Annual CO₂ emissions from coal in Malawi
Malawi: Annual CO₂ emissions from coal was 176,972 tonnes in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
176,972 tonnes
Change on year
up 2.1%
World rank
108th
of 179 countries
All-time high
304,134 tonnes
in 1957
All-time low
29,312 tonnes
in 1989
Years of data
75
1950–2024
Annual CO₂ emissions from coal in Malawi, 1950–2024
Source: Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
In 2024, annual co₂ emissions from coal in Malawi stood at 176,972 tonnes.
The figure is up 2.1% on the previous year and up 0.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual co₂ emissions from coal in Malawi peaked at 304,134 tonnes in 1957 and was at its lowest, 29,312 tonnes, in 1989.
That places Malawi 108th out of 179 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 75 years of available data.
Annual CO₂ emissions from coal in Malawi, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 183,720 tonnes | — |
| 1951 | 186,677 tonnes | +1.6% |
| 1952 | 207,096 tonnes | +10.9% |
| 1953 | 221,060 tonnes | +6.7% |
| 1954 | 241,105 tonnes | +9.1% |
| 1955 | 286,692 tonnes | +18.9% |
| 1956 | 297,757 tonnes | +3.9% |
| 1957 | 304,134 tonnes | +2.1% |
| 1958 | 243,863 tonnes | -19.8% |
| 1959 | 295,150 tonnes | +21.0% |
| 1960 | 272,293 tonnes | -7.7% |
| 1961 | 216,276 tonnes | -20.6% |
| 1962 | 200,438 tonnes | -7.3% |
| 1963 | 187,685 tonnes | -6.4% |
| 1964 | 164,880 tonnes | -12.2% |
| 1965 | 179,536 tonnes | +8.9% |
| 1966 | 208,848 tonnes | +16.3% |
| 1967 | 142,896 tonnes | -31.6% |
| 1968 | 127,041 tonnes | -11.1% |
| 1969 | 85,090 tonnes | -33.0% |
| 1970 | 117,248 tonnes | +37.8% |
| 1971 | 120,912 tonnes | +3.1% |
| 1972 | 140,173 tonnes | +15.9% |
| 1973 | 149,267 tonnes | +6.5% |
| 1974 | 139,232 tonnes | -6.7% |
| 1975 | 186,864 tonnes | +34.2% |
| 1976 | 164,880 tonnes | -11.8% |
| 1977 | 150,224 tonnes | -8.9% |
| 1978 | 147,365 tonnes | -1.9% |
| 1979 | 91,077 tonnes | -38.2% |
| 1980 | 172,208 tonnes | +89.1% |
| 1981 | 127,467 tonnes | -26.0% |
| 1982 | 161,216 tonnes | +26.5% |
| 1983 | 117,248 tonnes | -27.3% |
| 1984 | 109,920 tonnes | -6.2% |
| 1985 | 87,361 tonnes | -20.5% |
| 1986 | 73,280 tonnes | -16.1% |
| 1987 | 73,280 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 43,968 tonnes | -40.0% |
| 1989 | 29,312 tonnes | -33.3% |
| 1990 | 172,208 tonnes | +487.5% |
| 1991 | 157,552 tonnes | -8.5% |
| 1992 | 161,216 tonnes | +2.3% |
| 1993 | 168,544 tonnes | +4.5% |
| 1994 | 172,208 tonnes | +2.2% |
| 1995 | 168,544 tonnes | -2.1% |
| 1996 | 179,536 tonnes | +6.5% |
| 1997 | 186,864 tonnes | +4.1% |
| 1998 | 179,536 tonnes | -3.9% |
| 1999 | 146,560 tonnes | -18.4% |
| 2000 | 164,880 tonnes | +12.5% |
| 2001 | 124,576 tonnes | -24.4% |
| 2002 | 179,536 tonnes | +44.1% |
| 2003 | 168,544 tonnes | -6.1% |
| 2004 | 161,216 tonnes | -4.3% |
| 2005 | 157,552 tonnes | -2.3% |
| 2006 | 157,552 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 158,147 tonnes | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 150,224 tonnes | -5.0% |
| 2009 | 142,423 tonnes | -5.2% |
| 2010 | 168,544 tonnes | +18.3% |
| 2011 | 216,176 tonnes | +28.3% |
| 2012 | 190,528 tonnes | -11.9% |
| 2013 | 194,192 tonnes | +1.9% |
| 2014 | 175,872 tonnes | -9.4% |
| 2015 | 197,856 tonnes | +12.5% |
| 2016 | 180,102 tonnes | -9.0% |
| 2017 | 172,208 tonnes | -4.4% |
| 2018 | 205,184 tonnes | +19.1% |
| 2019 | 212,051 tonnes | +3.3% |
| 2020 | 194,192 tonnes | -8.4% |
| 2021 | 132,198 tonnes | -31.9% |
| 2022 | 149,911 tonnes | +13.4% |
| 2023 | 173,331 tonnes | +15.6% |
| 2024 | 176,972 tonnes | +2.1% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 176,972 tonnes is above the median for low income countries, which is 51,703 tonnes, 3.4× the median. (19 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 176,972 tonnes is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 45,300 tonnes, 3.9× the median. (38 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Annual CO₂ emissions from coal in Malawi 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 | +487.5% | 29,312 tonnes | 172,208 tonnes |
| 1980 | +89.1% | 91,077 tonnes | 172,208 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 246,725 tonnes | 183,720 tonnes | 304,134 tonnes | 10 |
| 1960s | 178,498 tonnes | 85,090 tonnes | 272,293 tonnes | 10 |
| 1970s | 140,724 tonnes | 91,077 tonnes | 186,864 tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 99,526 tonnes | 29,312 tonnes | 172,208 tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 169,277 tonnes | 146,560 tonnes | 186,864 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 156,465 tonnes | 124,576 tonnes | 179,536 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 191,271 tonnes | 168,544 tonnes | 216,176 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 165,321 tonnes | 132,198 tonnes | 194,192 tonnes | 5 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
More climate change data for Malawi
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 415.04 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 4,106 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 1,605 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 2,501 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 6.06 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 89.31 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 3,185 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 2,819 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 366.56 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 10.64 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual co₂ emissions from coal in Malawi?
- Annual co₂ emissions from coal in Malawi was 176,972 tonnes in 2024, according to Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual co₂ emissions from coal recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 304,134 tonnes in 1957.
- What is the lowest annual co₂ emissions from coal recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 29,312 tonnes in 1989.
- How does Malawi rank for annual co₂ emissions from coal?
- Malawi ranks 108th out of 179 countries with data for 2024.
- Is annual co₂ emissions from coal rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual CO₂ emissions from coal. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 75 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Annual emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from coal, measured in tonnes.