Environmental Accounts – Emissions to air first quarter 2025
Greenhouse gas emissions from Sweden’s economy decreased in the first quarter of 2025, according to preliminary data from Statistics Sweden
Statistical news from Statistics Sweden 2025-08-28 8.00
Preliminary estimates show that greenhouse gas emissions from the Swedish economy amounted to 12.6 million tonnes in the first quarter of 2025. This represents a 3.6 percent decrease compared to the same quarter in 2024. From a longer-term perspective, emissions are at roughly the same level as in the first quarter of 2022, but 2.9 percent higher than in the first quarter of 2023.
The quarterly statistics from SCB’s environmental accounts report preliminary production-related emissions to air from Sweden’s economy, including households. Greenhouse gas emissions are expressed as the sum of individual gases measured in carbon dioxide equivalents.
One key factor behind the reduction in emissions is the decline in deliveries of fossil diesel during the first quarter of 2025 compared to the same quarter in 2024, according to SCB’s statistics on fuel deliveries to the Swedish market (Monthly Fuel, Gas, and Stock Statistics).
At a more detailed level, the largest changes occurred in the sectors, Electricity, gas and heating production as well as water, sewage and waste treatment and management sector and Manufacturing Industry. In these two sectors, emissions decreased by 180 kilotons (8.8 percent) and 120 kilotons (3.4 percent), respectively. Emissions from Households and Non-Profit Institutions also fell compared to the first quarter of 2024, by 74 kilotons (3.8 percent).
Developments for the first quarter 2025 in brief
Percentages below are compared to the same quarter of the previous year unless otherwise stated.
- The largest reduction in absolute terms was in the sector Electricity, gas and heating production as well as water, sewage and waste treatment and management sector (NACE D35–E39). Emissions decreased by 180 kilotons (8 percent). One possible reason is a weather effect, as January 2025 was warmer than January 2024. Compared to 2022 and 2023, emissions decreased by 161 kilotons (8.0 percent) and 61 kilotons (3.2 percent), respectively.
- A significant decrease was also seen in the Manufacturing Industry (NACE C10–C33), where emissions fell by 120 kilotons (4 percent). Compared to 2022 and 2023, emissions in this sector decreased by 410 kilotons (10.9 percent) and 178 kilotons (5.0 percent), respectively.
- Emissions from Households and Non-Profit Institutions decreased by 74 kilotons (3.8 percent). Since Q1 2022, however, emissions have increased by 128 kilotons (7.2 percent), and compared to Q1 2023, they have risen by 145 kilotons (8.3 percent).
| SNI 2007 aggregate | Greenhouse gas emissions | Value added | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 Q1 [1] | Change compared to 2024 Q1 |
2025 Q1 [1] | Change compared to 2024 Q1 |
|||
| Agriculture, forestry and fishery | 2 026 | ‑29 | ‑1.4% | 22 462 | ‑1 765 | ‑7.3% |
| Mining | 228 | 0 | ‑0.1% | 9 628 | 3 458 | 56.0% |
| Manufacturing | 3 370 | ‑120 | ‑3.4% | 214 068 | ‑8 623 | ‑3.9% |
| Electricity, gas, heat, water, waste | 1 856 | ‑180 | ‑8.8% | 47 975 | ‑616 | ‑1.3% |
| Construction | 481 | ‑37 | ‑7.1% | 73 993 | ‑2 366 | ‑3.1% |
| Transport | 1 898 | 9 | 0.5% | 48 961 | ‑1 286 | ‑2.6% |
| Other services | 752 | ‑41 | ‑5.1% | 669 345 | 17 442 | 2.7% |
| Public sector | 90 | ‑3 | ‑3.4% | 316 148 | ‑734 | ‑0.2% |
| Households and non-profit institutions [2] | 1 891 | ‑74 | ‑3.8% | 16 445 | ‑48 | ‑0.3% |
| Total economy [3] | 12 593 | ‑476 | ‑3.6% | 1 564 633 | ‑5 922 | ‑0.4% |
[1] Greenhouse gas emissions and value added are preliminary. [2] Only non-profit institutions provide value added. [3] The total refers to GDP at market prices, including product taxes and subsidies. The subtotals do not sum up to the total. Source: Statistics Sweden
![Graph: Change in greenhouse gas emissions and value added, change in percentage between 2024 Q1 and 2025 Q1[1].](/contentassets/ffa7d7a044774753a84c6610fc62a951/dia2_en_2025.png)
[1] Greenhouse gas emissions and value added are preliminary. [2] Only non-profit institutions provide value added.
Definitions and explanations
What do the quarterly statistics show?
The quarterly statistics from Statistics Sweden's environmental accounts report production-based emissions to air per industry from the Swedish economy, which also includes households. Production-based emissions are emissions of greenhouse gases by Swedish economic actors and differ from the territorial emissions, which instead include emissions within the national borders. The territorial emissions are used in the UN, EU and nationally to follow up climate targets. The production-based emission statistics include the emissions from Swedish companies and individuals that occur both outside and inside Sweden's borders. Production-based emissions use the same system boundary as the national economic statistics, i.e., the national accounts.
For the transport industry, emissions arising from transport companies with economic residence in Sweden are included, regardless of where in the world these emissions occur. Emissions from, e.g., foreign airlines flying to, from or within Sweden are not included.
When comparing quarters, the reader should be attentive to seasonal variation. For example, emissions from electricity, gas, heat, water, waste are higher during the winter whereas households’ consumption of diesel and petrol are higher during the summer.
Greenhouse gas emissions – carbon dioxide equivalents are calculated as an aggregate of CO2 (fossil), CH4, N2O, HFC, PFC, SF6. The conversion factors (Greenhouse Warming Potential, GWP) used to calculate carbon dioxide equivalents are the same as those used for reporting to UNFCCC [1].
[1] IPCC, 2014: Climate Change 2014: Synthesis Report. Contribution of Working Groups I, II and III to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Core Writing Team, R.K. Pachauri and L.A. Meyer (eds.)]. IPCC, Geneva, Switzerland, 151 pp, AR5 Synthesis Report - Climate Change 2014 (ipcc.ch)
More information about emission accounts is available on the Statistics Sweden’s website Miljöräkenskaper (scb.se) under the heading (in Swedish): Dokumentation
Revisions
In this publication, the time series has been revised due to updated statistics from the Swedish Energy Agency regarding annual energy balances for sectors NACE 01–03, NACE 41–43, service industries (NACE 45–47 and 55–99), and households. Regarding emissions from air traffic, the OECD has not updated the data used to estimate these emissions. For the latest quarter, data from the previous quarter has therefore been reused. This is considered reasonable as there were no significant changes in aviation fuel deliveries.
Next publishing will be
The next publication regarding quarterly air emissions will be released on October 23, 2025, and will cover the second quarter of 2025.
Statistical Database
More information is available in the Statistical Database
Feel free to use the facts from this statistical news but remember to state Source: Statistics Sweden.