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The 10 Best Travel Pill Cases of 2024

These are the best pill cases ranging from a one day to one month supply.

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Travel + Leisure / David Hattan

Nothing can throw you out of a routine quite like travel. Often that’s a good thing. Traveling allows for the spontaneity of exploration, and removing the push and pull of a daily grind can feel liberating.

But in some cases, losing the normalcy of your day-to-day life can disrupt important tasks like taking your vitamins and important medications. When you’re away from home, jet lagged, or off your normal schedule, forgetting to take an essential prescription, supplement, or vitamin can be a liability for your health.

A pill case is a must for anyone who needs to take any kind of medication while on the go, and ideal travel options are compact and secure so no tablets wriggle loose. We’ve selected the best ones to fit a range of capsule quantities and sizes, including a surprisingly stylish top pick with clever design features.

Best Overall

Port & polish am/pm pill organizer.

It can fit a week’s worth of medication with clear separation for morning and evening doses.

The mirror feature may feel unnecessary to some.

Too many pill cases we considered appeared the same: made from cheap-looking plastic in what was, essentially, the standard Monday to Sunday pill cases we remember watching our grandparents tote around (just in brighter colors.)

This Port & Polish case feels modern, and is an upgraded version of their tried-and-true weekly case with the addition of AM and PM slots for twice daily medications. It more closely resembles a cosmetics compact than a piece of medical equipment, and depending where you purchase it, comes in either blush, black, or mint green. The addition of a mirror means it doubles as a compact for on-the-go touch-ups. While that feature might not appeal to all, it’s an added perk that made it stand out from the rest.

The Details: 7.5 x 4.5 x 1 inches | BPA-free plastic | 7 compartments

Best Weekly

Auvon imedassist weekly pill organizer.

The clearly labeled and color-coded compartments fit all pill sizes, and the push-button spring design makes it easy to open and close. 

There are no separate compartments for morning and evening doses.

Unlike many other Monday through Sunday pill cases, this spring-assisted design can be open or closed with one hand so it’s easy to operate on the go. All lids are colorful and clearly marked, and the compartments are large enough to fit eight fish oil pills or 12 large vitamins, if needed. We also like how the compact plastic case is BPA-free and also includes a 12-month warranty.

The Details: 8.84 x 2.1 x 1.04 inches | BPA-free plastic | 7 compartments

Most Compact

Ppfish portable daily pill case.

This case is about the size of your thumb and comes in unique colors like rose gold and bright green.

Given its diminutive size, the container will only fit small pills like aspirin, ibuprofen, and small vitamins. 

Made from anodized aluminum, this case is our top option for those who travel with just a few small pills but don’t want to sacrifice style. 

With a diameter of just one inch, it's similar in size to a small lip balm. The case is waterproof with a rubber O-ring to protect its contents, and we like how it could be used for other small valuables such as rings, earrings, and earplugs. The color options are also more interesting than others we saw at this size and price, including matte black aluminum and (our favorite) rose gold.

The Details: 3.15 x 2.13 x 0.91 inches | Anodized aluminum | 1 compartment

HRX Pill Box Case

All seven compartments pop out in case you want to carry just the day’s doses (and then tuck away nicely inside a carrying case).

If you take medication more than twice a day, you’ll need a case with more compartments.

Sometimes, a one-a-day isn’t enough, and there are pills that must be taken in the morning, night, or both. This case makes it easy to stock up on twice-daily meds with compartments that are split into two separate spaces so there’s no forgetting a dose. 

The color-coded, translucent containers made from BPA-free plastic are clearly labeled for the time of day, and are small enough to individually fit in your pocket. Each canister pops into a case that holds all seven containers in place so there’s no worry about them falling out and rolling around inside a bag or suitcase. The organizer is under $10, making it one of the most budget-friendly options on this list.

The Details: 3.98 x 2.52 x 1.81 inches | Plastic | 14 compartments

Best Multi-pack

Qeedy 4-pack pill organizer.

This set comes with four waterproof cases and a package of labels so you can customize the organizer to each person’s individual needs.  

The compartments come in different sizes, so large pills might not fit in smaller spaces.

This set of four cases is great for a family who needs one case per person. Each organizer has eight compartments, and a set of blank labels are included so you can label the case, by pill type, dosage time, or day of the week. 

The cases are small enough — about the size of a credit card — to fit in a pocket, purse, or small bag, and made from BPA-free plastic with a silicone ring and a snap-shut lock for a secure seal. Unlike other cases, the compartments are different sizes, which can be a pro or a con depending on your family’s specific needs.

The Details: 7.17 x 4.76 x 2.95 inches | BPA-free plastic | 8 compartments each

Best Luxury

Ikigai weekly pill case.

Sleekly designed for minimalists, this case offers customized engravings, and is small enough to pack away anywhere you wish.

If you want to pack large vitamins, take twice daily doses, or are traveling for longer than a week, you’ll have to upgrade to a larger model.

Forget brightly-colored plastic or large carrying cases. This streamlined option made from anodized aluminum is a minimalist’s dream with clean-cut edges and hidden storage. 

But despite a demure design, the features are thoughtful. Made of a corrosion-resistant material, the case features a traction pad that makes it slide open with ease and comes in a slew of vivid colors and engraving options to imprint days of the week or your name across the front. And, with a lifetime warranty, consider this the last pill case you’ll ever buy.

The Details: 7.25 x 1.75 x 0.75 inches | Anodized aluminum | 7 compartments

Best Customizable

Cadence the originals set.

These aesthetically-pleasing containers are as functional as they are beautiful.

It costs extra to print words on the removable tiles if not included in the premade options.

This set of cases might be the most attractive, multi-use option we considered. Each capsule is magnetic and links up with others to form a unique honeycomb-like design. They’re leakproof, reusable, and impressively customizable with smaller and larger options as well as this original 1.32-ounce size.

In addition to the variety of calming colors they come in like eucalyptus, terracotta, and petal, each capsule features a removable top tile that can be customized to specify its contents. Choose premade icons that designate pills or day and night, or you can custom print the exact medication name or day of the week for an additional $2. These personalization options beat out anything else we saw and the multipurpose functionality — like transporting travel-size toiletries — adds loads of value.

The Details: BPA-free 20 percent recycled ocean-bound plastic and 30 percent excess manufacturing material | One compartment per Capsule

Most Stylish

Dosey am pm pill case.

The collection of zippered pouches are housed inside a chic carrier that’s more akin to a toiletry bag or cosmetics case.

Each pouch is zippered shut, so it might not be as secure against leaks as a standard case.

We love this choice for those who find a standard plastic case uninspiring. Instead, this case has zippered pouches that are housed inside a cosmetics train case-inspired carrier. It's also made from cruelty-free vegan leather with a velvet lining and wrist strap, and available in colors like sage, lilac, latte, and more. It comes with Monday through Sunday and AM and PM labels so there’s no confusion between pouches.

Use the 14 pouches for one week's worth of twice daily doses, two weeks for once daily regimens, or up to 30 pills to use as needed on your trip. 

The Details: 5 x 4 x 5 inches | Vegan leather | 14 EVA plastic pouches

Best for Long Trips

Auvon monthly pill organizer.

This color-coded organizer fits pills of all sizes for four weeks inside one larger carrying case so everything stays together. 

Since the case is intended to carry 28 doses of medication, it is bulky for a small bag.

For travels that extend beyond a week — lucky you! — a case that can hold doses for longer periods of time is a must. This organizer holds pills for four weeks, or 28 days, in clearly labeled and color-coded compartments that are roomy enough to fit large pills such as fish oil capsules. 

