How do Australia's emissions compare per person?
Show me how Australia's greenhouse gas emissions per person compare with other wealthy countries, and whether the gap is closing.
Australia emitted 19.4 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per person in 2023-24, the highest of the 41 countries reporting a 2024 figure to the OECD's inventory collection and about 1.9 times the OECD average of 10.3 tonnes. The figure has fallen 25.8 per cent since 2005.
- Emissions per person
- 19.4 t CO2-e
- 2023-24 · 25.8% below the 2004-05 level of 26.2 t
- OECD average
- 10.3 t CO2-e
- 2024 reporting year · Australia is 1.9 times as high; the OECD average is an OECD estimated value
- Rank
- 1st of 41
- 2024 reporting year · highest per person among reporting countries
- Next highest
- Kazakhstan, 17.5 t
- 2024 reporting year
1. Australia is at the top of the list
Among the countries that file inventories to this collection, Australia emits the most per person — ahead of Kazakhstan, Canada and New Zealand, and nearly double the OECD average. The United Kingdom emits about 28 per cent of Australia's level, and the lowest reporter, Monaco, under a tenth of it. This collection carries emissions on one common structure and nothing about the economies or energy systems behind them, so it ranks countries without explaining the ranking.
The 15 highest of 41 reporting countries, 2024 reporting year
Excluding land use, land use change and forestry. Australia's year runs to 30 June; most other countries report calendar years. OECD and EU aggregates are excluded from the ranking. The OECD average for 2024 carries the OECD's 'Estimated value' status; Australia's is a normal value.
- Emissions per person
- OECD average
Emissions per person · Country
OECD (2026), Air emissions - Greenhouse gas emissions Inventories, OECD Environment Statistics, https://sdmx.oecd.org/public/rest/data/OECD.ENV.EPI,DSD_AIR_GHG@DF_AIR_GHG (accessed on 15 September 2026). Licensed under CC BY 4.0. Air emissions - Greenhouse gas emissions Inventories
Show the numbers
| Country | Emissions per person | OECD average |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | 19.4 | 10.3 |
| Kazakhstan | 17.5 | 10.3 |
| Canada | 17.2 | 10.3 |
| New Zealand | 14.5 | 10.3 |
| Iceland | 12.1 | 10.3 |
| Luxembourg | 11.1 | 10.3 |
| Ireland | 10.2 | 10.3 |
| Czechia | 9.0 | 10.3 |
| Poland | 8.8 | 10.3 |
| Japan | 8.4 | 10.3 |
| Israel | 8.4 | 10.3 |
| Belgium | 8.3 | 10.3 |
| Norway | 8.0 | 10.3 |
| Netherlands | 7.7 | 10.3 |
| Germany | 7.7 | 10.3 |
2. Falling at about the OECD's pace, from far above it
Australia's per-person emissions have fallen 25.8 per cent since 2005, against 25.5 for the OECD as a whole, so the proportional pace is about the same. The gap has narrowed but not closed: Australia today is still well above where the OECD average sat in 1990. The United Kingdom, which cut faster and further than any other country charted here, shows what a steeper path looks like.
Greenhouse gas emissions per person
Excluding land use, land use change and forestry. The OECD average carries the OECD's 'Estimated value' status throughout; Australia's values are normal values. Australia's year runs to 30 June; the other countries here report calendar years.
