East Asia & Pacific · High income · 2023

Japan: large EDGAR inventory · 1,044 MtCO₂e

In 2023, Japan emitted 1,044 MtCO₂e (8.42 t per person, 0.25 t per $1K GDP) - energy led at 41% and carbon dioxide dominated the gas mix at 90%. EU EDGAR v8.0, excludes land use.

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Corpus placement

Japan's absolute footprint (#7 of 51) in 2023 outweighs how carbon-intensive its economy actually is — GDP intensity ranks far lower at #38 / 51, so scale, not inefficiency, drives the total.

#7 / 51
Absolute Mt rank
#21 / 51
Per-capita rank
#38 / 51
GDP intensity rank

According to EU EDGAR v8.0 totals, World Bank population, and GDP denominators at 2023. Excludes LULUCF.

B-
Emissions Performance Score
67/100
Japan · 2023 EDGAR data

Based on per-capita emissions, GDP intensity, methane share, and the multi-year emissions trend, benchmarked against the 51-country EDGAR corpus, not a judgment of policy effort, development stage, or overall climate risk. See the benchmark table and methodology.

Per-capita emissions D
8.42 t/person
EDGAR latest-year total ÷ population, vs. the 51-country corpus spread
GDP intensity B
0.25 t/$1K GDP
EDGAR latest-year total ÷ GDP, vs. the 51-country corpus spread
Methane share A+
5%
Share of the gas mix that is CH4 (AR6 GWP100 ≈ 27.9× CO2, short-lived but potent)
Emissions trend B+
+4%
Change from the first to the latest EDGAR-tracked year for this country

EDGAR inventory roll

Roll JPN · 2023 1,044 Mt · 8.42 t per person

Japan sits in the upper absolute-Mt tercile among 51 tracked EDGAR economies (1,044 Mt in 2023) - absolute, per-capita, and GDP-intensity ranks on one roll.

  • ABS 1,044 Mt
  • PC 8.42 t
  • INT 0.25
  • RANK-A #7 / 51
  • RANK-P #21 / 51
  • RANK-I #38 / 51
  • SECTOR 41% Energy
  • GAS 90% Carbon
  • PHOTO Iran
  • BOOK 51 econ

Photo-finish absolute-Mt peer: Iran (991 Mt · Δ 53 Mt vs Japan)

Absolute-Mt neighbourhood

2023 EDGAR totals · nearest inventories to Japan

1. Brazil1.3k2. Indonesia1.2k3. Japan1.0k4. Iran9915. Saudi Arabia811

Year-to-year inventory change

What changed between 2022 and 2023

2022 → 2023
  • Japan's EDGAR greenhouse-gas total fell from 1,111 MtCO₂e in 2022 to 1,044 MtCO₂e in 2023 in the EU EDGAR v8.0 (2024) extract, a change of −66.5 MtCO₂e (−6.0%).
  • Japan's energy total fell from 470.1 MtCO₂e in 2022 to 432.7 MtCO₂e in 2023 in the EU EDGAR v8.0 (2024) extract, a change of −37.4 MtCO₂e (−8.0%).
  • Japan's methane total fell from 57.9 MtCO₂e in 2022 to 56.7 MtCO₂e in 2023 in the EU EDGAR v8.0 (2024) extract, a change of −1.18 MtCO₂e (−2.0%).

Arithmetic differences between two inventory years in one stored EU EDGAR v8.0 (2024) extract, not a second source release, a forecast, or a policy verdict.

Trends Inventory CSV

Japan's absolute footprint (#7 of 51) in 2023 outweighs how carbon-intensive its economy actually is — GDP intensity ranks far lower at #38 / 51, so scale, not inefficiency, drives the total. How we place countries.

Japan vs all tracked economies by EDGAR greenhouse-gas total

Where Japan's 2023 EDGAR MtCO₂e sits among every tracked economy with live rows (inventory mass, not per-capita responsibility)

1,044 Top 14% more MtCO₂e than 86% of 51 economies

Tracked economies, banded by EDGAR MtCO₂e (AR6 GWP100)

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more economies. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source EU EDGAR v8.0 · 2023

Japan 2023 emissions by IPCC sector

EU EDGAR v8.0 · MtCO₂e · AR6 GWP100

1. Energy4332. Industry2513. Transport1824. Buildings1115. Agriculture526. Waste127. Fugitive emissions4
0%100%41%
Energy share of 2023 total

Source: EU EDGAR v8.0 (Joint Research Centre) EDGAR GHG · 2023

Japan emissions trend (1970–2023, MtCO₂e)

Annual greenhouse-gas totals, EU EDGAR v8.0

9001,0001,1001,2001,3001,4001,500 197019771984199119982005201220192023 1,044
Reported annual emissions for Japan, 1970 to 2023 (AR6 GWP100, excludes LULUCF).

Data from EU EDGAR v8.0 (2024 release)

Source: EU EDGAR (Joint Research Centre) As of 1970–2023

Japan 2023 greenhouse-gas inventory

EU EDGAR v8.0 · MtCO₂e · AR6 GWP100

1. Carbon dioxide944.82. Methane56.73. Fluorinated gases26.64. Nitrous oxide16.3

Scale versus efficiency

Absolute inventory signature

Japan's absolute inventory is the standout: 1,044 MtCO₂e puts it in the upper Mt tercile among tracked EDGAR economies (≥524.6 Mt).

Japan's 1,044 MtCO₂e total in 2023 ranks #7 of 51 economies by absolute scale, but its GDP intensity ranks far lower at #38 — the total is driven more by the size of the economy than by how carbon-intensive each dollar of output is.

Source: EU EDGAR v8.0 (Joint Research Centre) Country totals (AR6 GWP100, excl. LULUCF) Country figures for JPN exclude LULUCF; verify policy-critical totals against the Joint Research Centre EDGAR country table.

Other East Asia & Pacific economies in EDGAR

Methodology

Japan (JPN) is in the upper third of live EDGAR country mass (1,044 MtCO₂e in 2023). Rows are aggregated from EU EDGAR v8.0 by IPCC sector and gas for 2023, excluding LULUCF. See the methodology page for GWP100 factors and the full pipeline. Full methodology.

Source: EU EDGAR v8.0 (Joint Research Centre) 2024 Global bottom-up inventory, CC BY 4.0.

FAQ

How much CO₂-equivalent did Japan emit in 2023?

Japan's 2023 total is 1,044 MtCO₂e per EU EDGAR v8.0 (AR6 GWP100, excludes LULUCF).

How do Japan's absolute and per-capita ranks compare?

Japan ranks #7 of 51 by absolute total and #21 by per-capita emissions in 2023, with GDP intensity at #38.

Which sector dominates Japan's emissions?

Energy led at 41% of the 2023 national total (1,044 MtCO₂e).

Compiled from official public sources by the publisher.

Data vintage: EU EDGAR v8.0 (2024 release), 2023 data year. Country emissions summed from EDGAR records for the focal year; LULUCF excluded on ranked surfaces.