British Virgin Islands: Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (% change from 1990)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, British Virgin Islands' total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (% change from 1990) rose 11.34 percentage points on 2023 (from 260.82% to 272.16%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +8.69 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 20.99 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 73.88 percentage points in 2019 and the biggest yearly fall was 51.55 percentage points in 2011. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 the straight-line trend is upward, about 9.39 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 69% 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 2024, British Virgin Islands had the 24th highest value of the 203 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 British Virgin Islands in the 2024 ranking

• Côte d'Ivoire — 20th of 203: 282.66%
• Oman — 21st of 203: 278.27%
• Uganda — 22nd of 203: 274.64%
• Timor-Leste — 24th of 203: 266.26%
• Saudi Arabia — 25th of 203: 254.54%
• Guyana — 26th of 203: 253.24%

What this measures

Change of emissions (as %) of current year with respect to emissions in baseline year 1990 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 sulphurhexafluoride (SF6)) from the energy, industry, waste, and agriculture sectors, standardized to carbon dioxide equivalent values. This measure excludes GHG fluxes caused by Land Use Change Land Use and Forestry (LULUCF), as these fluxes have larger uncertainties. The measure is standardized to carbon dioxide equivalent values using the Global Warming Potential (GWP) factors of IPCC's 5th Assessment Report (AR5) to combine different GHGs. Negative values indicate that the emission level for that year is lower than the emissions level in 1990.

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 weighted average using 1990 emission levels as weights.

All 34 values

Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (% change from 1990) in nearby economies

• Antigua and Barbuda — 73.11% (2024)
• Argentina — 47.92% (2024)
• Aruba — 167.23% (2024)
• Bahamas, The — 41.06% (2024)
• Barbados — 6.53% (2024)
• Belize — 136.56% (2024)
• Bolivia — 116.64% (2024)
• Brazil — 100.11% (2024)
• Cayman Islands

More environment data for British Virgin Islands

• Rural population — 16,928 (2025)
• Rural population (% of total population) — 42.6% (2025)
• Urban population — 22,804 (2025)
• Urban population (% of total population) — 57.4% (2025)
• Aquaculture production (metric tons) — 1 (2024)
• Capture fisheries production (metric tons) — 1,128 (2024)
• Total fisheries production (metric tons) — 1,129 (2024)
• Rural population growth (annual %) — -1.4% (2025)
• Urban population growth (annual %) — 2.22% (2025)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is British Virgin Islands's total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (% change from 1990)?

272.16% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1991?

It is up 271.48 percentage points from 0.69% in 1991. The highest value was 272.16% in 2024 and the lowest 0% in 1993.

How does British Virgin Islands rank?

24th highest of 203 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (% change from 1990) unusual for British Virgin Islands?

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator EN.GHG.TOT.ZG.AR5, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: EDGAR (Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research) Community GHG Database, Joint Research Centre (JRC) - European Commission, uri: https://edgar.jrc.ec.europa.eu/dataset_ghg2024, publisher: JRC European Commission, date published: 2024; International Energy Agency (IEA), uri: https://edgar.j… 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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