Each individual week can pop out on its own, so you can use those for shorter trips without bringing the entire kit, or you can use this option to bring pills for an entire family instead. We also like the accompanying case, which has a silicone seal to protect against moisture, and snaps closed to safely secure all medications.

The Details: 8.7 x 5.6 x 1.4 inches | BPA-free plastic | 28 compartments

Best for Backups

Restree weekly pill organizer 4 times per day.

This case is ideal for anyone who takes pills up to four times a day, or wants the security of traveling with extra spots for backup pills. 

It’s larger than other seven-day organizers. 

If you take pills more than twice a day, you’ll need a case with space beyond the daily, AM, or PM compartments. This weekly organizer holds medications of all sizes for up to four daily doses, and each individual day-of-the-week case can pop in and out. 

But the real standout feature to us was the additional box labeled for backup pills. Use it for a fourth dose or pack with extra pills, since, despite our best intentions, it’s still possible to lose medications. Bringing a surplus of each kind is the safest way to avoid a snafu while away from home.

The Details: 9.4 x 5.9 x 1.4 inches | BPA-free plastic | 28 compartments

Tips for Buying Pill Cases for Travel

Determine how many pills you need to travel with before selecting a case.

Your personal medical regimen should be the main deciding factor when selecting a pill case. Consider factors like trip duration, the number of daily medications needed, dosing times, and pill sizes before selecting a case.

For example, if you take pills twice daily, we wouldn’t suggest a seven-compartment option with no separation for AM and PM, no matter how much you like the style. Likewise, think about how long you’ll be traveling and make sure your case’s compartments match up to fit enough pills for the number of days you’ll be away.

Consider how much space your pills need

Pill cases are not one size fits all. An organizer might have every feature you want, but if you take large vitamins or fish oil capsules that won’t fit inside, the case will quickly become obsolete. Make sure to look for a case with slots that will either fit your specific pills, or can adjust, should your medications change in the future.

Look for cases that are accessible

If you experience swollen fingers, tremors, or have arthritis, be sure to select a pill case with accessible features. For example, a push-button, spring-assisted design will be easier to open and close with the touch of a finger than a snap-shut lid.

Anyone can use a pill organizer, and many are multipurpose enough to hold other items. However, anyone who needs to take a pill on a scheduled basis would benefit greatly from using a pill case, especially while traveling. A pill organizer keeps medications of any kind organized so you never accidentally skip it, or alternatively, take too much.

Different countries have different regulations regarding medication. If you plan to travel internationally and will be carrying prescription medication in a pill case instead of the container it came in from the pharmacy, it's a good idea to bring a copy of the prescription from your healthcare provider to avoid possible confusion with customs or local authorities. And no matter how you travel with medication, be sure to research the rules for medications where you're visiting to confirm if they may legally enter the country.

Just because a case is designed or marketed to hold medication doesn’t mean you can’t use it for other items. Many cases are multipurpose and can hold items such as jewelry, earplugs, or small valuables. Depending on the case you purchase, you might use it to store lotion, shampoo, conditioner, serums, cleanser, or other liquid beauty or toiletry products, too. Just make sure the case is airtight and leak proof in those instances.

TSA regulations allow passengers to bring medications kept within a pill case onboard in a carry-on. It is not required to keep medication in its original labeled packaging when traveling within the United States. You can also pack pill cases in your checked baggage, though we’d advise against that in the event of baggage delays. If you’re bringing liquid medications in quantities larger than TSA's allotted 3.4 ounces, be sure to alert the TSA security officer when you start the screening process. 

Why Trust Travel + Leisure

Travel + Leisure contributor Emily Hochberg is a veteran travel and lifestyle writer and editor who vacations frequently with her family and researched dozens of pill cases to find the best options for traveling with supplements, vitamins, and medications.

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This $6 Amazon Essential Keeps My Medications and Vitamins Organized When I Travel

By Meaghan Kenny

All products featured on Condé Nast Traveler are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

The one essential I keep in my carry-on no matter where I'm headed or for how long: a travel pill case from Amazon. The best travel pill cases are compact, secure, and easy to open on the go, and mine checks all the boxes. 

I used to bring the entire bottle of my daily medication in my carry-on and put loose vitamins in a plastic seal top bag—needless to say, this wasn't the best use of space (or single-use plastic). A year ago, I purchased a $6 travel pill case to save some packing room , stay more organized, and have something I could reuse trip after trip . Since then, it's been a packing non-negotiable for me and has made taking my medications, vitamins, and supplements while I'm traveling easier than ever. 

It's nearly impossible to stick to your normal routine when traveling. While I don't mind missing a few workouts or healthy meals on the road, I do want to stay on top of taking my supplements and vitamins every day. This sleek, portable case has eight separate compartments that hold everything I need for a week's vacation in one place and make it easy to track what I'm taking. It features two separate sections: One side with six small chambers for storing daily pills and a second side with two larger chambers that holds capsules and vitamins. Having a pill case with compartments of varied size makes it easy to pack as many pills as you need and organize them however you'd like. I use the smaller chambers for my daily allergy pills and the larger chambers to store emergency essentials that I like to have on hand, like Advil ,   Benadryl , and Tums . 

The size of this travel pill organizer is perfect for most trips I take. The compartments are spacious enough to hold at least a week's worth of pills, but the case is still compact enough to fit in my Dopp kit (for reference, it's smaller than an iPhone). I've packed this pill organizer on numerous trips and it's never opened while in transit or spilled any of my items. To secure each chamber, simply snap the plastic top down. After filling the compartments with your medication, snap the two sides of the case together and toss it in your carry-on . 

Something I love about this travel pill case compared to others on the market is its sleek design. When it's closed, no one would ever know you have a week's worth of supplements on hand. And of course, the price is right. This $6 travel essential from Amazon has accompanied me on short weekend getaways to the Catskills , a 10-day European cruise , and countless business trips —and I plan to bring it with me wherever I'm headed next.

If you're worried about carrying a pill case through airport security, rest assured that travelers are allowed to bring their prescription medications and over-the-counter supplements with them. TSA allows travelers to bring medication in pill or solid form in carry-ons and checked baggage—so you can bring your pill case no matter what bag you're packing. 

While I love traveling with this case, there are plenty of great options on the market with high ratings and glowing reviews. Below, a few more of the best travel pill cases that we recommend bringing on your next getaway.

More travel pill cases we recommend: 

Best day-by-day organizer

This best-selling pill organizer has over 57,000 five-star ratings on Amazon. It has two separate compartments for each day of the week with clear AM and PM labels, so you'll always remember if you took your medication or not. While it's designed for everyday use, it also doubles as a travel organizer for longer trips. If you're looking for an everyday pill box that will keep you on track or are headed on a two-week vacation, this one's for you.

Best for organizing by AM/PM

Another Amazon bestseller is this weekly pill case with AM and PM labels. Each day of the week has its own portable, pocket-size case that can be removed from the box and carried on its own for day trips or hikes . 

Most compact organizer

If you prefer something a little more discreet, this daily pill box has a simple yet polished design. The slim, lightweight organizer slides open and locks into place when you close it, so there's no need to worry about any of your pills falling out. Inside, there's a separate compartment labeled for each day of the week. 

Another very compact option

This small pill box fits in just about any purse or fanny pack you're bringing on your next adventure. It features four separate compartments that each fit several capsules or vitamins, making it an ideal choice for weekend trips when you need two to four days' worth of medications. 

