Year-on-year change in CO₂ emissions in Ghana
Ghana: Year-on-year change in CO₂ emissions was 886,226 tonnes in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
886,226 tonnes
Change on year
up 245.4%
World rank
41st
of 215 countries
All-time high
2.75 million tonnes
in 2018
All-time low
-1.48 million tonnes
in 2017
Years of data
74
1951–2024
Year-on-year change in CO₂ emissions in Ghana, 1951–2024
Source: Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
Ghana recorded 886,226 tonnes for year-on-year change in co₂ emissions in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 245.4% on the previous year and up 37.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, year-on-year change in co₂ emissions in Ghana peaked at 2.75 million tonnes in 2018 and was at its lowest, -1.48 million tonnes, in 2017.
That places Ghana 41st 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 Ghana, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1951 | 238,160 tonnes | — |
| 1952 | -7,328 tonnes | -103.1% |
| 1953 | 150,224 tonnes | -2150.0% |
| 1954 | -14,656 tonnes | -109.8% |
| 1955 | 183,200 tonnes | -1350.0% |
| 1956 | -109,920 tonnes | -160.0% |
| 1957 | 216,176 tonnes | -296.7% |
| 1958 | 69,616 tonnes | -67.8% |
| 1959 | -40,304 tonnes | -157.9% |
| 1960 | 139,232 tonnes | -445.5% |
| 1961 | -117,248 tonnes | -184.2% |
| 1962 | 87,936 tonnes | -175.0% |
| 1963 | 289,456 tonnes | +229.2% |
| 1964 | -73,280 tonnes | -125.3% |
| 1965 | 54,960 tonnes | -175.0% |
| 1966 | -263,808 tonnes | -580.0% |
| 1967 | 54,960 tonnes | -120.8% |
| 1968 | 153,888 tonnes | +180.0% |
| 1969 | -160,780 tonnes | -204.5% |
| 1970 | 915,564 tonnes | -669.5% |
| 1971 | -373,728 tonnes | -140.8% |
| 1972 | 186,864 tonnes | -150.0% |
| 1973 | 40,304 tonnes | -78.4% |
| 1974 | 417,696 tonnes | +936.4% |
| 1975 | -263,808 tonnes | -163.2% |
| 1976 | -304,112 tonnes | +15.3% |
| 1977 | 589,532 tonnes | -293.9% |
| 1978 | 22,048 tonnes | -96.3% |
| 1979 | -197,548 tonnes | -996.0% |
| 1980 | -110,130 tonnes | -44.3% |
| 1981 | 435,988 tonnes | -495.9% |
| 1982 | 47,870 tonnes | -89.0% |
| 1983 | 615,409 tonnes | +1185.6% |
| 1984 | -1.04 million tonnes | -269.7% |
| 1985 | 678,002 tonnes | -164.9% |
| 1986 | -208,848 tonnes | -130.8% |
| 1987 | 212,512 tonnes | -201.8% |
| 1988 | 62,288 tonnes | -70.7% |
| 1989 | -150,224 tonnes | -341.2% |
| 1990 | 454,336 tonnes | -402.4% |
| 1991 | 388,084 tonnes | -14.6% |
| 1992 | -659,220 tonnes | -269.9% |
| 1993 | 575,248 tonnes | -187.3% |
| 1994 | 721,808 tonnes | +25.5% |
| 1995 | 84,272 tonnes | -88.3% |
| 1996 | 234,496 tonnes | +178.3% |
| 1997 | 655,856 tonnes | +179.7% |
| 1998 | 69,616 tonnes | -89.4% |
| 1999 | 29,312 tonnes | -57.9% |
| 2000 | -300,448 tonnes | -1125.0% |
| 2001 | 655,856 tonnes | -318.3% |
| 2002 | 514,595 tonnes | -21.5% |
| 2003 | 201,322 tonnes | -60.9% |
| 2004 | -233,945 tonnes | -216.2% |
| 2005 | -337,556 tonnes | +44.3% |
| 2006 | 2.41 million tonnes | -814.0% |
| 2007 | 458,691 tonnes | -81.0% |
| 2008 | -657,552 tonnes | -243.4% |
| 2009 | -1.46 million tonnes | +121.5% |
| 2010 | 2.07 million tonnes | -242.4% |
| 2011 | 1.39 million tonnes | -33.2% |
| 2012 | 2.31 million tonnes | +66.8% |
| 2013 | -30,598 tonnes | -101.3% |
| 2014 | 646,588 tonnes | -2213.2% |
| 2015 | 1.31 million tonnes | +102.8% |
| 2016 | -654,470 tonnes | -149.9% |
| 2017 | -1.48 million tonnes | +125.6% |
| 2018 | 2.75 million tonnes | -286.4% |
| 2019 | 1.23 million tonnes | -55.5% |
| 2020 | 2.75 million tonnes | +124.3% |
| 2021 | 1.39 million tonnes | -49.4% |
| 2022 | 189,152 tonnes | -86.4% |
| 2023 | -609,562 tonnes | -422.3% |
| 2024 | 886,226 tonnes | -245.4% |
Ghana compared with similar countries
- Ghana's 886,226 tonnes is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 105,942 tonnes, 8.4× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Ghana's 886,226 tonnes is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 46,780 tonnes, 18.9× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Year-on-year change in CO₂ emissions in Ghana 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | +2213.2% | -30,598 tonnes | 646,588 tonnes |
| 1953 | +2150.0% | -7,328 tonnes | 150,224 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 76,130 tonnes | -109,920 tonnes | 238,160 tonnes | 9 |
| 1960s | 16,532 tonnes | -263,808 tonnes | 289,456 tonnes | 10 |
| 1970s | 103,281 tonnes | -373,728 tonnes | 915,564 tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 53,861 tonnes | -1.04 million tonnes | 678,002 tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 255,381 tonnes | -659,220 tonnes | 721,808 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 125,441 tonnes | -1.46 million tonnes | 2.41 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 954,754 tonnes | -1.48 million tonnes | 2.75 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 921,335 tonnes | -609,562 tonnes | 2.75 million tonnes | 5 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
- 38 Cuba 969,964 tonnes compare
- 39 Tunisia 925,872 tonnes compare
- 40 New Zealand 919,618 tonnes compare
- 42 Kazakhstan 831,040 tonnes compare
- 43 Cote d'Ivoire 776,149 tonnes compare
- 44 Belgium 752,840 tonnes compare
More climate change data for Ghana
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 63.84 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 6,671 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 2,693 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 3,979 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 10.16 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 142.09 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 1,417 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 670.16 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 746.8 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 2.53 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is year-on-year change in co₂ emissions in Ghana?
- Year-on-year change in co₂ emissions in Ghana was 886,226 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 Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 2.75 million tonnes in 2018.
- What is the lowest year-on-year change in co₂ emissions recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was -1.48 million tonnes in 2017.
- How does Ghana rank for year-on-year change in co₂ emissions?
- Ghana ranks 41st out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
- Is year-on-year change in co₂ emissions rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is up 37.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Ghana 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.