Annual carbon dioxide emissions in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Annual carbon dioxide emissions was 542.14 million in 2026. ▼ Falling
Latest (2026)
542.14 million
Change on year
up 34.4%
World rank
2nd
of 248 countries
All-time high
723.35 million
in 2016
All-time low
403.26 million
in 2025
Years of data
24
2003–2026
Annual carbon dioxide emissions in Democratic Republic of Congo, 2003–2026
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Democratic Republic of Congo recorded 542.14 million for annual carbon dioxide emissions in 2026.
That represents a change of up 34.4% on the previous year and down 25.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual carbon dioxide emissions in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 723.35 million in 2016 and was at its lowest, 403.26 million, in 2025.
That places Democratic Republic of Congo 2nd out of 248 countries with data for 2026, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Annual carbon dioxide emissions in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 569.72 million | — |
| 2004 | 639.17 million | +12.2% |
| 2005 | 624.55 million | -2.3% |
| 2006 | 638.55 million | +2.2% |
| 2007 | 571.95 million | -10.4% |
| 2008 | 590.98 million | +3.3% |
| 2009 | 602.73 million | +2.0% |
| 2010 | 624.46 million | +3.6% |
| 2011 | 599.57 million | -4.0% |
| 2012 | 556.74 million | -7.1% |
| 2013 | 624.06 million | +12.1% |
| 2014 | 586.27 million | -6.1% |
| 2015 | 629.65 million | +7.4% |
| 2016 | 723.35 million | +14.9% |
| 2017 | 525.51 million | -27.4% |
| 2018 | 533.60 million | +1.5% |
| 2019 | 515.76 million | -3.3% |
| 2020 | 511.98 million | -0.7% |
| 2021 | 552.60 million | +7.9% |
| 2022 | 561.82 million | +1.7% |
| 2023 | 461.64 million | -17.8% |
| 2024 | 486.45 million | +5.4% |
| 2025 | 403.26 million | -17.1% |
| 2026 | 542.14 million | +34.4% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 542.14 million is above the median for low income countries, which is 6.32 million, 85.8× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 542.14 million is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 9.64 million, 56.3× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 605.38 million | 569.72 million | 639.17 million | 7 |
| 2010s | 591.90 million | 515.76 million | 723.35 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 502.84 million | 403.26 million | 561.82 million | 7 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
More climate change data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Share co2 vs population 4.23 (2100)
- Co2 gdp growth, annual growth rate -5.63 % change on previous year (2025)
- Co2 gdp pop growth, annual growth rate -1.24 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population, total, annual growth rate 3.25 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population, total, per unit of GDP 0.0012 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Urban population, annual growth rate 4.1 % change on previous year (2025)
- Urban population, per unit of GDP 0.0006 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Urban population, per capita 0.4511 units per person (2025)
- Precipitation anomalies, annual growth rate 28.16 % change on previous year (2025)
- Urban population 45.1% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual carbon dioxide emissions in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Annual carbon dioxide emissions in Democratic Republic of Congo was 542.14 million in 2026, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual carbon dioxide emissions recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 723.35 million in 2016.
- What is the lowest annual carbon dioxide emissions recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 403.26 million in 2025.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for annual carbon dioxide emissions?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 2nd out of 248 countries with data for 2026.
- Is annual carbon dioxide emissions rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is down 25.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Annual carbon dioxide emissions. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).