Best multipurpose organizer

Cadence capsules are one of our editors' favorite reusable toiletry bottles , but they're versatile enough to neatly store pills, too. I keep a few emergency Tums stacked in one of these airtight, leakproof capsules in my tote bag at all times. 

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The 10 Best Travel Pill Organizers in 2023 [Detailed Guide]

Amar Hussain

Senior Content Contributor

765 Published Articles

Countries Visited: 63 U.S. States Visited: 9

Keri Stooksbury

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Things To Consider in Travel Pill Organizers

1. foldable travel pill organizer with am/pm labels, 2. eco-friendly travel pill organizer, 3. drawer-style compact weekly pill organizer, 4. weekly pill planner for travels, 5. portable daily pill case box, 6. pack of 4 small pill organizers for travel, 7. daily pill organizer with folding design, 8. pill dispenser supplement case, 9. ultimate pill container for daily doses, 10. weekly pill container set, final thoughts.

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If you are planning a trip or vacation and need to bring any prescription pills along, there’s no better solution than a travel pill organizer. With a travel pill organizer, not only can you have a reminder to take your pills on time, but you can also conveniently carry them all in 1 small package.

It might seem like a straightforward thing, but travel pill organizers can sometimes get messy if you don’t pick the right one. To give you some perspective for finding a suitable organizer for your medicine, we’ll give you detailed instructions on what to look for and our top picks.

When choosing a travel pill organizer, you should focus on a few crucial features. Some organizers have separate compartments with labels to help you take your medicine at specific times or on specific days based on your prescription. Other pill organizers have larger compartments that can fit multiple pills or larger pills like vitamins and supplements.

It’s also crucial that you go for a pill organizer with a design that allows easy and swift opening while still preserving your medicine. Here are the main things you should look for before making a purchase:

Labeled Compartments

If you have weekly prescription pills, you could benefit from a pill organizer that comes with labeled compartments. These organizers usually include separate compartments for every day of the week to help you get organized a bit better and more efficiently.

Bottom Line: Some organizers will only have daily labels, while others have compartments with personalizable labels that you can mark with the medicine name or other prescription details.

Easy To Open

Travel pill organizers shouldn’t be too complicated — they just need to have an easy-to-open design . Some might even use buttons to pop the organizer open.

This feature is particularly helpful for the elderly, those with arthritis, or people with other mobility issues. The whole point of this type of design is to keep your pills in 1 place without having to bother too much just to reach into the compartments.

Compartment Size

Of course, you can find different sizes of travel pill organizers, but whether you go for a larger or smaller one could make a huge difference for you. For example, if you just need to store pills or pills that you’ll be taking over the course of a few days, you can go with compact options.

Still, there are also organizers with larger compartments that can fit fish oil capsules and vitamins as well as other larger pills. The compartment size should be based on your prescription pills, their size, and how often you take them .

Time Labels

Along with the compartment labels to designate the pill type and medicine name, you should also look for compartments with a time label. You can fill out this label with your pill schedule based on your prescription so that you never miss taking your medicine on time.

These markings can also be found on the small containment bags that some pill organizers have instead of compartments.

The 10 Best Travel Pill Organizers

Here are our top picks for the best travel pill organizers. We’ve considered some of the most important aspects to look for based on the recommendations above, as well as different organizer types and sizes to suit everyone’s needs.

Lewis N. Clark AM/PM Folding Pill Organizer

If you are looking for a foldable and compact option for a travel pill organizer, the Lewis N. Clark pouch makes a great pick. It’s designed for prescription pills with AM/PM designation, and it has labels for every small pill bag included and red and blue markings so you never miss taking your medicine.

With 16 small pouches in a set, you can easily fit and carry both smaller pills and larger vitamins and supplements. It’s also lightweight since it’s made of polyester, and it has a Velcro opening for swift access to your pills. The addition of a medical reference card makes it a perfect choice for people who take prescription medicine.

As we’ve already mentioned, this organizer will also save you some space as it’s compact enough to fit into any large-sized pocket, pouch, or travel bag .

What We Like

• Well-organized and can be easily labeled for prescription pills

What We Don’t Like

• Plastic medicine containment bags

Vera Bradley Travel Pill Organizer

As a recycled material travel pill organizer, the Vera Bradley pill case comes with a small box for every day of the week and an extra box that can be used for vitamins. It’s equally efficient for packing prescription pills and vitamins or supplements, and it’s made of 100% eco-friendly, recycled cotton and plastic .

This organizer’s lightweight and easily fits into a backpack or a travel bag without taking up much space. Another thing worth pointing out is that the individual pillboxes can be snapped shut to provide maximum security and prevent spillage.

The plastic box material is also odorless and provides a safe environment for storing pills and prescription drugs while traveling.

• Recycled materials
• Doesn’t have labeled pill compartments

7-Day Pretty Pillbox Wide Weekly Pill Organizer

Perhaps the best compact option for a pill organizer is a 7-day pretty pillbox with a drawer-style compartment. It’s wide enough to let you pull out the small pill drawer with its 7 compartments, 1 for every day of the week. It’s also sleek and small enough to fit into any backpack or travel bag, measuring at just 6.5 inches in length and 1.5 inches in width .

It’s also a fairly stylish option as it’s beautifully designed to be both pretty and useful. There’s a side button that you can slide to pull out the pill drawers, which locks in place, keeping the drawer closed while the organizer is in your travel backpack.

There’s even an extra storage unit at the end perfect for vitamins that you can access by pulling the drawer from the other end.

• Ultimate space-saving option
• Doesn’t have day or time labels

EZY DOSE Weekly AM/PM Pill Organizer Vitamine and Medicine Box

EZY DOSE has made one of the best pill organizers and containers for travelers with a double set of 7 containment compartments in a row. This way, you have 2 rows you can use, making it a perfect option for couples or if you have multiple pill prescriptions.

The boxes are labeled by the days of the week and are blue on 1 side and purple on the other to make it easier to differentiate between the 2. It’s also available in smaller or larger sizes, so you can pick the option that suits you the best based on your prescription.

Each box is able to hold up to 25 smaller pills or capsules like aspirin and up to 4 large fish oil-sized tablets . You can even remove boxes if you don’t need all of them at your disposal, and the snap closure locks the pills in place while you are traveling.

• Large capacity pillbox with removable compartments
• A large-size box might be a bit bulky

MEACOLIA Travel Pill Organizer Moisture Proof Pill Box

An extremely useful portable solution for a travel pill organizer is this travel pillbox. This organizer is made of eco-friendly material since it’s made of cereal fiber and food-grade plastic with a bit of a silicone blend. Due to the 4.3 x 3.5-inch size, it easily fits into the palm of your hand or your pocket.

This organizer has a triple layer of protection for your pills which also prevents them from getting all mixed up while in the box. There are 2 large compartments on 1 side and 6 smaller compartments on the other , along with blank paper labels you can personalize to fit your needs.

Each small box can fit at least a few pills, while the larger slots can fill larger capsules or tablets like fish oil pills.

• Portable and compact pillbox
• Smaller compartments can’t fit larger pills

Muchengbao Store 4 Pack Pill Case

This travel pill organizer set is designed to fit a whole family during vacations and short trips. It comes with 4 plastic boxes, each one able to fit both prescription pills and larger vitamins thanks to their 6 small compartments and 4 larger ones.

This organizer easily fits into your pocket and makes a perfect travel option due to its perfect space-consuming to usability ratio. Each box is just 3.8 x 2.5 inches, and every compartment can at least a few pills.

