Hong Kong SAR, China: Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Hong Kong SAR, China's nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e) rose 22.2% on 2023 (from 0.0009 to 0.0011).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +0.7% and a typical year strayed about 12.6% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.7 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 50% in 1982 and the biggest yearly fall was 53.3% in 1983. 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 0.0000242 a year. A straight line explains 64% 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, Hong Kong SAR, China had the 171st highest value of the 197 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 Hong Kong SAR, China in the 2024 ranking

• Seychelles — 168th of 197: 0.0014
• Belize — 169th of 197: 0.0012
• United Arab Emirates — 170th of 197: 0.0012
• Bahamas, The — 172nd of 197: 0.0009
• Bermuda — 173rd of 197: 0.0008
• Greenland — 174th of 197: 0.0008

What this measures

A measure of annual emissions of nitrous oxide (N2O), one of the six Kyoto greenhouse gases (GHG), from the building sector (subsector of the energy sector) including IPCC 2006 codes 1.A.4 Residential and other sectors, 1.A.5 Non-Specified. 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 55 values

Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e) in nearby economies

• Australia — 1.73 (2024)
• Brunei Darussalam — 0 (2024)
• Cambodia — 0.11 (2024)
• China — 9.31 (2024)
• Fiji — 0.0046 (2024)
• French Polynesia — 0.0018 (2024)
• Guam — 0 (2024)
• Indonesia — 0.38 (2024)
• Japan — 0.93 (2024)

More environment data for Hong Kong SAR, China

• Population in largest city — 7.77 million (2025)
• Population in the largest city (% of urban population) — 100% (2025)
• Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million — 7.77 million (2025)
• Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million (% of total population) — 100% (2025)
• Rural population — 0 (2025)
• Rural population (% of total population) — 0% (2025)
• Urban population — 7.5 million (2025)
• Urban population (% of total population) — 100% (2025)
• Aquaculture production (metric tons)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Hong Kong SAR, China's nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e)?

0.0011 in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1970?

It is down 52.17% from 0.0023 in 1970 (1.36% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 0.0028 in 1977 and the lowest 0.0007 in 1983.

How does Hong Kong SAR, China rank?

171st highest of 197 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e) unusual for Hong Kong SAR, China?

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator EN.GHG.N2O.BU.MT.CE.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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