Year-on-year change in CO₂ emissions in Congo
Congo: Year-on-year change in CO₂ emissions was 565,497 tonnes in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
565,497 tonnes
Change on year
up 224.8%
World rank
49th
of 215 countries
All-time high
2.22 million tonnes
in 1994
All-time low
-1.46 million tonnes
in 2002
Years of data
74
1951–2024
Year-on-year change in CO₂ emissions in Congo, 1951–2024
Source: Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
In 2024, year-on-year change in co₂ emissions in Congo stood at 565,497 tonnes.
That represents a change of up 224.8% on the previous year and up 234.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, year-on-year change in co₂ emissions in Congo peaked at 2.22 million tonnes in 1994 and was at its lowest, -1.46 million tonnes, in 2002.
That places Congo 49th out of 215 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Year-on-year change in CO₂ emissions in Congo, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1951 | 29,602 tonnes | — |
| 1952 | 35,153 tonnes | +18.8% |
| 1953 | -24,052 tonnes | -168.4% |
| 1954 | 7,400 tonnes | -130.8% |
| 1955 | -1,850 tonnes | -125.0% |
| 1956 | 40,703 tonnes | -2300.2% |
| 1957 | 12,951 tonnes | -68.2% |
| 1958 | 27,752 tonnes | +114.3% |
| 1959 | -29,602 tonnes | -206.7% |
| 1960 | 36,640 tonnes | -223.8% |
| 1961 | 43,968 tonnes | +20.0% |
| 1962 | -29,312 tonnes | -166.7% |
| 1963 | -3,664 tonnes | -87.5% |
| 1964 | 32,976 tonnes | -1000.0% |
| 1965 | -21,984 tonnes | -166.7% |
| 1966 | 62,288 tonnes | -383.3% |
| 1967 | 14,656 tonnes | -76.5% |
| 1968 | 128,240 tonnes | +775.0% |
| 1969 | 51,296 tonnes | -60.0% |
| 1970 | 69,616 tonnes | +35.7% |
| 1971 | 113,584 tonnes | +63.2% |
| 1972 | -21,984 tonnes | -119.4% |
| 1973 | 556,928 tonnes | -2633.3% |
| 1974 | 403,040 tonnes | -27.6% |
| 1975 | -523,952 tonnes | -230.0% |
| 1976 | 135,568 tonnes | -125.9% |
| 1977 | -754,784 tonnes | -656.8% |
| 1978 | -157,552 tonnes | -79.1% |
| 1979 | 25,648 tonnes | -116.3% |
| 1980 | 57,449 tonnes | +124.0% |
| 1981 | 65,195 tonnes | +13.5% |
| 1982 | 872,378 tonnes | +1238.1% |
| 1983 | -200,650 tonnes | -123.0% |
| 1984 | -2,948 tonnes | -98.5% |
| 1985 | 135,720 tonnes | -4703.8% |
| 1986 | -212,851 tonnes | -256.8% |
| 1987 | 257,719 tonnes | -221.1% |
| 1988 | 172,849 tonnes | -32.9% |
| 1989 | 2,686 tonnes | -98.4% |
| 1990 | -487,720 tonnes | -18257.9% |
| 1991 | 74,889 tonnes | -115.4% |
| 1992 | 206,367 tonnes | +175.6% |
| 1993 | -128,720 tonnes | -162.4% |
| 1994 | 2.22 million tonnes | -1827.3% |
| 1995 | -159,210 tonnes | -107.2% |
| 1996 | 812,741 tonnes | -610.5% |
| 1997 | 793,161 tonnes | -2.4% |
| 1998 | -961,302 tonnes | -221.2% |
| 1999 | 46,309 tonnes | -104.8% |
| 2000 | 368,671 tonnes | +696.1% |
| 2001 | -106,443 tonnes | -128.9% |
| 2002 | -1.46 million tonnes | +1269.3% |
| 2003 | 537,828 tonnes | -136.9% |
| 2004 | 290,496 tonnes | -46.0% |
| 2005 | 803,523 tonnes | +176.6% |
| 2006 | 433,746 tonnes | -46.0% |
| 2007 | -526,565 tonnes | -221.4% |
| 2008 | 10,953 tonnes | -102.1% |
| 2009 | 673,389 tonnes | +6048.0% |
| 2010 | 556,290 tonnes | -17.4% |
| 2011 | -453,522 tonnes | -181.5% |
| 2012 | -28,395 tonnes | -93.7% |
| 2013 | 872,348 tonnes | -3172.2% |
| 2014 | -419,287 tonnes | -148.1% |
| 2015 | 165,594 tonnes | -139.5% |
| 2016 | 90,530 tonnes | -45.3% |
| 2017 | -76,263 tonnes | -184.2% |
| 2018 | 893,719 tonnes | -1271.9% |
| 2019 | 748,930 tonnes | -16.2% |
| 2020 | 383,700 tonnes | -48.8% |
| 2021 | -284,437 tonnes | -174.1% |
| 2022 | 1.33 million tonnes | -569.2% |
| 2023 | -453,242 tonnes | -134.0% |
| 2024 | 565,497 tonnes | -224.8% |
Congo compared with similar countries
- Congo's 565,497 tonnes is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 105,942 tonnes, 5.3× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Congo's 565,497 tonnes is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 46,780 tonnes, 12.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Year-on-year change in CO₂ emissions in Congo changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | -18257.9% | 2,686 tonnes | -487,720 tonnes |
| 2009 | +6048.0% | 10,953 tonnes | 673,389 tonnes |
| 1985 | +4703.8% | -2,948 tonnes | 135,720 tonnes |
| 2013 | +3172.2% | -28,395 tonnes | 872,348 tonnes |
| 1973 | +2633.3% | -21,984 tonnes | 556,928 tonnes |
| 1956 | +2300.2% | -1,850 tonnes | 40,703 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 10,895 tonnes | -29,602 tonnes | 40,703 tonnes | 9 |
| 1960s | 31,510 tonnes | -29,312 tonnes | 128,240 tonnes | 10 |
| 1970s | -15,389 tonnes | -754,784 tonnes | 556,928 tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 114,755 tonnes | -212,851 tonnes | 872,378 tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 241,995 tonnes | -961,302 tonnes | 2.22 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 102,808 tonnes | -1.46 million tonnes | 803,523 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 234,994 tonnes | -453,522 tonnes | 893,719 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 309,236 tonnes | -453,242 tonnes | 1.33 million tonnes | 5 |
Countries ranked near Congo
- 46 Romania 685,376 tonnes compare
- 47 Angola 658,768 tonnes compare
- 48 Kyrgyzstan 625,731 tonnes compare
- 50 North Korea 525,276 tonnes compare
- 51 Mongolia 510,224 tonnes compare
- 52 Tajikistan 475,483 tonnes compare
More climate change data for Congo
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 226,333 kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 762.73 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 278.7 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 484.03 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 1.05 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 17.29 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 13.23 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 6.62 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 6.61 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 0.025 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is year-on-year change in co₂ emissions in Congo?
- Year-on-year change in co₂ emissions in Congo was 565,497 tonnes in 2024, according to Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest year-on-year change in co₂ emissions recorded in Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 2.22 million tonnes in 1994.
- What is the lowest year-on-year change in co₂ emissions recorded in Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was -1.46 million tonnes in 2002.
- How does Congo rank for year-on-year change in co₂ emissions?
- Congo ranks 49th out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
- Is year-on-year change in co₂ emissions rising or falling in Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is up 234.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Congo data come from?
- The figures come from Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Year-on-year change in CO₂ emissions. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Annual growth in total emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂), excluding land-use change, measured in tonnes.