Mapped: Greenhouse Gas Emissions by EU Country 2024 Update

In 2007, the EU set targets for each member state to reduce pollution by 2020. One of the key goals in the 2020 climate and energy package, legislated in 2009, was a 20% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

Greenhouse gases (GHG) are gases in the Earth’s atmosphere that trap the sun’s heat and warm the planet. This effect is also known as the ‘greenhouse effect’.

The main GHGs are carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), and fluorinated gases. GHGs occur naturally in the Earth’s atmosphere, but activities such as burning fossil fuels are increasing the levels of GHGs in the atmosphere, leading to climate change.

GreenMatch previously mapped the top GHG emitters in the EU, highlighting countries that met or exceeded their 2020 targets, such as the United Kingdom, Italy, and Spain. These countries successfully reduced their emissions from 2005 levels. Predictions about the GHG emissions targets were also carried out based on each EU member state’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) trends.

Out of all the best-performing countries, these three countries were requested to decrease their emission rate from 2005. Yet, they managed to decrease their emissions substantially.

As of 2024, the EU has continued to progress, achieving a 32.5% reduction in emissions by 2022 compared to 1990. The EU's climate strategy now focuses on more ambitious targets, including a 40% reduction by 2030 and a 90% reduction by 2040. The EU remains committed to transitioning towards climate neutrality, although progress needs to accelerate to meet these future goals.

Moreover, a side-by-side comparison was made between the UK’s progress in GHG emissions reduction and that of the average EU country.

As of 2024, the EU has seen significant progress in reducing per capita greenhouse gas emissions. In the first quarter of 2024, the EU's total greenhouse gas emissions were estimated at 894 million tonnes of CO2-equivalents, reflecting a 4.0% decrease compared to previous periods. This reduction aligns with the EU's ongoing efforts to meet and exceed its climate goals.

However, most EU member states have reduced their per capita emissions compared to 1990, demonstrating a collective effort towards sustainability. Although economic development often leads to higher per-capita CO2 emissions, these vary widely based on the economy's structure.

This interactive map illustrates the total GHG emissions per capita in the EU. The lighter the colour, the lower the rate of emissions.

Note: The United Kingdom is not part of the European Union countries but is included on the list as part of Europe's greenhouse gas emissions per capita as a region. Following the Brexit referendum, the UK officially left the EU on January 31, 2020. Despite this, the UK has made significant strides in reducing its greenhouse gas emissions, achieving a 50% reduction between 1990 and 2022 while growing its economy by nearly 80%. The UK continues to pursue its climate targets independently of the EU.

The top three countries that pollute the least are:

As the map illustrates, some countries are doing exceptionally well concerning pollution per capita. Although Sweden is ranked number one as the greenest country in the EU, the government makes it easy for every household to access energy-saving information. It is not doing so well in terms of CO2 emissions per capita.

All municipalities in Sweden have energy advisers to whom people can turn for help and guidance, such as switching to a different heating source, like boilers and heat pumps.

On the other hand, the bottom three countries that pollute the most are:

As the map displays pollution per capita, Luxembourg’s GHG emissions were surprisingly high for its small population.

A contributing factor to the high emissions rate could be the large number of vehicles in the country. Luxembourg has been criticised for its air quality by the European Commission.

As previously stated, the EU had set goals to reduce emissions by 20% by 2020. The 2020 GHG emissions targets dictate an EU country's maximum emissions.

However, as of 2024, the EU continues to strive towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions in line with its climate goals. In the first quarter of 2024, the EU's greenhouse gas emissions were estimated at 894 million tonnes of CO2-equivalents, marking a 4.0% decrease compared to the same period in 2023. This reduction reflects ongoing efforts to meet and exceed the targets for 2030 and beyond.

This goal translates differently for the various member states, as the limits set are based on the wealth of the individual countries.

Thus, countries with a lower GDP are permitted to emit a higher level of greenhouse gases, as their economy is dependent on activities that cause pollution. Nevertheless, less wealthy countries are still obligated to minimise their GHG emissions.

Additionally, the EU's climate strategy, such as a 40% reduction in emissions by 2030 compared to 1990 levels and a 90% reduction by 2040. These targets are part of the broader "Fit for 55" package, which aims to reduce emissions by at least 55% by 2030.