- Australia
- OECD average
- Other series (3)
Emissions per person · Year
OECD (2026), Air emissions - Greenhouse gas emissions Inventories, OECD Environment Statistics, https://sdmx.oecd.org/public/rest/data/OECD.ENV.EPI,DSD_AIR_GHG@DF_AIR_GHG (accessed on 15 September 2026). Licensed under CC BY 4.0. Air emissions - Greenhouse gas emissions Inventories
Show the numbers
| Year | Australia | OECD average | Canada | New Zealand | United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 25.4 | 13.9 | 21.9 | 19.9 | 13.7 |
| 1991 | 25.1 | 13.8 | 21.4 | 19.7 | 13.8 |
| 1992 | 25.1 | 13.7 | 21.8 | 19.8 | 13.4 |
| 1993 | 24.8 | 13.6 | 21.7 | 19.4 | 13.1 |
| 1994 | 24.6 | 13.7 | 22.3 | 19.7 | 12.8 |
| 1995 | 24.8 | 13.8 | 22.6 | 19.5 | 12.7 |
| 1996 | 24.9 | 14.0 | 23.1 | 19.9 | 13.0 |
| 1997 | 25.3 | 14.0 | 23.4 | 20.4 | 12.6 |
| 1998 | 25.8 | 13.9 | 23.5 | 19.6 | 12.6 |
| 1999 | 25.8 | 13.8 | 23.6 | 19.9 | 12.0 |
| 2000 | 26.1 | 14.0 | 24.2 | 20.3 | 12.0 |
| 2001 | 26.2 | 13.8 | 23.8 | 20.8 | 12.1 |
| 2002 | 26.1 | 13.8 | 23.7 | 20.5 | 11.7 |
| 2003 | 25.8 | 13.9 | 24.1 | 20.7 | 11.7 |
| 2004 | 26.2 | 13.9 | 23.9 | 20.4 | 11.6 |
| 2005 | 26.2 | 13.8 | 23.5 | 20.6 | 11.4 |
| 2006 | 26.0 | 13.7 | 23.2 | 20.5 | 11.3 |
| 2007 | 26.0 | 13.7 | 23.5 | 19.7 | 11.0 |
| 2008 | 25.6 | 13.4 | 22.8 | 19.5 | 10.6 |
| 2009 | 25.2 | 12.5 | 21.2 | 18.7 | 9.6 |
| 2010 | 24.6 | 12.8 | 21.4 | 18.7 | 9.8 |
| 2011 | 24.3 | 12.6 | 21.4 | 18.5 | 9.0 |
| 2012 | 24.0 | 12.3 | 21.3 | 18.9 | 9.2 |
| 2013 | 23.3 | 12.3 | 21.3 | 18.5 | 8.9 |
| 2014 | 22.6 | 12.1 | 21.0 | 18.3 | 8.2 |
| 2015 | 22.7 | 11.9 | 20.7 | 18.0 | 7.9 |
| 2016 | 22.6 | 11.7 | 20.0 | 17.1 | 7.4 |
| 2017 | 22.6 | 11.7 | 20.1 | 17.1 | 7.2 |
| 2018 | 22.3 | 11.7 | 20.1 | 16.8 | 7.0 |
| 2019 | 21.7 | 11.3 | 19.8 | 16.8 | 6.7 |
| 2020 | 20.9 | 10.4 | 17.8 | 16.0 | 6.1 |
| 2021 | 20.4 | 10.8 | 18.0 | 16.0 | 6.3 |
| 2022 | 20.0 | 10.7 | 17.9 | 15.1 | 6.0 |
| 2023 | 19.9 | 10.4 | 17.5 | 14.7 | 5.6 |
| 2024 | 19.4 | 10.3 | 17.2 | 14.5 | 5.4 |
3. Population growth is doing some of the work
Indexed to 2005, Australia's emissions per person have fallen much further than its total emissions. The two indices imply of about 32 per cent since 2004-05 — a ratio calculated by Aard from the two lines, and therefore the growth implied by the OECD's own population denominator rather than an ABS population series. Per-person emissions falling while the total barely moves is arithmetic as much as abatement, and it is why the two measures support different headlines.
Australian emissions, total and per person
Index, 2005 = 100, rebased by Aard from the OECD's published levels; the OECD's own index for this flow uses a 2010 base. Excluding land use, land use change and forestry. Australia's year runs to 30 June.
- Per person
- Total emissions
Index (2005 = 100) · Year
OECD (2026), Air emissions - Greenhouse gas emissions Inventories, OECD Environment Statistics, https://sdmx.oecd.org/public/rest/data/OECD.ENV.EPI,DSD_AIR_GHG@DF_AIR_GHG (accessed on 15 September 2026). Licensed under CC BY 4.0. Air emissions - Greenhouse gas emissions Inventories
Show the numbers
| Year | Per person | Total emissions |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 97.3 | 82.1 |
| 1991 | 96.0 | 82.1 |
| 1992 | 95.8 | 82.8 |
| 1993 | 95.0 | 82.9 |
| 1994 | 94.1 | 83.0 |
| 1995 | 95.0 | 84.7 |
| 1996 | 95.2 | 85.8 |
| 1997 | 96.6 | 88.1 |
| 1998 | 98.6 | 90.8 |
| 1999 | 98.7 | 91.9 |
| 2000 | 99.8 | 94.1 |
| 2001 | 100 | 95.6 |
| 2002 | 99.6 | 96.2 |
| 2003 | 98.7 | 96.3 |
| 2004 | 100 | 99.0 |
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 99.5 | 101 |
| 2007 | 99.2 | 102 |
| 2008 | 97.9 | 103 |
| 2009 | 96.3 | 103 |
| 2010 | 94.0 | 103 |
| 2011 | 92.9 | 103 |
| 2012 | 91.7 | 103 |
| 2013 | 88.9 | 102 |
| 2014 | 86.3 | 100 |
| 2015 | 86.6 | 102 |
| 2016 | 86.6 | 104 |
| 2017 | 86.5 | 105 |
| 2018 | 85.3 | 106 |
| 2019 | 83.1 | 104 |
| 2020 | 79.7 | 101 |
| 2021 | 77.9 | 99.7 |
| 2022 | 76.6 | 98.9 |
| 2023 | 76.0 | 99.0 |
| 2024 | 74.2 | 97.7 |
4. What this comparison leaves out
These are production emissions: gas released inside Australia's borders. The coal and liquefied natural gas Australia exports are counted against the countries that burn them. This page holds no trade or extraction series, so it does not say how much that would change the ranking — only that it is not what this measure counts.
