The OECD country note reports that in 2018 Australia’s average greenhouse-gas emissions were 22.4 tonnes CO2e per capita, compared with an OECD average of 11.5 tonnes CO2e per capita. This places Australia well above the OECD average on a per-person basis.

EDGAR’s 2025 report lists Australia at 591.45 Mt CO2e in 2024. Using the report’s country totals, Australia remains a high-emitting country in absolute terms and its per-capita emissions can be derived only when paired with population data.

The chart states: "Australia had the highest per capita greenhouse gas emissions of all OECD member countries in 2023, at 22 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO₂e)." It adds that Canadians were the second-highest at "just over 20 tCO₂e/cap" and that 13 of 38 OECD countries had per capita emissions below the global average in 2023.

Greenhouse gas emissions are measured in tonnes per person of carbon dioxide-equivalents over a 100-year timescale. The data series "Per capita greenhouse gas emissions" provides values by country from 1850–2024, based on Jones et al. (2025) with population from various sources (2024) and major processing by Our World in Data. The most recent data, last updated 4 December 2025, can be used to compare Australia’s per-person emissions with those of other countries.

Total annual emissions allow us to see the world's largest emitters in absolute terms. But they tend to tell a story of population. This is why we often look at per capita emissions. This interactive map shows per capita greenhouse gas emissions. This is measured in tonnes per person per year, and allows comparison of the average emissions of residents in different countries.

The report states: "Australia is one of the highest per capita CO2 emitters in the world." It continues: "On a per capita basis, Australia’s carbon footprint, including exports, surpasses China by a factor of 9, the US by a factor of 4 and India by a factor of 37." The analysis argues that accounting for fossil fuel exports lifts Australia's global carbon footprint to about 5% of the global total, equivalent to the total emissions of Russia.

More populous countries with some of the highest per capita emissions – and therefore high total emissions – are the United States, Australia, and Canada. Australia has an average per capita footprint of 17 tonnes, followed by the US at 16.2 tonnes, and Canada at 15.6 tonnes. This is more than 3 times higher than the global average, which in 2017 was 4.8 tonnes per person.

CO₂ emissions per capita are calculated by dividing emissions by population. They represent the average emissions per person in a country or region. Global CO₂ emissions have stayed just below five tonnes per person for over a decade, but across countries emissions vary widely, rising in some and falling in others; major emitters such as Australia appear among the highest per-person values in recent years.

In the per‑capita emissions section, the dataset (based on Global Carbon Project, CDIAC, and UN data) shows Australia with CO₂ emissions of roughly 15–16 tonnes per person in recent years, compared with a world average of about 4–5 tonnes per person. The charts place Australia among the group of countries with the highest CO₂ emissions per capita, alongside Gulf states and a few other high‑income fossil‑fuel producers.

Consumption-based emissions are measured in tonnes per person. They are territorial emissions minus emissions embedded in exports, plus emissions embedded in imports. Plotting countries on this chart shows that high-income countries such as Australia have relatively high consumption-based CO₂ emissions per capita compared with much of the world.

In its assessment of national and regional emissions, the IPCC notes that per capita greenhouse gas emissions differ widely among countries, with some high-income, fossil-fuel-exporting countries having particularly high per-person emissions. Country-level datasets cited in the report, including those from the Global Carbon Project and PRIMAP, identify Australia as having per capita emissions several times the global average in recent decades.

The country profile states that the data are updated annually with the latest global and country emissions estimates. It provides the underlying Australia emissions series used in comparative per-capita analyses, including CO2 and broader greenhouse-gas metrics.

Using 2020 data from Our World in Data, the article reports: "According to 2020 figures from Our World in Data ... each person in Australia emits 15.4 tonnes of CO2 annually." It notes this is "still three times higher than the world average of 4.47 tonnes" and that "Australia now sits at 11th place compared to all other nations" for per‑capita CO₂ emissions. The piece adds that within the OECD, "Australia ranks first as the bloc's highest emitter per capita."

The 2023 table lists Australia with total greenhouse gas emissions of "571.8M t CO₂eq" and "Total GHG Emissions per Capita 2023" of "21.75 t CO₂eq/cap" and 1.08% of world GHG emissions. This places Australia in a group of countries with very high per‑capita greenhouse gas emissions, exceeded mainly by a handful of states such as Saudi Arabia and some small high‑emitting countries.

The 2022 table lists Australia with CO₂ emissions of "393,162,550 tons" and a population of "26,200,984", yielding per‑capita emissions of "15.01" tonnes. This value is substantially higher than the world average per‑capita CO₂ emissions shown in the same dataset and places Australia among the top tier of countries in per‑person CO₂ output.

The United States Studies Centre notes that "Since 2005, Australia has seen a 15 per cent drop in greenhouse gas emissions on a per capita basis through to 2018." However, it also points out that despite these reductions, Australia’s per capita emissions remain very high: "Australia’s per capita emissions are significantly higher than those of most other developed countries, including the United States, when measured on a like‑for‑like basis." The comparison underscores Australia’s status as one of the world’s largest emitters on a per‑person basis among developed economies.

Climate Watch describes its global emissions datasets as providing "open data, visualizations and analysis" that allow users to explore "greenhouse gas emissions by sector, gases, countries, and over time" including a per capita view. The platform explains that its country-level emissions (including per capita metrics) are based on harmonized, peer‑reviewed international datasets such as PRIMAP-hist and UNFCCC submissions, which are widely used in climate policy analysis to identify top per‑capita emitting countries like Australia.

Statista reports that in September 2024 Australia’s greenhouse-gas emissions per capita were approximately 3.99 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent. This is a sector-specific, monthly series rather than a full national annual inventory.

Worldometer reports Australia’s 2024 CO2 emissions per capita at 14.43 tons per person and lists earlier years above 15 tons per person. This is CO2-only data, not full greenhouse-gas emissions, but it still indicates very high per-person emissions.

Australia has long ranked among the highest per-capita emitters in international comparisons, including OECD comparisons and global rankings that place it above most large economies on a per-person basis. This is consistent with the OECD figure of 22.4 tCO2e/capita in 2018 and with high CO2-per-capita values in global datasets.

The page labels Australia’s recent per-capita emissions as 'Extremely High' and lists 23.3 tonnes per capita per year. It is a secondary tracker, and the figure should be checked against the original inventory source before use as primary evidence.