Europe & Central Asia · High income · 2023
United Kingdom: mid-book EDGAR inventory · 5.69 t per person
In 2023, United Kingdom emitted 381 MtCO₂e (5.69 t per person, 0.11 t per $1K GDP) - transport led at 29% and carbon dioxide dominated the gas mix at 79%. EU EDGAR v8.0, excludes land use.
Corpus placement
United Kingdom's absolute footprint (#22 of 51) in 2023 outweighs how carbon-intensive its economy actually is — GDP intensity ranks far lower at #48 / 51, so scale, not inefficiency, drives the total.
- #22 / 51
- Absolute Mt rank
- #34 / 51
- Per-capita rank
- #48 / 51
- GDP intensity rank
According to EU EDGAR v8.0 totals, World Bank population, and GDP denominators at 2023. Excludes LULUCF.
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.
EDGAR inventory roll
Roll GBR · 2023 381 Mt · 5.69 t per person
United Kingdom sits mid-pack by absolute Mt among 51 tracked EDGAR economies (381 Mt in 2023) - absolute, per-capita, and GDP-intensity ranks on one roll.
- ABS 381 Mt
- PC 5.69 t
- INT 0.11
- RANK-A #22 / 51
- RANK-P #34 / 51
- RANK-I #48 / 51
- SECTOR 29% Transport
- GAS 79% Carbon
- PHOTO Nigeria
- BOOK 51 econ
Photo-finish absolute-Mt peer: Nigeria (383 Mt · Δ 1 Mt vs United Kingdom)
Absolute-Mt neighbourhood
2023 EDGAR totals · nearest inventories to United Kingdom
Year-to-year inventory change
What changed between 2022 and 2023
- United Kingdom's EDGAR greenhouse-gas total fell from 408.6 MtCO₂e in 2022 to 381.3 MtCO₂e in 2023 in the EU EDGAR v8.0 (2024) extract, a change of −27.3 MtCO₂e (−6.7%).
- United Kingdom's transport total rose from 108.3 MtCO₂e in 2022 to 109.8 MtCO₂e in 2023 in the EU EDGAR v8.0 (2024) extract, a change of +1.49 MtCO₂e (+1.4%).
- United Kingdom's methane total fell from 46.2 MtCO₂e in 2022 to 45.5 MtCO₂e in 2023 in the EU EDGAR v8.0 (2024) extract, a change of −0.65 MtCO₂e (−1.4%).
United Kingdom's absolute footprint (#22 of 51) in 2023 outweighs how carbon-intensive its economy actually is — GDP intensity ranks far lower at #48 / 51, so scale, not inefficiency, drives the total. How we place countries.
United Kingdom vs all tracked economies by EDGAR greenhouse-gas total
Where United Kingdom's 2023 EDGAR MtCO₂e sits among every tracked economy with live rows (inventory mass, not per-capita responsibility)
381 Top 43% more MtCO₂e than 57% 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
United Kingdom 2023 emissions by IPCC sector
EU EDGAR v8.0 · MtCO₂e · AR6 GWP100
Source: EU EDGAR v8.0 (Joint Research Centre) EDGAR GHG · 2023
United Kingdom emissions trend (1970–2023, MtCO₂e)
Annual greenhouse-gas totals, EU EDGAR v8.0
Data from EU EDGAR v8.0 (2024 release)
United Kingdom 2023 greenhouse-gas inventory
EU EDGAR v8.0 · MtCO₂e · AR6 GWP100
Scale versus efficiency
Per-person intensity signaturePer-person intensity is thin for United Kingdom: 5.69 t per person (lower tercile, ≤5.69 t) alongside 381 Mt absolute.
United Kingdom's 381 MtCO₂e total in 2023 ranks #22 of 51 economies by absolute scale, but its GDP intensity ranks far lower at #48 — 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 GBR exclude LULUCF; verify policy-critical totals against the Joint Research Centre EDGAR country table.
Other Europe & Central Asia economies in EDGAR
Methodology
United Kingdom (GBR) is in the middle third of live EDGAR country mass (381 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 do United Kingdom's absolute and per-capita ranks compare?
United Kingdom ranks #22 of 51 by absolute total and #34 by per-capita emissions in 2023, with GDP intensity at #48.
How much CO₂-equivalent did United Kingdom emit in 2023?
United Kingdom's 2023 total is 381 MtCO₂e per EU EDGAR v8.0 (AR6 GWP100, excludes LULUCF).
Which sector dominates United Kingdom's emissions?
Transport led at 29% of the 2023 national total (381 MtCO₂e).
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.