Canadian System of Environmental–Economic Accounts: Energy use and greenhouse gas emissions, 2023
Released: 2025-12-11
3.99 terajoules per million dollars of real GDP
2023
-1.9% 
(annual change)
0.28 kilotonnes per million dollars of real GDP
2023
-2.6%
(annual change)
61.4 gigajoules
2023
-5.2%
(annual change)
2.8 tonnes
2023
-5.0%
(annual change)
In 2023, Canada's overall energy use decreased by 58,945 terajoules (-0.5%) compared with one year earlier, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions fell 7,002 kilotonnes (kt), representing a 0.9% decrease. Meanwhile, Canada's economy continued to grow in 2023, with real gross domestic product (GDP) by industry increasing 2.0% from 2022.
More than one way to measure greenhouse gas emissions
The GHG emissions estimates in this release are based on the United Nations System of Environmental-Economic Accounting guidelines. The methodology used in these guidelines differs from that used by Environment and Climate Change Canada, which is responsible for producing the official National Inventory Report: Greenhouse Gas Sources and Sinks in Canada. Therefore, these data sets should not be directly compared. For more information on the methodological differences, please see the Note to readers.
Canada's greenhouse gas emissions decrease, while gross domestic product continues to grow
National industrial energy use (+0.05%) was little changed in 2023, while industrial GHG emissions (-0.7%) decreased, signalling a notable shift after two successive years of growth in both measures. In contrast, the Canadian economy, as measured by real GDP, grew 2.0% in 2023 (Chart 1). This marks the first time since 2019 that GHG emissions have decreased while GDP has increased.
Chart 1
Indexed greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and gross domestic product (GDP) at basic prices, all industries, 2009 to 2023
The oil and gas extraction industry remains Canada's top industrial energy user and greenhouse gas emitter
The oil and gas extraction industry remained Canada's top industrial energy user in 2023, accounting for just under one-quarter (23.7%) of Canada's total industrial energy use.
Oil and gas extraction was also the highest GHG-emitting industry from 2009 to 2023, accounting for 29.4% of Canada's total industrial GHG emissions in 2023. Alberta accounted for 79.7% of GHG emissions from this industry in 2023.
Prior to 2014, GHG emissions from the oil and gas extraction industry were growing alongside GDP. However, from 2014 to 2023, the economic contribution of this industry grew by 28.4%, while emissions decreased 9.6% (Chart 2).
Chart 2
Indexed greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and gross domestic product (GDP) at basic prices, for the oil and gas extraction industry, 2009 to 2023
Electric power generation, transmission and distribution industry continues to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
GHG emissions from the electric power generation, transmission and distribution industry (-0.8%) continued to fall in 2023, led by a 24.0% (-1,038 kt) decrease in New Brunswick and a 16.1% (-908 kt) decrease in Nova Scotia.
Over the 2009 to 2023 period, the electric power generation, transmission and distribution industry significantly reduced its GHG emissions nationally, with the largest reductions occurring in Alberta (-25,233 kt; -50.6%), Ontario (-7,899 kt; -47.9%) and Nova Scotia (-5,242 kt; -52.6%). These reductions are largely the result of the industry moving away from coal and toward less GHG-intensive energy sources for the generation of electricity. As a result, this industry's GHG emissions fell by 43.4% nationally from 2009 to 2023, while its GDP rose 17.4% (Chart 3).
Chart 3
Indexed greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and gross domestic product (GDP) at basic prices, for the electric power generation, transmission and distribution industry, 2009 to 2023
Air transportation industry energy use and greenhouse gas emissions continue to gain altitude in 2023
In the wake of the unprecedented disruption to global air travel during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, energy use in the air transportation industry fell by 58.9% year over year in 2020, in tandem with GHG emissions (-58.9%).
These restrictions were substantially eased in 2022, resulting in the industry's energy use (+98.0%) and GHG emissions (+97.7%) almost doubling from 2021 to 2022. This climb continued in 2023, though at a slower pace for both energy use (+13.2%) and GHG emissions (+13.3%).