The base year for the dataset is 1990, measuring the average of all European countries. The EU countries’ target limits were based on each country's GDP, with the emission rates from 2005 as the calculation number. The charts below display the numbers in the index values.

Several EU countries have made significant progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, with a remarkable 15.2% reduction compared to the previous year.

This interactive chart illustrates the difference between the actual emissions of the best-performing EU countries about the 2020 limits set by the EU.

Of the countries listed, 71% were given a higher 2020 target due to their GDP figures. The majority of the countries were well within the threshold that was set for 2020.

Greece, Spain, Italy, and the UK, in particular, were doing well. All four countries were requested to decrease their emissions from their 2005 levels due to their national wealth, and yet still managed to stay within the target limit.

Malta, on the other hand, had polluted a much more substantial amount in 2005, thus their national target limit was a lot higher. In addition, their GDP is a bigger concern than the target limit of emissions, therefore they were allowed to have an increase of 5%.

This interactive chart illustrates the difference between the actual emissions by the worst-performing EU countries in relation to their 2020 limits set by the EU.

Of the countries listed, 21% were given a higher 2020 target due to their GDP. The majority of the countries listed on the graph here had either already exceeded their 2020 targets, or were on the verge of surpassing them.

The majority of the countries had moderate pollution levels in 2017, except Cyprus, which had the highest rate of GHG emissions - namely 155.7.

Estonia, Latvia, and Poland were the only countries in the worst-performing category that were allowed to increase their emissions. Yet, they fared poorly because the difference between the target limit set by the EU and their actual emissions were the lowest.

On the other hand, countries like Ireland, the Netherlands, Austria, Germany, Cyprus, and Luxembourg were requested to reduce their emission rates based on their 2005 levels, yet exceeded their 2020 target limits already by 2017. The inability to reduce their emissions by 2020 meant the risk of not fulfilling EU targets.

Overall, this chart showcases a bad trajectory for these countries, predicting their inability to adhere to the target limits set by the EU with such negative progression.

Knowing that national emission reduction targets were set according to the GDP of each EU country, we designed the EU's economic forecast table.

This table clarifies that the lower the GDP per capita, the more a country can pollute. On the other hand, countries that have higher GDP per capita are required to lower their emissions.

This table displays the forecast for the overall average growth of the GDP from 2017 to 2020. Alongside that, the real GDP per capita from 2018 and the national GHG emission targets for each European country are displayed, as well as the average result of all 28 EU countries.

Based on each country’s annual GDP growth, we can assess which nations could be given a more demanding limit (e.g. decreasing emissions by up to 20%) after the next set of energy and climate targets are established under the “Effort-sharing decision”.

The UK has done a lot to reduce its emissions, as evidenced by the decrease in GHG emissions in total compared to the average EU country. The UK has the second-highest GDP percentage share in Europe, therefore, it is important to discuss the relationship between the UK and EU.

The interactive line chart below demonstrates a comparison between the UK and the EU in terms of greenhouse gas emission development. The data illustrates the index numbers of GHG emissions, from 1990 to 2017.

From the baseline year of 1990 until 1997, the EU had better results in reducing the total GHG compared to the UK.

From 1997 to 1999 both, the UK and the EU had similar progress from an index of 94.7 to around 92. However, from the year 1999 to 2017, the UK saw much greater development in reducing GHG emissions than the EU average did.

The UK’s 2020 target set by the EU was a 16% decrease in GHG emissions compared to its 2005 levels. In other words, the UK had to reduce its 89.7 index score to 75.3 by 2020.

On the other hand, the target for the EU as a whole stayed the same: a reduction of 20% compared to the base year of 1990.

Looking at the latest reports, it is clear that the UK made more significant progress, having their index at 62.4 compared to the EU, which is at 78.3.

It is not only up to the governments and companies of a country to ensure that GHG emissions are lowered. Households can also act to reduce GHG emissions, which will positively contribute to the overall situation.

In addition to recycling and being mindful of doing anything unsustainable, changing your domestic energy source can make a huge difference.

Investing in clean energy is one of the most effective ways to lower your carbon footprint and contribute to a greener planet. For example, sustainable households with solar panels or heat pumps are great home improvements you can make, and will help combat excessive burning of fossil fuels, and consequently, help limit the effects of climate change.

For the data research, quantitative data on Eurostat’s website were analysed. For some countries, qualitative data were also assessed to gain an explanation of why some countries might pollute more than others.