Greenhouse gas emissions fell in 2024 due to growth in wind power

Emissions fell from the previous year

According to preliminary data, total emissions in 2024 without the land use sector fell by five per cent from the previous year and were 46 per cent lower than in 1990. Total emissions do not include land use sector emissions and removals, unless separately mentioned.

The land use sector was a source of emissions in 2024, as was the case in 2018 and in 2021 to 2023. Taking that sector into account would translate into total emissions of 49.0 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent in 2024.

Development of emissions by sector

The energy sector was the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Finland in 2024. According to preliminary data, it accounted for 68 per cent (26.7 million tonnes of CO₂ eq.) of total emissions. The sector's emissions went down by six per cent (1.8 million tonnes of CO₂ eq.) from the previous year and have halved from the emissions level of 1990. The trend of emissions in the sector has been falling since 2010. The most significant emission sources in the energy sector are the energy industry, domestic transport, and manufacturing and construction.

The decrease in emissions in the energy sector in 2024 was caused by reduced use of hard coal and peat: emissions from hard coal combustion decreased by 1.0 million tonnes and emissions from peat combustion by 0.6 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent from the year before. This was due to growth in production of renewable energy, especially wind power, and increased net imports of electricity.

Emissions from domestic transport were 9.6 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent and they increased by two per cent from the previous year mainly because of the fallen biofuel share of liquid transport fuels. More information about the development of energy consumption is available from the review of the statistics on energy supply and consumption to be released on 16 December 2025.

Emissions from the industrial processes and product use sector (incl. F-gases) made up around 12 per cent (4.6 million tonnes of CO₂ eq.) of total emissions in 2024 and they decreased by six per cent (0.3 million tonnes of CO₂ eq.) from the previous year. Compared to 1990, emissions from industrial processes and product use have decreased by 14 per cent (0.7 million tonnes of CO₂ eq.). In 2024, emissions in the mineral industry decreased by 23 per cent (0.2 million tonnes of CO₂ eq.) from the previous year, which was mainly due to the decrease in the production volume of cement. In the chemical industry, emissions fell by four per cent and in the metal industry, emissions remained on level with the previous year.

According to preliminary data, emissions of F-gases (HFC and PFC compounds and SF₆) formed close on two per cent (0.6 million tonnes of CO₂ eq.) of total emissions in 2024 and they fell by 12 per cent compared to 2023. In particular, the transition to natural or alternative refrigerants has decreased F-gas emissions in the past ten years. Emissions from the use of refrigeration and air conditioning equipment account for over 90 per cent of the emissions of F-gases.

Emissions from the agricultural sector amounted to 6.2 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent, which corresponded to around 16 per cent of total greenhouse gas emissions in 2024. Emissions remained on level with the year before. Emissions in the main emission categories, that is, emissions from enteric fermentation, manure management and agricultural soils, remained almost of the same size as in the previous year: The changes were around one per cent.

Emissions from agriculture have decreased by 20 per cent compared to 1990. The main reason behind the fall in emissions is the decrease in the use of chemical fertilisers. In addition, emissions have fallen due to development of agriculture, in which the number of farms has fallen, the farm size has grown and the number of livestock has fallen. The decreased number of livestock has diminished emissions from enteric fermentation and N₂O emissions from manure management. The reduction in manure spread on fields has reduced soil emissions from cropland. The increase in liquid manure pits has reduced nitrous oxide emissions from manure management but increased methane emissions. The cultivated land area of organic soil types, peatlands, has been growing, which has contributed to the increase in nitrous oxide emissions from soil. The reduction in liming has decreased emissions compared to the 1990 level.

The share of emissions from the waste sector was four per cent (1.6 million tonnes of CO₂ eq.) of total emissions in 2024 and emissions decreased by one per cent from the level of 2023. Emissions from the waste sector have decreased by 69 per cent from 1990. The main reason for decreased emissions from the waste sector has been the reduction in methane emissions from landfills because of amendments to the waste legislation.

Land use sector a significant net emission source

In 2024, the land use, land-use change and forestry sector (LULUCF) was a net emission source that was 2.9 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent bigger than in the previous year, the sum of emissions and removals being 9.8 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent.

Forest land in the land use sector was a small net sink (0.1 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent), which was 3.5 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent lower in 2024 than in the year before. This was particularly due to the decreased accumulation of carbon into the growing stock, mineral soil and forest litter, as well as the increase in carbon dioxide emissions from organic soil and its litter. The roundwood removals and total drain in 2024 were one per cent bigger than in the previous year, which influenced the accumulation of carbon in tree biomass. For mineral soils the falling trend of the litter input lowered the accumulation of carbon into soil and litter. Emissions from soil and litter continued to increase in drained peatlands, as temperatures during the growing season have continued to rise over the long term, accelerating the decomposition of peat in the soil.

The accumulation of carbon in the growing stock and, on the other hand, the release of carbon from soil and litter was almost of equal size in peatland forests, but taking into account methane and nitrous oxide emissions from peatland soil confirms peatland forests as an emission source of around 2.4 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent. Mineral forests were a net sink of around 2.6 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent. According to the latest, revised calculations, forest land has been a net sink throughout the time series. The level of the net sink has been around 30 to 40 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent from 1990 to 2015, after which it has diminished considerably.

Cropland was a significant emission source (8.4 million tonnes of CO₂ eq.) in 2024, where the majority of emissions, 7.0 million CO₂ tonnes, originated from the soil of peatland-based fields. Harvested wood products were a net sink of 2.1 million CO₂ tonnes, which was 0.5 million CO₂ tonnes more than in the year before.

According to the latest estimates, the land use sector in its entirety has been a net emission source in 2018 and in 2021 to 2024. The reduction of the sector's sink starting from the 2010s and later the transformation into a source of emissions have been affected by many factors, the most important of which being the increase in fellings, reduction in the annual increment i.e. in tree growth and growth in soil emissions. Further information about the results of the land-use sector and the improvements in the inventory calculations made to this release can be found in Luke's release (in Finnish).

Emissions in the effort sharing sector

Total emissions (excl. land-use sector) are divided in EU reporting into emissions from the EU's general Emissions Trading System (ETS1) and emissions in the effort sharing sector. Finland's emissions in the effort sharing sector exceeded the annual emission allocations set by the EU for 2024 by 0.4 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent. Finland's reduction targets and obligations concerning greenhouse gas emissions and their monitoring are described in the review of the statistics published on 15 December 2025 (in Finnish).

Revisions of data

The data in this release are based on more detailed and exhaustive source data and methods than the instant preliminary data released in May 2025. Revisions of data are also described in the review of the statistics on 15 December 2025 (in Finnish). 

Preliminary data released now will become revised in the reporting to the EU in March. The revised data will be published as a database release on 13 March 2026 (see database tables).

Greenhouse gas inventory

Statistics Finland is the national responsible unit of the greenhouse gas inventory. Statistics Finland guides the inventory work and compiles and submits the data to the UN and the European Commission. Statistics Finland (in Finnish), the Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE) and the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke) (in Finnish) participate in the production of the statistical data for the greenhouse gas inventory. Since 2025 Statistics Finland is responsible for the emission calculation for the domestic transport in the energy sector in addition to the emission calculation for the stationary combustion.