India: Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (% change from 1990)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, India's total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (% change from 1990) rose 12.18 percentage points on 2023 (from 210.74% to 222.92%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +6.72 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 6.33 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.9 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 19.1 percentage points in 2021 and the biggest yearly fall was 13.32 percentage points in 2020. 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 8.02 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 85% 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.

A straight-line projection, tested first

Extending that straight line gives about 231.64% for 2027. We show this only because the same method, fitted on earlier years, predicted 2022 to 2024 better than "no change" would have: its average miss was 20.71%, against 33.99% for assuming no change. Treat it as a continuation of the recent pattern, not a forecast of events: it cannot see a recession, a policy change or a revision to the data.

See how a linear trend forecast works and the guide on forecasting without fooling yourself.

How it compares

In 2024, India had the 38th 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 India in the 2024 ranking

• Guatemala — 34th of 203: 232.36%
• United Arab Emirates — 35th of 203: 232.25%
• Malawi — 36th of 203: 223.82%
• Senegal — 38th of 203: 220.8%
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 39th of 203: 218.39%
• St. Lucia — 40th of 203: 213.38%

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

• Bangladesh — 194.93% (2024)
• Bhutan — 148.1% (2024)
• Maldives — 1,451% (2024)
• Nepal — 79.55% (2024)
• Sri Lanka — 133.48% (2024)

More environment data for India

• Population in largest city — 34.67 million (2025)
• Population in the largest city (% of urban population) — 6.64% (2025)
• Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million — 248.3 million (2025)
• Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million (% of total population) — 16.96% (2025)
• Rural population — 941.42 million (2025)
• Rural population (% of total population) — 64.31% (2025)
• Urban population — 522.44 million (2025)
• Urban population (% of total population) — 35.69% (2025)
• Aquaculture production (metric tons) — 12.09 million (2024)
• Capture fisheries 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 India's total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (% change from 1990)?

222.92% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

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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