It’s made of a polypropylene and plastic blend and comes in a variety of colorful options , so it can help motivate your children to take their vitamins regularly while on the road.

• A single solution suitable to fit a whole family
• Not all compartments fit larger pills

FYY Daily Pill Organizer with 7 Compartments Portable Pill Case

While it might be a bit feminine in terms of design, this pillbox is still a perfect and universal option for storing pills while traveling. It comes with 7 different compartments, with each one able to fit a few pills, and it’s designed to perfectly fit into a purse, handbag, or a travel backpack.

This organizer has 1 large capacity unit for larger pills and 6 smaller compartments. Thanks to its folding design, it takes up very little space, and it’s quite easy to use and open up to access your pills. The snap and magnetic lock help you keep your pills safe and sound while traveling, as well as prevent mixing them up.

• Foldable magnetic snap pillbox
• Mostly designed to fit women’s purses and handbags

Travel Pill Container Box for Purse

With a design that resembles a small lunchbox, this pill containment pack will serve you well while on the road. It’s a plastic pill container with a double-lock on the lids that stay open as you unfold the pack to arrange or take your medication.

It comes with 3 large compartments and 4 smaller ones, and it has both a double lock and a waterproof design. As for its storage capacity, this pill organizer can hold up to 8 fish oil capsules and 14 smaller pills in each large compartment.

With its durable construction and customizable stickers that you can use to label your pills, this option is a perfect choice for travelers.

• Double-lock system for keeping pills safe
• No built-in AM/PM marks

AUVON Canvas Bag Weekly Pill Organizer

This canvas pill container has everything you need for a week-long journey if you have to take daily prescription medicine. It’s suitable for longer travels due to its large compartments for each day of the week, each one with markings and an individual snap opening.

Made of premium and durable canvas that should last for years to come, and with its double protection and camouflage design, this container is designed to withstand more than 9,000 uses and snaps, so it can be used as a long-term solution for pill storage.

With an internal waterproof cortex layer and grid bags that can hold a prescription list, it has everything you need in a complete travel set.

• Complete pill set with separate containers
• Specific washing instructions

PERFORMORE 2 Pack of Portable Weekly 7-Day Pill Organizers

If you’re looking for a daily pill container set, you won’t be able to pass up this portable medicine organizer. It comes in a pack of 2 weekly sets that can be customized and are already daily labeled. It also weighs in at just 3.2 ounces, so you can easily bring it along on any travel or road trip.

The simple design is complete with quick-release buttons that are easily triggered so you can quickly unlock each compartment, however, once you lock the quick-release button, it needs to be firmly pressed to release again, so you’re pills are nice and secure.

Every container has enough space to fit up to 12 standard pills or 8 large fish oil capsules, and there are 7 slots in each pack.

All of this makes it a perfect option for travel if you don’t want your pills to spill out all over your travel bag. The total of 14 compartments in 2 separate packs also makes it an outstanding family travel solution.

• Set of 2 packs with quick-release compartments
• Looks a bit basic

Ultimately, a good travel pill organizer can help you take your medication on time without missing a single pill. Most of the options listed here are large enough to fit multiple pills while also managing to be compact,  so they don’t take up much space in your travel bag or backpack.

We hope that our top picks can serve as a good starting place to help you find the best-suited organizer for you and your family during your travels.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do pillboxes work for travel.

Travel pill organizers can help you arrange your medication properly and serve as a reminder of when you need to take your pills. With a pillbox, you can organize your medicines easily without having to worry about them getting mixed up in your travel bag or missing a prescription.

Do pill organizers come with pill labels?

You can find travel pill organizers that come with blank pill labels included in the set or AM/PM marks and pre-labeled daily prescription organizer compartments.

How many pills can fit into a pill organizer?

You can usually fit a daily dose of prescription pills or at least a few larger vitamin pills and fish oil pills in a single pill organizer compartment.

Can you mix up pills in a travel organizer?

If you’re careful, you shouldn’t have to worry about mixing up your pills in a travel organizer. You can use the different compartments in a pillbox to prevent mixing up the medicine. It’s also usually safe to store different pills together as long as you label everything properly.

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About Amar Hussain

Amar is an avid traveler and tester of products. He has spent the last 13 years traveling all 7 continents and has put the products to the test on each of them. He has contributed to publications including Forbes, the Huffington Post, and more.

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7 travel pill cases to keep your meds organized

Whether you are going on a trip or just need a way to keep your medications straight, a travel pill case can help. “They keep you organized so you can more easily remember to take your medications as prescribed each day,” says Dr. Karla Robinson , a board-certified family physician and medical editor at GoodRx.  “They can also help you keep track of medication you’ve already taken for the day, to prevent taking extra doses by mistake.” 

Travel pill cases or organizers can especially be helpful on a trip because they are easier to pack than multiple pill bottles, says Robinson. Don’t take prescription medication? They can also be used for supplements and vitamins. 

SKIP AHEAD How we picked the best travel pill cases | The best travel pill cases of 2024 | How to shop for a travel pill case

Selected Our top picks.

select 34 top-rated Amazon travel accessories for your next trip

How we picked the best travel pill cases.

The right travel pill case for you will have to do with your specific needs. However, the experts we spoke with did say there are some universal things that everyone should look for. Those characteristics include: 

• Delineated compartments: Most travel pill cases come with different areas to hold at least a week’s worth of medication and our experts recommend paying close attention to the way those compartments are situated. Look for clearly delineated compartments for each day if you take medication once a day or enough compartments for multiple times of day (morning, noon, evening, bedtime) if you take things at different times over 24 hours, says Alice Benjamin, a nurse practitioner and founder of the lifestyle website Ask Nurse Alice . 
• Closing mechanism: If you plan on traveling with your pill case, chances are it may get jostled around your suitcase. “Ensure your pill case has a secure closure mechanism to prevent accidental spills or openings, which could lead to medication mix-ups,” says Benjamin. “And if you have small children or pets at home, a pill case with a child-resistant or secure locking mechanism is important for safety.”
• Clear labeling: “For people with visual impairments, larger markings, clear labeling or high-contrast design can be very helpful,” says Benjamin. “Some pill cases even have braille or raised text for tactile identification.” Even if you don’t have visual impairments, clear labeling can make it quick and easy to grab the medication you need and go.

The best travel pill cases of 2024

We consulted with medical professionals about what to look for when shopping for a travel pill case. Then, using their guidance, we rounded up highly rated options from top retailers. 

Auvon Weekly Pill Organizer

This case stores up to seven days’ worth of medication and each compartment has a different colored lid and is labeled with the day of the week. Each compartment can hold up to 12 large vitamins and the lids stay firmly shut until you push the button to open them, according to the brand. Because this case has one large compartment for each day, it’s best for people who take all their pills at the same time of day. This option has a 4.8-star average from over 47,800 reviews on Amazon.

Zannaki Metal Travel Pill Organizer 

Zannaki Metal Travel Pill Organizer

This aluminum pill organizer is made up of seven compartments that screw together to form a larger vessel that’s shaped like, well, a big pill. Each compartment is labeled with the day of the week and can hold up to eight fish oil pills or 16 large vitamins, according to the brand. When closed, the compartments are airtight and keep out moisture, according to Zannaki. This pill organizer has a 4.5-star average from over 1,350 reviews on Amazon and comes in six colors — including matte pink , ice blue and midnight black .

