnes	188,185 tonnes	10
1990s	153,960 tonnes	138,997 tonnes	174,498 tonnes	10
2000s	121,902 tonnes	110,554 tonnes	135,214 tonnes	10
2010s	97,073 tonnes	85,167 tonnes	108,051 tonnes	10
2020s	63,136 tonnes	62,224 tonnes	64,647 tonnes	3

Countries ranked near Switzerland

110 Kyrgyzstan 70,959 tonnes compare
111 Cameroon 68,676 tonnes compare
112 Burkina Faso 66,536 tonnes compare
114 Mali 62,918 tonnes compare
115 El Salvador 62,839 tonnes compare
116 Lithuania 62,114 tonnes compare

See the full ranking of 220 places →

More environment data for Switzerland

Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF 42.99 Mt CO2e (2024)
Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF per capita 4.77 t CO2e/capita (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture 4.05 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) 0.2549 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) 1.29 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) 0.0203 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 5.94 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 0.0476 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) 0.0228 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste 0.2474 Mt CO2e (2024)

All data for Switzerland →

Frequently asked questions

What is emissions of air pollutants in Switzerland?: Emissions of air pollutants in Switzerland was 64,647 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 Switzerland?: The highest recorded value was 256,833 tonnes in 1973.
What is the lowest emissions of air pollutants recorded in Switzerland?: The lowest recorded value was 698.5 tonnes in 1750.
How does Switzerland rank for emissions of air pollutants?: Switzerland ranks 113th out of 220 countries with data for 2022.
Is emissions of air pollutants rising or falling in Switzerland?: Over the last ten years it is down 37.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Switzerland 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.