Australia: Total greenhouse gas emissions including LULUCF (Mt CO2e)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Australia's total greenhouse gas emissions including LULUCF (Mt CO2e) rose 5.2% on 2022 (from 467.45 to 491.69).

Across the 22 yearly changes before that (2001 to 2022), the average change was −1% and a typical year strayed about 4.2% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.5 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 9.2% in 2017 and the biggest yearly fall was 9.5% in 2016. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2014 to 2023 the straight-line trend is downward, about 11.62 a year. A straight line explains 77% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2023, Australia had the 19th highest value of the 176 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Australia in the 2023 ranking

• Viet Nam — 15th of 176: 503.43
• South Africa — 16th of 176: 498.74
• Türkiye — 17th of 176: 494.68
• Mexico — 19th of 176: 483.71
• Argentina — 20th of 176: 424.71
• United Kingdom — 21st of 176: 394.57

What this measures

A measure of annual emissions of the six greenhouse gases (GHG) covered by the Kyoto Protocol (carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), and sulphur hexafluoride (SF6)) from the energy, industry, waste, agriculture, and land use, land use changes, and forestry (LULUCF) sectors, standardized to carbon dioxide equivalent values. The measure is standardized to carbon dioxide equivalent values using the Global Warming Potential (GWP) factors of IPCC's 5th Assessment Report (AR5).

Limitations: Global GHG emissions are currently not directly measurable, but approaches for their estimation exist, and numerous sources exist to supply data for this indicator. Reputable scientific organizations produce these data for use for research, policy analysis, climate negotiations, and broader public communications. The estimated accuracy from fossil fuel combustion and industrial processes are quite high, as quantities of fossil fuels and other emissive materials (such as cement and steel) produced are well known. For these sectors, emissions estimates are roughly accurate to within 10% when aggregated to the global level and between 4% and 35% at the country level (Crippa et al., 2023).

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a sum.

All 24 values

Total greenhouse gas emissions including LULUCF (Mt CO2e) in nearby economies

• Brunei Darussalam — 7.6 (2023)
• Cambodia — 79.48 (2023)
• China — 14,065 (2023)
• Fiji — 3.21 (2023)
• Indonesia — 1,559 (2023)
• Japan — 1,043 (2023)
• Korea, Dem. People's Rep. — 73.62 (2023)
• Korea, Rep. — 628.51 (2023)
• Lao PDR — 52.18 (2023)

More environment data for Australia

• Population in largest city — 5.39 million (2025)
• Population in the largest city (% of urban population) — 22.26% (2025)
• Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million — 16.77 million (2025)
• Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million (% of total population) — 60.73% (2025)
• Rural population — 3.39 million (2025)
• Rural population (% of total population) — 12.28% (2025)
• Urban population — 24.22 million (2025)
• Urban population (% of total population) — 87.72% (2025)
• Aquaculture production (metric tons) — 117,540 (2024)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Australia's total greenhouse gas emissions including LULUCF (Mt CO2e)?

491.69 in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2000?

It is down 16.82% from 591.11 in 2000 (0.8% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 663.82 in 2006 and the lowest 467.36 in 2021.

How does Australia rank?

19th highest of 176 economies with data for 2023.

Is the latest change in total greenhouse gas emissions including LULUCF (Mt CO2e) unusual for Australia?

In 2023, Australia's total greenhouse gas emissions including LULUCF (Mt CO2e) rose 5.2% on 2022 (from 467.45 to 491.69). Across the 22 yearly changes before that (2001 to 2022), the average change was −1% and a typical year strayed about 4.2% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.5 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator EN.GHG.ALL.LU.MT.CE.AR5, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: EDGAR (Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research) Community GHG Database, , uri: https://edgar.jrc.ec.europa.eu/dataset_ghg2024, publisher: JRC European Commission, date published: 2024; European Forest Observatory, uri: https://edgar.jrc.ec.europa.eu/dataset_ghg2024, publisher: European Co… Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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