What is the difference in emissions of air pollutants between North Korea and Zambia?

383,190 tonnes, with North Korea ahead.

How many years of comparable data are there for North Korea and Zambia?

273 years are reported by both, from 1750 to 2022.

Where does this data come from?

Hoesly et al. (2024) – Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as emissions of air pollutants. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

North Korea vs Zambia: emissions of air pollutants

North Korea

2.27 million tonnes

in 2022

Zambia

1.88 million tonnes

in 2022

North Korea rank

31st

Zambia rank

34th

emissions of air pollutants over time

North Korea
Zambia

How they compare

North Korea currently reports 2.27 million tonnes against 1.88 million tonnes in Zambia, a difference of 383,190 tonnes.

That makes North Korea's figure about 1.2 times Zambia's.

Across all 273 years both countries report, North Korea has been ahead every year.

North Korea ranks 31st and Zambia ranks 34th of 220 countries.

North Korea has averaged higher in every one of the 28 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade	North Korea	Zambia	Difference	Ahead
1750s	2.42 million tonnes	21,252 tonnes	2.40 million tonnes	North Korea
1760s	2.43 million tonnes	21,287 tonnes	2.41 million tonnes	North Korea
1770s	2.44 million tonnes	21,318 tonnes	2.42 million tonnes	North Korea
1780s	2.45 million tonnes	21,345 tonnes	2.43 million tonnes	North Korea
1790s	2.46 million tonnes	21,368 tonnes	2.43 million tonnes	North Korea
1800s	2.46 million tonnes	21,386 tonnes	2.44 million tonnes	North Korea
1810s	2.47 million tonnes	21,448 tonnes	2.44 million tonnes	North Korea
1820s	2.47 million tonnes	21,563 tonnes	2.45 million tonnes	North Korea
1830s	2.46 million tonnes	21,673 tonnes	2.44 million tonnes	North Korea
1840s	2.44 million tonnes	21,776 tonnes	2.42 million tonnes	North Korea
1850s	2.42 million tonnes	21,909 tonnes	2.40 million tonnes	North Korea
1860s	2.42 million tonnes	23,642 tonnes	2.40 million tonnes	North Korea
1870s	2.45 million tonnes	30,826 tonnes	2.42 million tonnes	North Korea
1880s	2.48 million tonnes	40,668 tonnes	2.44 million tonnes	North Korea
1890s	2.44 million tonnes	53,667 tonnes	2.38 million tonnes	North Korea
1900s	2.40 million tonnes	73,301 tonnes	2.33 million tonnes	North Korea
1910s	2.36 million tonnes	103,650 tonnes	2.25 million tonnes	North Korea
1920s	2.56 million tonnes	146,036 tonnes	2.42 million tonnes	North Korea
1930s	2.94 million tonnes	207,160 tonnes	2.74 million tonnes	North Korea
1940s	2.21 million tonnes	313,208 tonnes	1.90 million tonnes	North Korea
1950s	1.87 million tonnes	426,176 tonnes	1.44 million tonnes	North Korea
1960s	5.14 million tonnes	648,705 tonnes	4.49 million tonnes	North Korea
1970s	12.16 million tonnes	837,071 tonnes	11.33 million tonnes	North Korea
1980s	18.60 million tonnes	1.02 million tonnes	17.58 million tonnes	North Korea
1990s	10.01 million tonnes	1.22 million tonnes	8.80 million tonnes	North Korea
2000s	5.10 million tonnes	1.23 million tonnes	3.87 million tonnes	North Korea
2010s	2.84 million tonnes	1.58 million tonnes	1.25 million tonnes	North Korea
2020s	2.39 million tonnes	1.85 million tonnes	541,143 tonnes	North Korea

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher emissions of air pollutants, North Korea or Zambia?: North Korea, at 2.27 million tonnes against 1.88 million tonnes in Zambia as of 2022.
What is the difference in emissions of air pollutants between North Korea and Zambia?: 383,190 tonnes, with North Korea ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for North Korea and Zambia?: 273 years are reported by both, from 1750 to 2022.
How do North Korea and Zambia rank globally for emissions of air pollutants?: North Korea ranks 31st and Zambia ranks 34th of 220 countries.
Where does this data come from?: Hoesly et al. (2024) – Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as emissions of air pollutants. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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North Korea vs Zambia: emissions of air pollutants. Statizoid, drawing on Hoesly et al. (2024) – Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 12 October 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/compare/change-air-pollutant-emissions/korea-dem-people-s-rep/zambia/

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About this data

Indicator: emissions of air pollutants
Unit: tonnes
Source: Hoesly et al. (2024) – Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 220 places, 60,060 data points, 1750–2022
Last refreshed: 09 October 2026

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a pollutant produced from the incomplete combustion of carbon-based fuels such as oil, gas, wood, and coal. CO is a harmful gas that contributes to both outdoor and indoor air pollution.