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

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Marshall Islands' carbon intensity of GDP (kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $) fell 0.0000122 on 2023 (from 0.00038 to 0.000368).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was −0.00000415 and a typical year strayed about 0.0000211 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 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 0.0000506 in 1996 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.0000382 in 1992. 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 downward, about 0.00000808 a year. A straight line explains 62% 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, Marshall Islands had the 186th highest value of the 188 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 Marshall Islands in the 2024 ranking

• Macao SAR, China — 183rd of 188: 0.02
• Faroe Islands — 184th of 188: 0.000533
• Micronesia, Fed. Sts. — 185th of 188: 0.000452
• Naoero — 187th of 188: 0
• Tuvalu — 188th of 188: 0

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 35 values

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

• Australia — 0.23 (2024)
• Brunei Darussalam — 0.26 (2024)
• Cambodia — 0.16 (2024)
• China — 0.39 (2024)
• Fiji — 0.12 (2024)
• Hong Kong SAR, China — 0.07 (2024)
• Indonesia — 0.2 (2024)
• Japan — 0.17 (2024)
• Kiribati — 0.18 (2024)
• Korea, Rep.

More environment data for Marshall Islands

• Rural population — 7,581 (2025)
• Rural population (% of total population) — 20.89% (2025)
• Urban population — 28,701 (2025)
• Urban population (% of total population) — 79.11% (2025)
• Aquaculture production (metric tons) — 1.2 (2024)
• Capture fisheries production (metric tons) — 96,819 (2024)
• Total fisheries production (metric tons) — 96,821 (2024)
• Rural population growth (annual %) — -5.19% (2025)
• Urban population growth (annual %) — -2.96% (2025)
• Agricultural land (sq. km)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

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

0.000368 in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1990?

It is down 35.85% from 0.000574 in 1990 (1.3% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 0.000574 in 1990 and the lowest 0.000355 in 2019.

How does Marshall Islands rank?

186th highest of 188 economies with data for 2024.

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

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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