Emissions and Decarbonisation
🏭 Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Spain
How much greenhouse gas Spain has emitted since 1990, the reference year for climate commitments, measured per person and per euro of real GDP so that population and economic growth do not distort the comparison. These are the figures from the official inventory that MITECO (the Ministry for the Ecological Transition) reports to the United Nations and the EU, excluding land use and forestry sinks (LULUCF) except where stated. The 2025 figure is MITECO's provisional estimate; the final figure will arrive with the next edition of the inventory.
Trend · t CO₂eq
Trend · percent
Trend · g CO₂eq/€
Trend · % of the average
Greenhouse gas emissions per capita (excl. LULUCF): Spain 5.8 EU 7OECD 10.2France 5.5Portugal 5Germany 8.1Italy 6.3Morocco 2.9US 17.4China 11 Sweden 5 t CO2 equivalent per capita · 2024 · World Bank (WDI, EDGAR) All countries →
Emissions per person since 1990
A Spanish resident emitted 7.3 t of CO₂ equivalent in 1990; the peak was 10.1 t in 2005 and in 2025 the figure is 5.5 t. The net emissions line subtracts the CO₂ absorbed by forests and soils (LULUCF). The EU average only runs to the last year of the final inventory.
Far from the 2030 target
Total emissions peaked in 2007 (444 Mt) and in 2025 they stand 4.8 % below 1990. The National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan (PNIEC 2023-2030) sets a 32 % reduction on 1990 levels by 2030, some 193 Mt: from the 2025 level, a further 29 % cut would be needed.
Growing while emitting less
Since 1995, real GDP per person and emissions per person have followed different paths: each euro of real GDP is now produced with 54 % fewer emissions than in 1995. GDP is measured in constant euros, adjusted for inflation.
Who emits? Emissions by sector
Kilograms of CO₂ equivalent per person per year, by emitting sector.
Transport, the sector that won't come down
Transport accounts for 34.2 % of emissions in 2025 and emits 58 % more than in 1990. Electricity generation, by contrast, emits 57 % less than in 1990 and 75 % less than in 2005. More detail on the electricity mix page.
Spain in Europe
Emissions per person excluding LULUCF, using each country's final inventory. In 2024, 2 of the six large countries compared emitted less per person than Spain. Since 1990 Spain's total emissions have changed by -5.9 %, compared with -38.0 % for the EU-27 as a whole.
Reduction targets
| Horizon | Target | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 2030 (Spain) | -32 % emissions compared with 1990 | PNIEC 2023-2030 |
| 2030 (Spain, non-ETS sectors) | -37.7 % compared with 2005 in transport, buildings, agriculture, waste and fluorinated gases (outside the emissions trading system) | Effort Sharing Regulation, (EU) 2023/857 |
| 2030 (EU) | -55 % net emissions compared with 1990 | European Climate Law, Regulation (EU) 2021/1119 |
| 2050 | Climate neutrality (net zero emissions) | Law 7/2021 on climate change and European Climate Law |
Sources
- National GHG Emissions Inventory (MITECO), reported to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, downloaded from Eurostat env_air_gge by CRF category. Methodology: 2006 IPCC guidelines. MITECO – Inventory.
- Provisional inventory estimate for the latest year: MITECO, advance note on 2025 GHG emissions (July 2026). It is replaced by the final figure once Eurostat publishes it.
- Average annual population: Eurostat demo_gind. Real GDP per person: Eurostat nama_10_pc, in constant euros (see GDP per person).
- Sector grouping: Electricity Generation = 1A1a; Transport = 1A3 (domestic, excluding international bunkers); Industry and Processes = 1A1b-c + 1A2 + 1B + 2 (except 2F and 2G); Residential and Commercial = 1A4a-b; Agriculture and Livestock = 3 + 1A4c; Waste = 5; Fluorinated Gases and Other = 2F + 2G + 1A5 + 6.
Last data sync 7 minutes ago