Zoksi Weekly Pill Organizer

If you need to take medication or supplements in the morning and then again at night, this pill organizer may be a good option for you. Inside a larger box that locks shut with a plastic clasp sits seven smaller containers that each have two compartments. Each container comes in a different rainbow hue and is labeled with a day of the week on the side. When pulled out and laid flat, each container is split down the middle and can be opened on either side.You can take the larger container if you will be away for a week or can just select a few of the smaller containers if you are taking a shorter trip. This pill organizer has a 4.8-star average from over 8,600 reviews on Amazon. 

Koviuu Weekly Pill Organizer

My husband recently bought this to keep his daily vitamins and supplements in and I love how chic it looks sitting on our bathroom counter. Made from BPA-free plastic, there are seven individual canisters (each labeled with a day of the week) that slot into a larger container to keep them all together and secure. Each canister is shaped like a skinny tube and can be opened from either end. Inside, there is a divider. So, you can put your morning medication in the top and your evening medications in the bottom. The larger container everything fits in has a rotating handle. When closed, it keeps the canisters locked in place and when opened, it props up the container at an angle so you can easily see your canisters. 

Ezy Dose Push Button Pill Case 

Ezy Dose Push Button Pill Case

Made for people who take medications twice a day, this pill case has two removable trays. Each one has seven compartments labeled with the day of the week and one tray has moons on each compartment to denote the medication you take at night, while the other has suns for the medication you take in the morning. Each compartment has a push button that opens it and can fit up to 60 Aspirin, according to the brand. This pill case has a 4.6-star average from over 89,000 reviews on Amazon.

Mossime 2-Pack Weekly Large Pill Organizer

If you need to be able to travel with two weeks’ worth of medications or want to buy a one-week organizer for both you and your significant other, this two-pack is for you. For under $10, you get two separate pill cases that have seven separate compartments, each marked with a day of the week. Each container is a different color, making it easy to differentiate them. The compartments can each hold up to eight large supplements and the lids snap closed, according to the brand. This two-pack has a 4.6-star average from 2,900 reviews on Amazon.

Med-E-Lert Premium Locking Automatic Pill Dispenser

Benjamin recommends a locking pill case for anyone with children and says choosing one with an alarm can be helpful for those who tend to forget to take their medication. This pill case delivers on both fronts. This pill organizer has 28 compartments, which equates to four weeks worth of once-a-day doses or two weeks worth of twice-a-day doses. You can program up to six alarms and set it so that when the alarm goes off, only the medication you are supposed to take at that time is accessible. In between uses, you can lock the case with a key. This case has a 4.3-star average from over 3,200 reviews on Amazon.  

Questions to ask yourself when shopping for a travel pill case

Shopping for a travel pill case is highly personal, as everyone has different needs when it comes to medications and supplements. To ensure you select a travel pill case best suited for you, experts recommend asking yourself these questions. 

What are your storage needs?

If you take only a few pills a day, you may be fine with a smaller case. If you take more medication or need to take things at different times of the day, a larger option with more compartments will serve you better. “That said, if you are traveling, I always recommend packing more than you will technically need,” says Robinson. “That way you are covered if something happens.” With this in mind, selecting something that will fit a bit more than you think you’ll need is wise.

How will you be using your pill case? 

Will you only be using your pill case when you travel? Or do you want something to put on your counter at home so your pills are organized and easy to remember? This may influence your choice. If you are just throwing it in a suitcase, you may not need to worry about aesthetics as much. But if it will be sitting out on your counter, consider something that you won’t mind looking at every day. 

Are your medications light-sensitive? 

The potency of some medications can be impacted if they are exposed to moisture and light, says Benjamin. Since bathrooms can get humid thanks to hot showers, you want a pill case that closes tightly so your medications aren’t exposed to that humid air. If you are taking a medication that shouldn’t be exposed to light, you’ll want to look for an opaque or darkly tinted pill case. In terms of maintaining the integrity of your medications, washing your pill case with soap and water regularly is also important — it ensures you aren’t transferring bacteria or residue to new medication you add in there, says Robinson.

Meet our experts

At Select, we work with experts who have specialized knowledge and authority based on relevant training and/or experience. We also take steps to ensure all expert advice and recommendations are made independently and without undisclosed financial conflicts of interest.

• Dr. Karla Robinson i s a board-certified family physician and medical editor at GoodRx. 
• Alice Benjamin is a nurse practitioner and founder of the lifestyle website Ask Nurse Alice .

Why trust Select?

Bethany Heitman is a contributor at NBC Select and a journalist who regularly covers topics like beauty, home and lifestyle. For this story, she spoke to two medical professionals about what to consider when shopping for a travel pill case.

Catch up on Select’s in-depth coverage of personal finance , tech and tools , wellness and more, and follow us on Facebook , Instagram , Twitter and TikTok to stay up to date.

Bethany Heitman is a contributing editor at NBC Select.

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Keep Your Pills Safe and Secure on the Go With an Ikigai Travel Pill Case!

The hustle and bustle of travel can be hectic, especially when it comes to managing your medications and supplements. The fear of pills getting lost, mixed up, or damaged is real, and that's where the importance of a reliable travel pill organizer comes into play. 

You need a solution that's not just practical but also aligns with your active lifestyle, ensuring that your medications are safe, organized, and accessible at all times. Meet our travel pill cases - your new travel partner for short and long trips alike!

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Find the Perfect Travel Pill Case For Wherever Life Takes You!

With a variety of vibrant colors to choose from and a design that promises both functionality and style, Ikigai Cases ensures that taking your pills on the go is never a hassle again. 

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A: Both leather and LiteHide™ are made from animal hides, however, instead of using a traditional hide preservation process, LiteHide™ uses a more eco-friendly tanning method, eliminating salt and ultimately the salt-rinsing process. As a result, we significantly reduce water usage in the tanning process (validated by a Life Cycle Assessment). Additionally, LiteHide™ helps reduce carbon emissions in transportation as we can increase the material quantity while reducing weight.

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Dinosaur Fossil Pill Organizer, Travel Friendly Portable Compact 7 Day Pill Box with Zipper, Weekly Pill Case to Hold Vitamins Supplements Tablet for Purse Pocket

Purchase options and add-ons, about this item.

• PERFECT SIZE: 5*3.5*2 inches. Airtight, compact, portable and Travel friendly. It fits into your purse, suitcase, backpack, pocket, gym bag which means that you'll able to take it anywhere. The pill case is great for traveling since you can remove or take only the days you need. For on-the-go people, simply pack the vitamins, birth control pill or prescriptions you need into this case.
• LARGE CAPACITY: Contains one main bag, one front pocket, one plastic storage box with an elastic card slot. The main pocket contains one zipper mesh bag and one small pockets, which can hold different granular medicine bags or place some small objects.
• PREMIUM & SAFE MATERIAL: High quality pill is made of twill canvas cloth. Smooth zipper, easy to open and close. Soft polyester material wraps the weekly pill case inside, preventing the plastic pill box from breaking or medicine scattering due to accidental falling, make sure a longer lifespan.
• IDEAL GIFT: We have many designs for you to choose from. Not only as a practical pill organizer boxes, but also as a great decoration for your outfit, perfectly match your backpack or handbags. They are suitable for your family and friends as holiday or birthday gifts to show your care and love.
• MULTIPURPOSE: This pill case is not only medicinal box in handbag, suitcase or backpack, but also as coin purse, jewelry bag, sundries storage bag. Small size, convenient to carry, ideal for daily life or travel, business, sports, gym, camping, family, hotel, etc.

Product Description

TRAVEL PILL CASE

Size: 5 x 3.5 x 2 inches.

Material: Twill canvas cloth bag + plastic box.

