How Europe Cut Emissions Per Capita Over Three Decades
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This visualization tracks the change in net per capita emissions between 1990–2022 for select European countries. Figures are in tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂e) per person, sourced from Eurostat and Statista.
Emissions data includes carbon dioxide equivalents for multiple greenhouse gases, including nitrogen dioxide, methane, and hydrofluorocarbons.
Europe’s March to Net Zero
Most European countries have managed to reduce their per capita emissions since 1990. Exceptions are: Slovenia and Croatia (no change), and Latvia (+3 tonnes CO₂e per capita).
Country1990202230-Year Change
Iceland4535-10
Luxembourg3415-19
Ireland1813-5
Estonia2211-11
Czechia1911-8
Netherlands1610-6
Cyprus1110-1
Germany169-7
Belgium159-6
Poland129-3
Finland109-1
Bulgaria98-1
Austria98-1
Latvia58+3
Denmark167-9
Norway107-3
Greece107-3
Italy97-2
Slovenia770
Slovakia126-6
France96-3
Hungary96-3
Spain76-1
Croatia660
Lithuania125-7
UK**115-6
Malta85-3
Switzerland85-3
Portugal75-2
Romania103-7
Sweden31-2
EU*117-4
*EU data is an average for 27 member states. **UK data only measures carbon dioxide emissions.
Targeted action by the EU (emissions targets, renewable energy directives, cap and trade policies for the power generation sector) has helped bring them down.
And even though the distance from net zero is still quite considerable, Euronews found that Europe is one of the few parts of the world that has cut its total emissions (-24%) since 1990. The U.S. has increased by 3%, and China and India have more than doubled.
However, this data only tracks emissions generated inside the country. It does not account for how production and manufacturing has moved out of Europe, helping lower emissions.
When looking at per capita emissions data attributed to where goods are consumed rather than produced, European countries see less pronounced declines.
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Relatedly, European countries feature in 10 of the Top 15 Countries by Carbon Tax Revenue. But #1 is from a different part of the world.
The post Europe’s Carbon Emissions Per Capita, by Country (1990–2022) appeared first on Visual Capitalist.