Annual CO₂ emissions from coal in Zambia
Zambia: Annual CO₂ emissions from coal was 6.00 million tonnes in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
6.00 million tonnes
Change on year
up 2.1%
World rank
56th
of 179 countries
All-time high
6.00 million tonnes
in 2024
All-time low
131,904 tonnes
in 2006
Years of data
75
1950–2024
Annual CO₂ emissions from coal in Zambia, 1950–2024
Source: Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
The most recent figure for annual co₂ emissions from coal in Zambia is 6.00 million tonnes, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 75 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.1% on the previous year and up 573.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual co₂ emissions from coal in Zambia peaked at 6.00 million tonnes in 2024 and was at its lowest, 131,904 tonnes, in 2006.
That places Zambia 56th out of 179 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Annual CO₂ emissions from coal in Zambia, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 2.21 million tonnes | — |
| 1951 | 2.39 million tonnes | +8.2% |
| 1952 | 2.68 million tonnes | +12.0% |
| 1953 | 2.90 million tonnes | +8.3% |
| 1954 | 3.18 million tonnes | +9.6% |
| 1955 | 3.76 million tonnes | +18.1% |
| 1956 | 4.05 million tonnes | +7.7% |
| 1957 | 4.15 million tonnes | +2.6% |
| 1958 | 3.59 million tonnes | -13.4% |
| 1959 | 4.12 million tonnes | +14.5% |
| 1960 | 3.89 million tonnes | -5.5% |
| 1961 | 3.25 million tonnes | -16.3% |
| 1962 | 3.11 million tonnes | -4.5% |
| 1963 | 2.97 million tonnes | -4.6% |
| 1964 | 2.75 million tonnes | -7.3% |
| 1965 | 3.22 million tonnes | +17.0% |
| 1966 | 2.84 million tonnes | -11.9% |
| 1967 | 3.68 million tonnes | +29.6% |
| 1968 | 3.32 million tonnes | -9.6% |
| 1969 | 2.89 million tonnes | -13.1% |
| 1970 | 2.44 million tonnes | -15.6% |
| 1971 | 2.17 million tonnes | -10.8% |
| 1972 | 2.34 million tonnes | +7.6% |
| 1973 | 2.25 million tonnes | -3.8% |
| 1974 | 1.99 million tonnes | -11.7% |
| 1975 | 1.86 million tonnes | -6.5% |
| 1976 | 1.80 million tonnes | -3.4% |
| 1977 | 1.59 million tonnes | -11.4% |
| 1978 | 1.40 million tonnes | -11.8% |
| 1979 | 1.34 million tonnes | -4.3% |
| 1980 | 1.35 million tonnes | +0.7% |
| 1981 | 1.13 million tonnes | -16.3% |
| 1982 | 1.35 million tonnes | +19.4% |
| 1983 | 1.01 million tonnes | -25.2% |
| 1984 | 1.13 million tonnes | +11.6% |
| 1985 | 1.11 million tonnes | -1.9% |
| 1986 | 1.22 million tonnes | +10.6% |
| 1987 | 1.02 million tonnes | -16.3% |
| 1988 | 1.38 million tonnes | +35.0% |
| 1989 | 875,696 tonnes | -36.7% |
| 1990 | 831,728 tonnes | -5.0% |
| 1991 | 839,056 tonnes | +0.9% |
| 1992 | 872,032 tonnes | +3.9% |
| 1993 | 883,024 tonnes | +1.3% |
| 1994 | 839,056 tonnes | -5.0% |
| 1995 | 329,760 tonnes | -60.7% |
| 1996 | 421,360 tonnes | +27.8% |
| 1997 | 484,397 tonnes | +15.0% |
| 1998 | 461,664 tonnes | -4.7% |
| 1999 | 278,464 tonnes | -39.7% |
| 2000 | 289,456 tonnes | +3.9% |
| 2001 | 300,448 tonnes | +3.8% |
| 2002 | 304,112 tonnes | +1.2% |
| 2003 | 322,432 tonnes | +6.0% |
| 2004 | 238,573 tonnes | -26.0% |
| 2005 | 315,104 tonnes | +32.1% |
| 2006 | 131,904 tonnes | -58.1% |
| 2007 | 293,120 tonnes | +122.2% |
| 2008 | 315,104 tonnes | +7.5% |
| 2009 | 403,538 tonnes | +28.1% |
| 2010 | 384,274 tonnes | -4.8% |
| 2011 | 271,136 tonnes | -29.4% |
| 2012 | 359,072 tonnes | +32.4% |
| 2013 | 465,711 tonnes | +29.7% |
| 2014 | 890,352 tonnes | +91.2% |
| 2015 | 949,601 tonnes | +6.7% |
| 2016 | 967,296 tonnes | +1.9% |
| 2017 | 2.51 million tonnes | +159.8% |
| 2018 | 3.98 million tonnes | +58.5% |
| 2019 | 3.44 million tonnes | -13.6% |
| 2020 | 4.42 million tonnes | +28.5% |
| 2021 | 3.51 million tonnes | -20.6% |
| 2022 | 5.08 million tonnes | +44.7% |
| 2023 | 5.88 million tonnes | +15.6% |
| 2024 | 6.00 million tonnes | +2.1% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 6.00 million tonnes is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 589,296 tonnes, 10.2× the median. (40 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 6.00 million tonnes is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 45,300 tonnes, 132.4× the median. (38 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Annual CO₂ emissions from coal in Zambia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | +159.8% | 967,296 tonnes | 2.51 million tonnes |
| 2007 | +122.2% | 131,904 tonnes | 293,120 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 3.30 million tonnes | 2.21 million tonnes | 4.15 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1960s | 3.19 million tonnes | 2.75 million tonnes | 3.89 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.92 million tonnes | 1.34 million tonnes | 2.44 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.16 million tonnes | 875,696 tonnes | 1.38 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 624,054 tonnes | 278,464 tonnes | 883,024 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 291,379 tonnes | 131,904 tonnes | 403,538 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.42 million tonnes | 271,136 tonnes | 3.98 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.98 million tonnes | 3.51 million tonnes | 6.00 million tonnes | 5 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
More climate change data for Zambia
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 303.19 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 7,547 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 2,795 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 4,752 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 10.55 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 169.71 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 2,153 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 2,033 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 120.21 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 7.67 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual co₂ emissions from coal in Zambia?
- Annual co₂ emissions from coal in Zambia was 6.00 million 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 Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 6.00 million tonnes in 2024.
- What is the lowest annual co₂ emissions from coal recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 131,904 tonnes in 2006.
- How does Zambia rank for annual co₂ emissions from coal?
- Zambia ranks 56th out of 179 countries with data for 2024.
- Is annual co₂ emissions from coal rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 573.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Zambia 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.