8 inner plastic pill boxes. The pill organizer is made of solid food-grade BPA FREE materials to keep you safe.

A main pocket with zipper, inner zipper net pocket, 1 inner insert pocket, which easy to carry more pills and key, etc.

Hook & Loop on the pill case bag back which can be easily hung on your backpack strap.

Unique beautiful pattern print design. We have many beautifully designed pill boxes for you to choose from.

Wide Applications: Our portable pill organizer box can be applied to store pills, vitamins, medicines, first aid, spice, candies, cosmetics, ear buds, ear plugs, etc. or other small items, ideal for travel, work and other outdoor activities.

Perfect Gift: It's a perfect gift for women, men, boys, girls, and seniors. This mini pill wallet fits into backpacks, totes and luggage bags.

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If you have any questions about the pill box you received, please feel free to contact us, we will reply you within 24 hours and make you satisfied.

Product details

• Date First Available ‏ : ‎ September 22, 2022
• Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ cfpolar
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0BG5HJXLS
• Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ China

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CO 2 emission accounts of Russia’s constituent entities 2005–2019

• Huijuan Xiao   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-0787-1576 1 ,
• Weichen Zhao 2 ,
• Yuli Shan   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-5215-8657 3 &
• Dabo Guan   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-3773-3403 2 , 4  

Scientific Data volume  8 , Article number:  172 ( 2021 ) Cite this article

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• Climate change
• Environmental impact

Constituent entities which make up Russia have wide-ranging powers and are considered as important policymakers and implementers of climate change mitigation. Formulation of CO 2 emission inventories for Russia’s constituent entities is the priority step in achieving emission reduction. Russia is the world’s largest exporter of oil and gas combined and the fourth biggest CO 2 emitter, so it’s efforts in mitigating CO 2 emissions are globally significant in curbing climate change. However, the existing emission inventories only present national CO 2 emissions; the subnational emission details are missing. In addition, the emission factors are not country-specific and energy activity data by fossil energy types and sectors are not sufficiently detailed. In this study, the CO 2 emission inventories of Russia and its 82 constituent entities from 2005 to 2019 are constructed. The emission inventories include energy-related emissions with 89 socio-economic sectors and 17 energy types and process-related emissions. The uniformly formatted emission inventories can be a reference for in-depth analysis of emission characteristics and emission-related studies of Russia.

Machine-accessible metadata file describing the reported data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.14798694

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Yi Zhou, Jinyan Zhang & Shanying Hu

Background & Summary

Global climate change has increased risks and impacted on many aspects of nature and human life, such as rising sea levels for low-lying areas, loss of marine species, eroding food security and slowing down economic growth 1 , 2 . Skyrocketing levels of greenhouse gas in recent decades is the main cause of global climate change 3 . Russia is the fourth largest emission contributor in the world, generating up to 1536.9 million tonnes in 2017 4 . Also, because of Russia’ s abundant natural resources, it is not only the third largest oil producer but the second largest gas producer, representing around 12.1% and 17.3% of the world output in 2018, respectively 5 . Russian oil exports and gas exports accounted for 12.8% and 26.3% of the global total in 2018, respectively 5 . Considering Russia’s vast territorial size, large population, energy-intensive economic activities and the important role of fossil fuel production, it could play an important role in mitigating CO 2 emissions and putting the brakes on global climate change. In 2019, Russia formally joined the Paris agreement, which aims to enhance international cooperation to mitigate global climate change 6 .

Russia is composed of oblasts, republics, krais, autonomous okrugs, federal cities and autonomous oblasts, which are equal constituent entities of Russia 7 . As a transcontinental country, Russia stretches across a large expanse of Northern Asia and Eastern Europe. Because constituent entities are different in natural resource endowments, industry structure and socioeconomic development stages 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , each constituent entity should have targeted emission mitigation strategies which are designed according to constituent entities’ unique emission characteristics. Constituent entities have wide-ranging powers and are considered as important policymakers and implementers of climate change mitigation. An accurate formulation of a CO 2 emission inventory for the constituent entities is the priority step in achieving emission reductions in of Russia. Many international institutes also estimated national CO 2 emissions, including the International Energy Agency (IEA) 4 , Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center (CDIAC) 11 , Energy Information Administration (EIA), Emission Database for Global Atmospheric Research (EDGAR) 12 and British Petroleum (BP) 5 . However, the existing emission inventories only measure CO 2 emissions at national level, with subnational emission details missing. The absence of emission data at the subnational level creates a barrier to an in-depth analysis of emission characteristics and targeted mitigation strategies.

As for the emission factors used to calculate CO 2 emissions, Russia’s emission accounting is generally based on the default emission factors recommended by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 13 , which are not country-specific and not representative enough. Also, CO 2 emissions by fossil energy types and sectors are not sufficiently detailed. Some of them only provide Russia’s total emissions, or at best for some key sectors and fossil fuel types. For example, BP only provides the total amount of CO 2 emissions of Russia and the IEA provides emissions only from four energy types (coal, oil, natural gas and other) and nine sectors 4 , 5 .

Considering the large emission data gap at subnational level and sketchy national data, our dataset includes the CO 2 emission inventories of 82 constituent entities and Russia between 2005 and 2019. The emission database is constructed according to detailed socioeconomic sectors and energy types in a uniform format, which presents emissions from 17 energy types and 89 socio-economic sectors. Also, the emission construction method of the 82 constituent entities is consistent with the method of national estimation, which enables multi-scale emission studies and increases comparability. The emission inventories will be updated and published yearly. Our emission inventory is constructed based on country-specific emission factors provided by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE) of Russia 14 . These emission datasets can provide robust data support for follow-up studies of Russia’s emission-related issues and formulation of decarbonization strategies. The emissions dataset can be accessed freely from the China Emission Accounts and Datasets (CEADs, www.ceads.net ).

In general, CO 2 emissions accounting includes three scopes 15 . Scope 1 indicates direct CO 2 emissions generated within a territory, which is also known as territorial-based emissions. Scope 1 accounts for all CO 2 emissions produced within a region boundary, such as emissions from local energy production enterprises 16 , 17 . Scope 2 indicates indirect CO 2 emissions embodied in electricity, steam and heat imported from another territory 15 , 18 . Scope 3 indicates indirect CO 2 emission embodied in products and services which are imported from another territory 15 , 18 . The compilation of CO 2 emissions inventory was constructed according to the IPCC administrative territorial-based accounting scope, that is Scope 1 13 . The impact of international aviation and shipping is not included in our estimation 19 . CO 2 emission inventories consist of two components, as shown in Fig.  1 : energy- and process-related (cement) CO 2 emissions 20 , 21 , 22 . The energy-related emissions suggest the CO 2 emissions generated when burning the fossil fuel 23 , 24 , 25 . Process-related emissions indicate CO 2 emissions produced during the chemical reactions of the industrial process, with the CO 2 emissions converted from industrial raw materials, rather than fossil fuels 23 , 26 , 27 . For example, calcium carbonate can be converted to get CO 2 emissions and calcium oxide when producing cement 28 , 29 , 30 .

The framework of CO 2 emissions inventory construction.

Process-related (cement) CO 2 emissions

The process-related CO 2 emissions are calculated in Eq. ( 2 ).

