Greenland: Carbon intensity of GDP (kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Greenland's carbon intensity of GDP (kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $) fell 0.00263 on 2022 (from 0.15 to 0.14).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2022), the average change was +0.00489 and a typical year strayed about 0.04 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations below 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 0.21 in 2004 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.04 in 2012. 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 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 23% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

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

How it compares

See how every economy compares in the full ranking.

What this measures

Annual emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), one of the six Kyoto greenhouse gases (GHG), from the agriculture, energy, waste, and industrial sectors, excluding LULUCF divided by the GDP in 2021 PPP $.

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 gdp as weights.

All 34 values

Carbon intensity of GDP (kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $) in nearby economies

• Albania — 0.08 (2024)
• Armenia — 0.12 (2024)
• Austria — 0.1 (2024)
• Azerbaijan — 0.17 (2024)
• Belarus — 0.2 (2024)
• Belgium — 0.12 (2024)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — 0.31 (2024)
• Bulgaria — 0.16 (2024)
• Croatia — 0.11 (2024)
• Cyprus

More environment data for Greenland

• Rural population — 6,494 (2025)
• Rural population (% of total population) — 11.43% (2025)
• Urban population — 50,337 (2025)
• Urban population (% of total population) — 88.57% (2025)
• Aquaculture production (metric tons) — 30 (2024)
• Capture fisheries production (metric tons) — 331,285 (2024)
• Total fisheries production (metric tons) — 331,315 (2024)
• Rural population growth (annual %) — -2.21% (2025)
• Urban population growth (annual %) — 0.28% (2025)
• Agricultural land (sq. km) — 2,431 (2024)

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Questions people ask

What is Greenland's carbon intensity of GDP (kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $)?

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

How has it changed since 1990?

It is up 27,812% from 0.000519 in 1990 (18.61% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 0.21 in 2004 and the lowest 0.000514 in 2000.

Is the latest change in carbon intensity of GDP (kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $) unusual for Greenland?

In 2023, Greenland's carbon intensity of GDP (kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $) fell 0.00263 on 2022 (from 0.15 to 0.14). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2022), the average change was +0.00489 and a typical year strayed about 0.04 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator EN.GHG.CO2.RT.GDP.PP.KD, 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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