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 ranks #7 / 51 by absolute total and #21 / 51 by per-capita emissions among tracked economies in 2023.

#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

Placement is comparable across the full corpus: the same standardization basis (EDGAR v8.0 totals, population, and GDP denominators) feeds every country's rank on every ladder above. 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.