In Eq. ( 2 ), EF and AD mean and emission factor for cement production released by the MNRE 14 and activity data (cement production level), respectively. Based on the availability of production data, we adopted two approaches to collect the amount of cement production ( AD cement ) of 82 constituent entities, that is direct activity data ( AD Cement–d ) and indirect activity data ( AD Cement–ind ). AD cement–d is collected from 82 constituent entities’ yearbooks, however, only five constituent entities released their cement production data, which are Sverdlovsk Region, Chelyabinsk Region, Bryansk Region, Karachayevo-Chircassian Republic, and Krasnodar Territory. For the other constituent entities, the activity data is obtained indirectly ( AD Cement–ind .) by multiplying the production capacity data (PC) by utilization rate (UR) of each cement plant. As shown in Fig.  1 , we use the point source database of the Russian cement plants from RuCEM 35 , which includes the production capacity of all cement plants in Russia. And then, according to the constituent entities where each cement plant is located, we collected the (UR) of production capacity in these constituent entities, which are available from yearbooks. Therefore, the cement production data of these constituent entities can be obtained by multiplying PC of the cement plant located in each constituent entity by UR in the corresponding year. The CO 2 emissions from cement production belong to ‘Manufacture of other non-metallic mineral products’ sector, as shown in Online-only Table  1 .

Since 2020, yearbooks have not been published officially, only Russia’s national cement production data can be collected in 2019 from CMPRO 36 . We estimate the CO 2 emissions of the constituent entities in 2019 by downscaling from the national level. The downscale factor is based on the share of the CO 2 emissions from the cement production of constituent entities in Russia in 2018. We will update the process-related emissions of 82 constituent entities in 2019 once the related data are available.

Data Records

A total of 2466 data records, including energy-related and process-related emission inventories, are contained in the datasets. The present dataset is made public under Figshare ( https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.13084007.v4 ) 37 . Of these,

972 are energy-related emission inventories by energy types for Russia and 82 constituent entitie from 2005 to 2016 [File ‘2005–2016 Energy-related emissions of Russia and 82 constituent entities’]

249 are energy-related emission inventories by energy types and by sectors for Russia and 82 constituent entities from 2017 to 2019 [Files ‘2017 Energy-related emissions of Russia and 82 constituent entities’, ‘2018 Energy-related emissions of Russia and 82 constituent entities’, ‘2019 Energy-related emissions of Russia and 82 constituent entities’]

1245 are process-related inventories for Russia and 82 constituent entities from 2005 to 2019 [File ‘2005–2019 Process-related emissions (cement) of Russia and 82 constituent entites]

Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area–Yugra, Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Area, and Tyumen Region less autonomous areas are studied as one (Tyumen Region). Similarly, Nenets Autonomous Okrug and Arkhangelsk Region less autonomous area are also studied as one (Arkhangelsk Region). To sum up, 82 constituent entities are included in this study. Because of Ukraine’s political crisis 38 and the Chechen-Russian conflict 39 , the inventory data of the Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol city are only available from 2014–2019, and the data of the Chechen Republic only available from 2009–2019. Therefore, a total of 972 energy-related emission inventories from 2005 to 2016 are recorded. As UISIS released the energy activity data from 2005 to 2016 only by energy types and without detailed sectors, the emission inventory from 2005 to 2016 is demonstrated without sectors 40 . From 2016 to 2019, UISIS released the energy activity data in more detail, indicating the dataset is not only by energy types but by sectors 32 . Therefore, the emission inventory from 2016 to 2019 is shown by both energy types and sectors and a total of 249 energy-related emission inventories from 2017 to 2019 are recorded.

The CO 2 emissions inventories from 2017 to 2019 are matrices with 18 columns and 120 rows, as shown in Figshare 37 . The 18 columns are 17 fossil fuel-related emissions and total emissions (shown in Fig.  2 ). The 120 rows include 89 sectors and the remaining 31 higher level sectors (shown in Fig.  2 ). For example, ‘Section Q: Health and social service activities’ is a higher level sector, which includes two subsectors (‘health service activities’ and ‘social service activities’) and we show the data of both the main sector and its subsectors (shown in Fig.  2 ). Each element of the matrices indicates the CO 2 emissions from the combustion of a certain energy type in the corresponding sector (shown in Fig.  2 ). The units of energy-related emissions and process-related emissions provided are million tonnes. As shown in Fig.  3 , the stacked area chart represents CO 2 emissions from 17 fossil fuels combustion and cement production. The chart shows that Russia’s CO 2 emissions increased in fluctuations from 2005 to 2019, and reached 1549.52 million tonnes in 2019 (shown in Fig.  3 ). Natural gas is the primary source of CO 2 emissions from 2005–2019, accounting for about 37.11% of the total (shown in Fig.  3 ). The proportion of CO 2 emitted from coal combustion is gradually decreasing, from 22.66% in 2005 to 15.57% in 2019, while the share of CO 2 emissions produced by the combustion of petroleum products has increased from 17.45% in 2005 to 21.12% in 2019 (shown in Fig.  3 ). After 2014 the proportion of CO 2 emissions from petroleum product combustion exceeds that of coal as the second source of CO 2 emissions (shown in Fig.  3 ). Overall, Russia’s energy structure is relatively stable from 2005 to 2019 (shown in Fig.  3 ).

Layout of the CO 2 emission inventory.

Russia’s CO 2 emissions 2005–2019, in million tonnes.

Figure 4 presents the CO 2 emissions of 82 constituent entities by sectors in 2019. The 89 sectors are categorized into 16 main sectors for better demonstration and the categorization details can refer to Online-only Table  1 . There was vast regional heterogeneity in CO 2 emissions among the 82 constituents. From Fig.  4 , we find that the Tyumen region is the top emitter among the 82 constituent entities in 2019, contributing around 137.41 million tonnes of CO 2 emissions. This is mainly because the Tyumen region accounts for more than half of Russia’s production of oil, natural and associated gas 41 . The Chelyabinsk region is the second largest emitter in 2019, generating about 119.96 million tonnes of CO 2 emissions, primarily because the Chelyabinsk region is one of the oldest mining bases with abundant mineral resources (shown in Fig.  4 ). Moscow city, the capital of Russia, also produced a relatively large amount of CO 2 emissions, at around 79.05 million tonnes in 2019 (shown in Fig.  4 ).

Top/bottom 10 constituent entities in CO 2 emissions in 2019, in million tonnes. To save space, we use the abbreviation name of the 82 constituent entities based on the standard of International Organization for Standardization (ISO 3166–2) (shown in Online-only Table  2 ).

The dynamic changes of CO 2 emissions of 82 constituent entities from 2005 to 2019 can be found in Online-only Table  3 and Fig.  5 . Based on the colors shown in Fig.  5 , the Tyumen region and the Chelyabinsk region were the top two largest emitters in 2005 and 2019. 37 out of 82 constituent entities experienced an increase during 2005–2019 (shown in Online-only Table  3 ). The Tyumen region saw the maximum rise in emissions, increasing by 24.26 million tonnes, followed by the Lipetsk region (19.53 million tonnes) and the St. Peterburg city (19.02 million tonnes), the Leningrad_region (13.64 million tonnes), and the Moscow city (13.30 million tonnes) (shown in Online-only Table  3 ). In contrast, the Sverdlovsk region, the Krasnoyarsk territory, and the Moscow region witnessed the most significant decrease during the study period, dropping by 15.50 million tonnes, 13.61 million tonnes, and 11.43 million tonnes, respectively (shown in Online-only Table  3 ). For the average growth rate, the CO 2 emissions of Chukotka autonomous witnessed the fastest decrease between 2005 and 2019, at 8.01% annually (shown in Fig.  5 ).

CO 2 emissions of 82 constituent entities from 2005 to 2019.

Technical Validation

Comparisons with existing emission datasets.

