Year-on-year change in CO₂ emissions in Kenya
Kenya: Year-on-year change in CO₂ emissions was 39,712 tonnes in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
39,712 tonnes
Change on year
down 93.8%
World rank
104th
of 215 countries
All-time high
2.09 million tonnes
in 2009
All-time low
-1.83 million tonnes
in 1982
Years of data
74
1951–2024
Year-on-year change in CO₂ emissions in Kenya, 1951–2024
Source: Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
The most recent figure for year-on-year change in co₂ emissions in Kenya is 39,712 tonnes, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 93.8% on the previous year and down 96.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, year-on-year change in co₂ emissions in Kenya peaked at 2.09 million tonnes in 2009 and was at its lowest, -1.83 million tonnes, in 1982.
Kenya ranks 104th of 215 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Year-on-year change in CO₂ emissions in Kenya, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1951 | 483,559 tonnes | — |
| 1952 | 197,826 tonnes | -59.1% |
| 1953 | -76,974 tonnes | -138.9% |
| 1954 | 186,716 tonnes | -342.6% |
| 1955 | 285,554 tonnes | +52.9% |
| 1956 | 234,288 tonnes | -18.0% |
| 1957 | 62,199 tonnes | -73.5% |
| 1958 | -194,251 tonnes | -412.3% |
| 1959 | 120,523 tonnes | -162.0% |
| 1960 | 216,032 tonnes | +79.2% |
| 1961 | -25,559 tonnes | -111.8% |
| 1962 | 223,440 tonnes | -974.2% |
| 1963 | 230,834 tonnes | +3.3% |
| 1964 | -29,609 tonnes | -112.8% |
| 1965 | -359,336 tonnes | +1113.6% |
| 1966 | 216,170 tonnes | -160.2% |
| 1967 | 18,352 tonnes | -91.5% |
| 1968 | 116,984 tonnes | +537.4% |
| 1969 | 311,048 tonnes | +165.9% |
| 1970 | -48,253 tonnes | -115.5% |
| 1971 | 600,242 tonnes | -1343.9% |
| 1972 | 186,169 tonnes | -69.0% |
| 1973 | 47,016 tonnes | -74.7% |
| 1974 | 1.03 million tonnes | +2087.6% |
| 1975 | 24,587 tonnes | -97.6% |
| 1976 | -367,930 tonnes | -1596.4% |
| 1977 | 444,612 tonnes | -220.8% |
| 1978 | 266,771 tonnes | -40.0% |
| 1979 | -283,605 tonnes | -206.3% |
| 1980 | 1.15 million tonnes | -506.2% |
| 1981 | 328,319 tonnes | -71.5% |
| 1982 | -1.83 million tonnes | -658.3% |
| 1983 | -33,707 tonnes | -98.2% |
| 1984 | -339,989 tonnes | +908.7% |
| 1985 | -545,376 tonnes | +60.4% |
| 1986 | 383,383 tonnes | -170.3% |
| 1987 | 1.01 million tonnes | +163.4% |
| 1988 | -384,301 tonnes | -138.1% |
| 1989 | 402,596 tonnes | -204.8% |
| 1990 | 624,485 tonnes | +55.1% |
| 1991 | -984,086 tonnes | -257.6% |
| 1992 | 699,953 tonnes | -171.1% |
| 1993 | 806,938 tonnes | +15.3% |
| 1994 | 211,047 tonnes | -73.8% |
| 1995 | 992,606 tonnes | +370.3% |
| 1996 | 1.77 million tonnes | +78.1% |
| 1997 | -1.06 million tonnes | -159.8% |
| 1998 | 1.77 million tonnes | -267.7% |
| 1999 | 22,031 tonnes | -98.8% |
| 2000 | 364,362 tonnes | +1553.9% |
| 2001 | -1.16 million tonnes | -418.7% |
| 2002 | -1.40 million tonnes | +20.9% |
| 2003 | -1.10 million tonnes | -21.5% |
| 2004 | 905,191 tonnes | -182.1% |
| 2005 | 832,824 tonnes | -8.0% |
| 2006 | 1.11 million tonnes | +33.6% |
| 2007 | 167,187 tonnes | -85.0% |
| 2008 | 364,586 tonnes | +118.1% |
| 2009 | 2.09 million tonnes | +472.2% |
| 2010 | -327,993 tonnes | -115.7% |
| 2011 | 360,826 tonnes | -210.0% |
| 2012 | -971,826 tonnes | -369.3% |
| 2013 | 917,111 tonnes | -194.4% |
| 2014 | 1.05 million tonnes | +14.7% |
| 2015 | 2.00 million tonnes | +90.0% |
| 2016 | 1.08 million tonnes | -46.1% |
| 2017 | -107,595 tonnes | -110.0% |
| 2018 | 821,755 tonnes | -863.7% |
| 2019 | 1.16 million tonnes | +40.7% |
| 2020 | 1.83 million tonnes | +58.4% |
| 2021 | 600,246 tonnes | -67.2% |
| 2022 | -45,452 tonnes | -107.6% |
| 2023 | 641,356 tonnes | -1511.1% |
| 2024 | 39,712 tonnes | -93.8% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 39,712 tonnes is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 105,942 tonnes, 37% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 39,712 tonnes is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 46,780 tonnes, 85% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Year-on-year change in CO₂ emissions in Kenya 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | +2087.6% | 47,016 tonnes | 1.03 million tonnes |
| 1976 | -1596.4% | 24,587 tonnes | -367,930 tonnes |
| 2000 | +1553.9% | 22,031 tonnes | 364,362 tonnes |
| 2023 | +1511.1% | -45,452 tonnes | 641,356 tonnes |
| 1971 | +1343.9% | -48,253 tonnes | 600,242 tonnes |
| 1965 | -1113.6% | -29,609 tonnes | -359,336 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 144,382 tonnes | -194,251 tonnes | 483,559 tonnes | 9 |
| 1960s | 91,836 tonnes | -359,336 tonnes | 311,048 tonnes | 10 |
| 1970s | 189,811 tonnes | -367,930 tonnes | 1.03 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 13,978 tonnes | -1.83 million tonnes | 1.15 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 485,617 tonnes | -1.06 million tonnes | 1.77 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 216,427 tonnes | -1.40 million tonnes | 2.09 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 597,407 tonnes | -971,826 tonnes | 2.00 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 613,310 tonnes | -45,452 tonnes | 1.83 million tonnes | 5 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
More climate change data for Kenya
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 276.34 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 50,641 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 16,186 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 34,454 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 61.08 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 1,231 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 2,372 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 2,116 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 255.67 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 7.99 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is year-on-year change in co₂ emissions in Kenya?
- Year-on-year change in co₂ emissions in Kenya was 39,712 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 Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 2.09 million tonnes in 2009.
- What is the lowest year-on-year change in co₂ emissions recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was -1.83 million tonnes in 1982.
- How does Kenya rank for year-on-year change in co₂ emissions?
- Kenya ranks 104th out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
- Is year-on-year change in co₂ emissions rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is down 96.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Kenya 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.