EU Industry Carbon Intensity Benchmarks
Explore 10 years of carbon intensity data across 27 EU countries and 80+ industries. Understand where your sector stands and track decarbonization progress.
Data source: Eurostat Environmental Accounts
In brief
You can estimate your industry's carbon intensity using data from Eurostat's environmental accounts, covering 27 EU countries and 80+ industries from 2015 to 2024. Carbon intensity measures greenhouse gas emissions (combined Scope 1 and Scope 2) relative to economic output (tCO2e/EUR million), allowing comparison across industries and countries regardless of company size. The data excludes Scope 3 emissions embedded in imported goods, so it is best used as a benchmark reference rather than a precise company-level estimate.
What is Carbon Intensity?
Carbon intensity measures greenhouse gas emissions per unit of economic output, expressed as tonnes of CO₂ equivalent per million euros (tCO₂e/€M). It's a key metric for comparing the environmental efficiency of different industries and countries, independent of their size.
This data shows total carbon intensity (combined Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions) per unit of economic output. A lower value indicates higher environmental efficiency.
Key Insights
EU-Wide Progress
-39%
Average carbon intensity decrease across EU industries from 2015 to 2024
Highest Intensity Sectors
Energy & Utilities, Air Transport, and Agriculture lead in emissions per economic output
Lowest Intensity Sectors
Financial Services, IT & Software, and Professional Services have the smallest carbon footprint per output
Nordic Leadership
Finland, Sweden, and Denmark consistently perform below EU average due to clean energy mix
Total carbon intensity trend across all EU industries
Carbon Intensity by Industry
Comparison of the highest and lowest carbon intensity industries in the EU (2024 data)
National averages across all industries
Explore Industries
Select any industry to view its EU-wide carbon intensity trend over the past decade
Select an industry above to view its carbon intensity trend
Carbon intensity data is sourced from Eurostat's environmental accounts, measuring greenhouse gas emissions relative to economic output (gross value added) for each industry sector classified according to NACE Rev. 2.
The data covers all 27 EU member states and represents territorial emissions – emissions that occur within each country's borders. It does not include embedded emissions from imported goods (Scope 3). Values are expressed in tonnes of CO₂ equivalent per million euros of output.
Note: Some industry aggregations and calculations have been made for visualization purposes. For official reporting, always refer to original Eurostat data.
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