Emission inventories are indispensable in making many environmental decisions and setting scientific mitigation targets. Policy design and emission-related studies require reliable and accurate emission inventories. Since our estimate is based on the 4-TER form covering only large and medium companies, it is important to understand the robustness and accuracy of our emission inventories. Figure  6 shows the comparisons of energy-related CO 2 emissions of our estimate with the emissions estimated based on the reference approach and five international institutions (EDGAR, IEA, BP, EIA, and CDIAC). Our study is estimated using the sectoral approach, while the reference approach can also be used to calculate the energy-related emissions 24 . The sectoral emissions are calculated from the energy consumption side, while the reference emissions are evaluated based on production side using the energy balance tables (energy consumption = production + import - export - international shipping and aviation - non-energy use, reductants, and feedstocks ± stock change) 24 . Theoretically, the energy data from consumption side and production side should be equal. However, there can be some differences due to many reasons, such as different scopes of statistics and statistical errors. The reference approach is considered to be more accurate for two reasons 42 . First, the reference approach is evaluated according to the fuel production and trade statistics, which are more reliable. Second, the reference approach can avoid accounting errors during the energy processing and conversion process. Therefore, we further compare our estimates with the emission inventories using the reference approach, which are derived from Russia’s national inventory reports (shown in Fig.  6 ). Results show that the difference between our estimates and the reference approach is relatively small over the study period, at 2.24% on average. This verifies that although our estimate does not cover the small companies, the potential underestimation issue is not significant.

Comparison of Russia’s energy-related CO 2 emissions with five international institutions, in million tonnes, 2005–2019.

Some differences can also be found when comparing with the emissions presented by five international institutions. The time-series trend of our estimate is consistent overall with other international institutions. For example, there was a sudden decrease in CO 2 emissions in 2009, and then a rebound can be seen after that (shown in Fig.  6 ). It can be interpreted by the negative impact caused by the 2008 financial crisis. Our estimate is closer to BP and IEA (shown in Fig.  6 ). Compared with BP, our estimate shows gaps ranging between 0.82% and 4.01% (shown in Fig.  6 ). Compared with the IEA, our estimate shows differences ranging between 0.48% and 7.01% (shown in Fig.  6 ). Since existing emission inventories of Russia do not provide detailed emissions by energy types and socio-economic sectors, a further comparison of the emissions by energy types and by socio-economic sectors cannot be made. In other words, our emission dataset provides the most up to date and comprehensive emission inventories of Russia and its 82 constituent entities and is an important supplement and improvement to the current emission inventories.

Comparisons with different emission factors

We first compare the national CO 2 emissions (shown in Fig.  7 , National data, MNRE_EF) with the aggregation of the 82 constituent entities (shown in Fig.  7 , Aggregate data, MNRE_EF). It can be seen that the gap between these two emissions is relatively small, ranging between −1.18 million tonnes and 36.47 million tonnes, representing 0.00% and 0.02% of national CO 2 emissions. This small gap can be regarded as mutual verification of the quality of energy activity data of both Russia and its constituent entities, which shows the robustness of our estimate. As mentioned above in the Method section, we adopt the country-specific emission factors from the MNRE of Russia 14 . However, the estimation of emission factors provided by different institutions varies, which may lead to different results.

Comparisons of CO 2 emissions with different emission factor, in million tonnes. The number on the top of the bar chart indicates the percentage change rate compared with baseline in 2019.

To quantitatively characterize the range of emission factors, this study summarized the emission factors from four sources: MNRE, IPCC, Energy auditor self-regulatory organization (SRO) and United Nations-Russia, as can be found in Online-only Table  4 . It shows that among the emission factors of most fossil fuels from four sources, the IPCC has the highest value regarding diesel, artifical coke gas, combustible natural gas, associated petroleum gas, fuelwood, and coal. In terms of the components of emission factors, the net calorific value (NCV) of many emission factors from the IPCC, are higher than the other three sources, especially coal, while the oxygenation efficiency and carbon content are relatively similar. Specifically, the NCV of coal released by the IPCC is 8.83, 8.15 and 10.58 higher than the MNRE, UN-Russia and SRO respectively and the CO 2 emissions of coal combustion calculated using the IPCC emission factor are 105.83 million tonnes (43.88%), 132.04 million tonnes (61.42%), 100.32 million tonnes (40.67%) higher than the MNRE, the SRO and UN-Russia, respectively (shown in Fig.  7 ). Additionally, the main types of coal consumed in the Russian Federation come from the Kuznetskiy Basin, the Kansk-Achonskiy Basin and East Siberia 32 , and the NCV of coals in these three places are lower than the IPCC released (shown in Online-only Table  4 ). For example, the NCV of Kansk-Achonskiy coal is only 15.10 TJ/thousand tonnes, half of that by the IPCC, so the emission factor of coal released by the IPCC is not representative enough. Although, the emission factors of many fossil fuels from the IPCC have the largest value, the CO 2 emissions calculated adopted the emission factors of the IPCC, which is lower than the UN-Russia and the MNRE, and higher than the SRO (shown in Fig.  7 ). This is mainly because the NCV of blast furnace gas is only a quarter of the other two sources and the CO 2 emissions of blast furnace gas combustion (IPCC) have the lowest value, only accounting for about 23.33% of that from the MNRE and UN-Russia (shown in Fig.  7 ).

Limitations and future work

There are several limitations of our emission dataset. First, the activity data used to calculate energy-related emissions cover only large and medium companies. The missing data makes our inventories incomplete. In the future, we will explore the data for all companies to construct more comprehensive emission inventories of Russia and its constituent entities. Second, the process-related emissions only consider the emission generated from the cement production process. In the future, other process-related emissions will be included, such as iron and steel production, glass production and ammonia production, which can further improve the accuracy of the datasets. Third, due to data unavailability, CO 2 emissions from 2005 to 2016 only show the emissions by energy types with emissions by sectors missing. In future work, we will further explore the sectoral energy data during this period or downscale to the sectoral level based on economic and demographic indicators.

Usage Notes

This emission dataset can facilitate the academic studies on Russia’s emission patterns and mitigation strategies. The detailed emission inventories can be used to analyse CO 2 emissions by sectors and energy types, such as the driving factors of CO 2 emissions, emission reduction potential, emission efficiency, shadow price of CO 2 emissions, emission reduction cost, and emission prediction. Apart from the energy-related emission analysis, process-related emissions can be used to investigate the emission characteristics and reduction strategies of cement industry.

These emission inventories are a long time-series dataset and cover both Russia and its 82 constituent entities, which can be used to study the emission characteristics over time and space. Therefore, emission-related study at the global, national, and subnational levels can be carried out and some comparisons can be made to gain more insights.

Acknowledgements

CO 2 emission inventories of Russia can be download freely from China Emission Accounts and Datasets (CEADs) at http://www.ceads.net . This work is supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (41921005), the UK Natural Environment Research Council (NE/P019900/1). H.X. would like to express her sincere thanks to the Research Committee of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University for the financial support of the project through a PhD studentship (project account code: RK2K).

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Huijuan Xiao

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Weichen Zhao & Dabo Guan

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Y.S. and D.G. designed the study. H.X. led the project, constructed the database, and drafted the manuscript. W.Z. collected the raw data, constructed the database and drafted the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Yuli Shan or Dabo Guan .

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Xiao, H., Zhao, W., Shan, Y. et al. CO 2 emission accounts of Russia’s constituent entities 2005–2019. Sci Data 8 , 172 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-021-00966-z

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Received : 15 October 2020

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Published : 13 July 2021

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-021-00966-z

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