Europe & Central Asia · High income · 2023

Spain: mid-book EDGAR inventory · 0.18 t per $1K GDP

In 2023, Spain emitted 286 MtCO₂e (5.97 t per person, 0.18 t per $1K GDP) - transport led at 33% and carbon dioxide dominated the gas mix at 76%. EU EDGAR v8.0, excludes land use.

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Corpus placement

Spain's absolute footprint (#31 of 51) in 2023 outweighs how carbon-intensive its economy actually is — GDP intensity ranks lower at #41 / 51, so scale, not inefficiency, drives the total.

#31 / 51
Absolute Mt rank
#32 / 51
Per-capita rank
#41 / 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
69/100
Spain · 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 B-
5.97 t/person
EDGAR latest-year total ÷ population, vs. the 51-country corpus spread
GDP intensity A-
0.18 t/$1K GDP
EDGAR latest-year total ÷ GDP, vs. the 51-country corpus spread
Methane share C
16%
Share of the gas mix that is CH4 (AR6 GWP100 ≈ 27.9× CO2, short-lived but potent)
Emissions trend C+
+52%
Change from the first to the latest EDGAR-tracked year for this country

EDGAR inventory roll

Roll ESP · 2023 286 Mt · 5.97 t per person

Spain sits mid-pack by absolute Mt among 51 tracked EDGAR economies (286 Mt in 2023) - absolute, per-capita, and GDP-intensity ranks on one roll.

  • ABS 286 Mt
  • PC 5.97 t
  • INT 0.18
  • RANK-A #31 / 51
  • RANK-P #32 / 51
  • RANK-I #41 / 51
  • SECTOR 33% Transport
  • GAS 76% Carbon
  • PHOTO Bangladesh
  • BOOK 51 econ

Photo-finish absolute-Mt peer: Bangladesh (282 Mt · Δ 4 Mt vs Spain)

Absolute-Mt neighbourhood

2023 EDGAR totals · nearest inventories to Spain

1. Taiwan3092. Spain2863. Bangladesh2824. United Arab Emirates2705. Philippines257

Year-to-year inventory change

What changed between 2022 and 2023

2022 → 2023
  • Spain's EDGAR greenhouse-gas total fell from 305.9 MtCO₂e in 2022 to 286.4 MtCO₂e in 2023 in the EU EDGAR v8.0 (2024) extract, a change of −19.6 MtCO₂e (−6.4%).
  • Spain's transport total fell from 94 MtCO₂e in 2022 to 93.1 MtCO₂e in 2023 in the EU EDGAR v8.0 (2024) extract, a change of −0.85 MtCO₂e (−0.9%).

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

Spain's absolute footprint (#31 of 51) in 2023 outweighs how carbon-intensive its economy actually is — GDP intensity ranks lower at #41 / 51, so scale, not inefficiency, drives the total. How we place countries.

Spain vs all tracked economies by EDGAR greenhouse-gas total

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

286 39th percentile more MtCO₂e than 39% 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

Spain 2023 emissions by IPCC sector

EU EDGAR v8.0 · MtCO₂e · AR6 GWP100

1. Transport932. Industry503. Energy484. Agriculture435. Buildings306. Waste217. Fugitive emissions2
0%100%33%
Transport share of 2023 total

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

Spain emissions trend (1970–2023, MtCO₂e)

Annual greenhouse-gas totals, EU EDGAR v8.0

100200300400500 197019771984199119982005201220192023 286
Reported annual emissions for Spain, 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

Spain 2023 greenhouse-gas inventory

EU EDGAR v8.0 · MtCO₂e · AR6 GWP100

1. Carbon dioxide217.32. Methane45.13. Nitrous oxide19.14. Fluorinated gases4.8

Scale versus efficiency

GDP-intensity signature

GDP intensity is soft for Spain: 0.18 t per $1K GDP (lower tercile, ≤0.349) alongside 286 Mt absolute.

Spain's 286 MtCO₂e total in 2023 ranks #31 of 51 economies by absolute scale, but its GDP intensity ranks lower at #41 — 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 ESP exclude LULUCF; verify policy-critical totals against the Joint Research Centre EDGAR country table.

Other Europe & Central Asia economies in EDGAR

Methodology

Spain (ESP) is in the middle third of live EDGAR country mass (286 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

Which sector dominates Spain's emissions?

Transport led at 33% of the 2023 national total (286 MtCO₂e).

How much CO₂-equivalent did Spain emit in 2023?

Spain's 2023 total is 286 MtCO₂e per EU EDGAR v8.0 (AR6 GWP100, excludes LULUCF).

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

Spain ranks #31 of 51 by absolute total and #32 by per-capita emissions in 2023, with GDP intensity at #41.

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.