What to watch for
- Each country is labelled by its own inventory year. Australia's "2024" is the year ended 30 June 2024 — verified against DCCEEW, whose year-to-June totals the OECD reproduces exactly — while most other reporters here are on calendar years. The six-month offset is small against gaps of several tonnes per person, but it runs in the direction that flatters the headline — Australia's year is centred six months earlier than its peers', on a series that is falling — and it is not something the collection flags. This is 41 countries, not the world. The collection covers countries that file greenhouse gas inventories to the UNFCCC in this form and had reported 2024 when the data was extracted; China, India and the United States have no 2024 value here. Australia is highest among reporters, which is not the same as highest globally.
- Figures exclude land use, land use change and forestry. Including it lowers Australia's figure substantially, because the land sector is currently a net sink, and changes the ranking.
- Every country on this page comes from the same producer on the same basis, which is what makes them comparable. The OECD figure for Australia is a restandardised version of Australia's own inventory and will differ from DCCEEW's latest published figure because the two republish on different schedules.
- Per-person emissions say nothing about what an individual controls. This page carries no sectoral breakdown, so it does not apportion the total between industry and households.
- The OECD average on this page carries the OECD's own 'Estimated value' observation status in every year, while Australia's values carry 'Normal value'. Comparisons against the average are therefore against an estimate.
References
Data extracted . Reviewed 2026-09-15 by Aard Data Team. Each numbered entry is the publication that documents the figures; the calls beneath it are the ones the retrieval actually made, recovered from the authoring session’s own transcript.
- [1]Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Air emissions - Greenhouse gas emissions Inventories, 1990-2024Vintage: The OECD republishes the inventories that countries submit to the UNFCCC, restandardised onto one structure so that countries can be read side by side. It therefore moves when a country resubmits and lags the national release: Australia's own quarterly update is more current than the figures here. Year basis verified against DCCEEW, not assumed: the OECD's Australian totals including LULUCF are 607.7 Mt for "2005", 537.5 for "2015" and 466.4 for "2024", each equal to DCCEEW's own year-to-June figure for the same label. For Australia the label is the year ENDED 30 June, so "2024" is 2023-24 — the opposite convention to the OECD's national accounts, which label the starting year.OECD (2026), Air emissions - Greenhouse gas emissions Inventories, OECD Environment Statistics, https://sdmx.oecd.org/public/rest/data/OECD.ENV.EPI,DSD_AIR_GHG@DF_AIR_GHG (accessed on 15 September 2026). Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- The call this page made · extracted 17 September 2026
OECD.ENV.EPI:DSD_AIR_GHG@DF_AIR_GHG(1.0)https://sdmx.oecd.org/public/rest/data/OECD.ENV.EPI,DSD_AIR_GHG%40DF_AIR_GHG/.A.GHG._T.KG_CO2E_PS?startPeriod=1990&endPeriod=2024&format=csvfilewithlabels- 19.4 t CO2-e per person · 2024 · Australia
AUS.A.GHG._T.KG_CO2E_PS - 10.3 t CO2-e per person · 2024 · OECD average
OECD.A.GHG._T.KG_CO2E_PS - 17.5 t CO2-e per person · 2024 · Kazakhstan
KAZ.A.GHG._T.KG_CO2E_PS - 17.2 t CO2-e per person · 2024 · Canada
CAN.A.GHG._T.KG_CO2E_PS - 14.5 t CO2-e per person · 2024 · New Zealand
NZL.A.GHG._T.KG_CO2E_PS - 7.7 t CO2-e per person · 2024 · Germany
DEU.A.GHG._T.KG_CO2E_PS - 5.4 t CO2-e per person · 2024 · United Kingdom
GBR.A.GHG._T.KG_CO2E_PS - 26.2 t CO2-e per person · 2005 · Australia
AUS.A.GHG._T.KG_CO2E_PS - 25.4 t CO2-e per person · 1990 · Australia
AUS.A.GHG._T.KG_CO2E_PS - 13.9 t CO2-e per person · 1990 · OECD average
OECD.A.GHG._T.KG_CO2E_PS - 13.8 t CO2-e per person · 2005 · OECD average
OECD.A.GHG._T.KG_CO2E_PS - 1.6 t CO2-e per person · 2024 · Monaco
