Per capita nitrous oxide emissions in Australia
Australia: Per capita nitrous oxide emissions was 2.54 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
2.54 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person
Change on year
up 1.0%
World rank
4th
of 201 countries
All-time high
12.9 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person
in 1850
All-time low
2.13 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person
in 2020
Years of data
175
1850–2024
Per capita nitrous oxide emissions in Australia, 1850–2024
Source: Jones et al. (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person.
Analysis
Australia recorded 2.54 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person for per capita nitrous oxide emissions in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.0% on the previous year and down 21.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, per capita nitrous oxide emissions in Australia peaked at 12.9 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 1850 and was at its lowest, 2.13 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person, in 2020.
Australia ranks 4th of 201 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 175 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850s | 10.14 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 7.52 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 12.9 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1860s | 6.17 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 5.42 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 7.13 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1870s | 5.94 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 5.25 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 6.75 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1880s | 6.02 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 5.32 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 6.71 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1890s | 4.6 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 3.85 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 5.76 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1900s | 4.06 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 3.75 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 4.45 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1910s | 4.26 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 4.03 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 4.46 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1920s | 3.88 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 3.76 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 3.99 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1930s | 3.52 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 3.35 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 3.71 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1940s | 3.9 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 3.31 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 4.62 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1950s | 4.59 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 4.58 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 4.65 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1960s | 4.68 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 4.53 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 4.84 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1970s | 4.9 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 4.12 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 5.8 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 4.31 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 3.62 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 5.53 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.07 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 3.65 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 4.67 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.87 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 2.82 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 5.37 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.17 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 2.41 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 4.54 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.43 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 2.13 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 2.54 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 5 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 1 Mongolia 4.26 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 2 Botswana 3.14 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 3 New Zealand 2.54 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 5 Uruguay 2.23 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 6 Central African Republic 1.88 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 7 Lithuania 1.75 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
More reference data data for Australia
- Spring temperature anomalies -0.4864 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.8615 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 1.13 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.0026 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 0.4713 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 148.46 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is per capita nitrous oxide emissions in Australia?
- Per capita nitrous oxide emissions in Australia was 2.54 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 2024, according to Jones et al. (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest per capita nitrous oxide emissions recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 12.9 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 1850.
- What is the lowest per capita nitrous oxide emissions recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.13 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 2020.
- How does Australia rank for per capita nitrous oxide emissions?
- Australia ranks 4th out of 201 countries with data for 2024.
- Is per capita nitrous oxide emissions rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 21.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Jones et al. (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Per capita nitrous oxide emissions. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 175 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Measured in tonnes per person of carbon dioxide-equivalents over a 100-year timescale.