Households account for over one-fifth of the total energy use in Canada
Households accounted for over one-fifth (21.5%) of Canada's total energy use in 2023 and less than one-sixth (15.4%) of Canada's total GHG emissions, virtually unchanged from one year earlier.
Household GHG emissions per capita decreased by 5.0% to 2.8 tonnes per capita in 2023, following a 2.2% increase in 2022. As in previous years, emissions per capita varied substantially by province and territory in 2023. Saskatchewan (4.1 tonnes) and Prince Edward Island (4.0 tonnes) registered the highest per capita emissions, and Nunavut (0.7 tonnes) registered the lowest (Map 1). Emissions per capita decreased in all provinces and territories relative to 2022, with the exception of Nunavut, which remained stable (Chart 4).
Map 1
Household greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions per capita by province and territory, 2023
Chart 4
Change in household greenhouse gas emissions per capita by province and territory from 2009 to 2023
Top greenhouse gas emitters by province and territory
In 2023, household use of motor fuels and lubricants was the main source of total GHG emissions for four provinces: Prince Edward Island (29.5%), Newfoundland and Labrador (19.8%), Quebec (18.3%) and Ontario (15.8%).
Electric power generation, transmission and distribution was the main source (36.4%) of GHG emissions in Nova Scotia.
The crop and animal production (except cannabis) industry accounted for the largest share (36.1%) of total GHG emissions in Manitoba.
Pulp, paper and paperboard mills were the largest source (17.2%) of GHG emissions in British Columbia. They were also the largest source (23.0%) of emissions in New Brunswick, replacing electric power generation, transmission and distribution (21.1%), which has generally been the province's highest emitter.
The oil and gas extraction industry was the largest GHG-emitting industry in Alberta (53.4%) and Saskatchewan (30.2%) in 2023.
The mining sector was the largest GHG emitter in the territories. Metal ore mining accounted for nearly two-thirds (63.8%) of the GHG emissions in Nunavut and about one-sixth (16.4%) of those in Yukon. Meanwhile, non-metallic mineral mining and quarrying accounted for more than one-fifth (22.4%) of the GHG emissions in the Northwest Territories in 2023.
Note to readers
The basis for the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions estimates presented in this release is Statistics Canada's physical flow accounts (PFA), which record the annual flows of selected natural resources, products and residuals between the Canadian economy and the environment. Data are presented to reflect the activities of industries, households and governments, and they follow the classification system of industries and commodities used in Statistics Canada's supply and use tables. Following the United Nations System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA), the use of this classification system enables the environmental accounts to be integrated with Canada's economic statistics, such as the gross domestic product.
Environment and Climate Change Canada is responsible for producing the official National Inventory Report: Greenhouse Gas Sources and Sinks in Canada. This inventory, which fulfills Canada's reporting obligations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), is consistent with guidelines published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and is the official benchmark for GHG emissions in Canada. National inventories under the UNFCCC and the GHG accounts under the United Nations SEEA are based on different methodological frameworks that result in different GHG emissions estimates; the sector definitions used to create the two products differ and thus the products should not be directly compared. For more information on the methodological differences, see the Canadian System of Environmental-Economic Accounts - Physical Flow Accounts metadata page and the GHG emissions webpage of the Canadian Centre for Energy Information.
Preliminary data for 2023 from the PFA are now available for national energy use (38-10-0096-01) and national, provincial and territorial GHG emissions (38-10-0097-01). Estimates for 2009 to 2022 for both tables have also been updated due to revised source data. Preliminary data for 2023 from the PFA for GHG emissions are now also available on request by gas type for Canada, the provinces and the territories. Gas types included are carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O), in CO2 equivalents.
The products "Physical flow account for energy use: Interactive tool" and Physical flow account for greenhouse gas emissions: Interactive tool," both part of the series Statistics Canada – Data Visualization Products (71-607-X), are also available. For the latest in energy information in Canada, visit the Canadian Centre for Energy Information website.
Contact information
For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).
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