MCO.A.GHG._T.KG_CO2E_PS
One call, every reporting country, total emissions excluding LULUCF (_T) per person. It gives the ranking, the OECD average line and the time series alike. Forty-one countries carried a 2024 value when this was extracted; China, India and the United States did not, so "highest" means highest among reporters, not globally. Falls since 2005: Australia 25.8%, the OECD average 25.5%. Added 2026-09-16: the unrounded operands, so the two falls are reproducible — Australia 19.41238 against 26.15968 is 25.793 per cent, the OECD average 10.29296 against 13.81451 is 25.492. Computed from the rounded values printed on the page they would be 26.0 and 25.4, which is why the operands are now stored. OBS_STATUS is also recorded: every OECD-average value in this flow is 'E', an OECD estimated value, while Australia's are 'A', normal values. France is NOT in this selection and no claim on the page may name it. v2, 2026-09-17: added the United Kingdom (5.427114) and Monaco (1.595144), the lowest reporter, because the page claimed the UK sat 'at the other end of the reporting group' when it ranks 33rd of 41. Also recorded for the record and NOT used on the page: Australia's 2005 level was the SECOND highest of the 78 reporters that carried a 2005 value, behind Luxembourg's 27.95955 — the page's 'from the highest starting point' was false and has been deleted rather than rewritten, because the 2005 reporter set (78) is not the 2024 set (41) and the asymmetry would mislead. Publisher units: UNIT_MEASURE is KG_CO2E_PS, 'Kilogrammes of CO2-equivalent per person', with UNIT_MULT 3, so the API's 19.41238 means 19,412.38 kg; the tonne figures here are that conversion.
- 19.4 t CO2-e per person · 2024 · Australia
- The call this page made · extracted 17 September 2026
OECD.ENV.EPI:DSD_AIR_GHG@DF_AIR_GHG(1.0)https://sdmx.oecd.org/public/rest/data/OECD.ENV.EPI,DSD_AIR_GHG%40DF_AIR_GHG/AUS.A.GHG..IX+KG_CO2E_10P3USD+KG_CO2E_PS+PT_EM_GHG+T_CO2E?startPeriod=1990&endPeriod=2024&format=csvfilewithlabels- 74.2 index, 2005 = 100 (rebased by Aard) · 2024 · Total emissions excluding LULUCF, Kilogrammes of CO2-equivalent per person
AUS.A.GHG._T.KG_CO2E_PS - 97.7 index, 2005 = 100 (rebased by Aard) · 2024 · Total emissions excluding LULUCF, Tonnes of CO2-equivalent
AUS.A.GHG._T.T_CO2E - 97.3 index, 2005 = 100 (rebased by Aard) · 1990 · Total emissions excluding LULUCF, Kilogrammes of CO2-equivalent per person
AUS.A.GHG._T.KG_CO2E_PS - 82.1 index, 2005 = 100 (rebased by Aard) · 1990 · Total emissions excluding LULUCF, Tonnes of CO2-equivalent
AUS.A.GHG._T.T_CO2E - 26.16 t CO2-e per person · 2005 · Operand: per-person level, rebase denominator
AUS.A.GHG._T.KG_CO2E_PS - 19.412 t CO2-e per person · 2024 · Operand: per-person level
AUS.A.GHG._T.KG_CO2E_PS - 530,897.422 kt CO2-e · 2005 · Operand: total level, rebase denominator
AUS.A.GHG._T.T_CO2E - 518,566.806 kt CO2-e · 2024 · Operand: total level
AUS.A.GHG._T.T_CO2E
CORRECTION RECORD, 2026-09-17. The superseded record gave both series the key AUS.A.GHG._T.IX — the same key for two different lines, and the wrong series besides: the published _T x IX series is total-only and based on 2010, not 2005 (1990 = 80.04932, 2005 = 97.53866, 2010 = 100, 2024 = 95.27323). The OECD publishes no per-person index at all. Both charted lines are AARD REBASES of the published levels to 2005 = 100, which reproduce every plotted point exactly: 19.41238/26.15968 x 100 = 74.207 and 518566.8060641/530897.42175657 x 100 = 97.677. The four operands are stored above so that is checkable. The labels were also mis-assigned: in this DSD 'Total emissions excluding LULUCF' is the MEASURE label for _T and applies to BOTH series; per person is the UNIT_MEASURE. `basis` stays 'api' only because EvidenceBasis has no value for a calculation over an API response — see issues.md; the rebase is not something the query returns. The superseded note also said 'about 30 per cent' where the page says 32; 97.677/74.207 = 1.3163, so the page is right.
- 74.2 index, 2005 = 100 (rebased by Aard) · 2024 · Total emissions excluding LULUCF, Kilogrammes of CO2-equivalent per person