Annual CO₂ emissions including land-use change in Ghana
Ghana: Annual CO₂ emissions including land-use change was 34.56 million tonnes in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
34.56 million tonnes
Change on year
up 5.2%
World rank
83rd
of 194 countries
All-time high
96.73 million tonnes
in 1959
All-time low
10.38 million tonnes
in 1972
Years of data
75
1950–2024
Annual CO₂ emissions including land-use change in Ghana, 1950–2024
Source: Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
Ghana recorded 34.56 million tonnes for annual co₂ emissions including land-use change in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.2% on the previous year and up 1.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual co₂ emissions including land-use change in Ghana peaked at 96.73 million tonnes in 1959 and was at its lowest, 10.38 million tonnes, in 1972.
That places Ghana 83rd out of 194 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 including land-use change in Ghana, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 49.10 million tonnes | — |
| 1951 | 55.92 million tonnes | +13.9% |
| 1952 | 70.03 million tonnes | +25.2% |
| 1953 | 75.33 million tonnes | +7.6% |
| 1954 | 85.33 million tonnes | +13.3% |
| 1955 | 89.60 million tonnes | +5.0% |
| 1956 | 93.84 million tonnes | +4.7% |
| 1957 | 94.32 million tonnes | +0.5% |
| 1958 | 95.19 million tonnes | +0.9% |
| 1959 | 96.73 million tonnes | +1.6% |
| 1960 | 59.01 million tonnes | -39.0% |
| 1961 | 42.67 million tonnes | -27.7% |
| 1962 | 33.12 million tonnes | -22.4% |
| 1963 | 28.16 million tonnes | -15.0% |
| 1964 | 23.02 million tonnes | -18.2% |
| 1965 | 19.61 million tonnes | -14.8% |
| 1966 | 16.61 million tonnes | -15.3% |
| 1967 | 14.37 million tonnes | -13.4% |
| 1968 | 13.01 million tonnes | -9.5% |
| 1969 | 11.18 million tonnes | -14.1% |
| 1970 | 11.37 million tonnes | +1.7% |
| 1971 | 11.02 million tonnes | -3.1% |
| 1972 | 10.38 million tonnes | -5.8% |
| 1973 | 10.86 million tonnes | +4.7% |
| 1974 | 23.89 million tonnes | +120.0% |
| 1975 | 14.68 million tonnes | -38.5% |
| 1976 | 12.19 million tonnes | -17.0% |
| 1977 | 25.34 million tonnes | +107.8% |
| 1978 | 16.05 million tonnes | -36.7% |
| 1979 | 13.02 million tonnes | -18.9% |
| 1980 | 10.80 million tonnes | -17.0% |
| 1981 | 35.38 million tonnes | +227.5% |
| 1982 | 20.07 million tonnes | -43.3% |
| 1983 | 41.74 million tonnes | +108.0% |
| 1984 | 38.84 million tonnes | -6.9% |
| 1985 | 25.79 million tonnes | -33.6% |
| 1986 | 30.96 million tonnes | +20.1% |
| 1987 | 35.59 million tonnes | +15.0% |
| 1988 | 22.87 million tonnes | -35.7% |
| 1989 | 30.53 million tonnes | +33.5% |
| 1990 | 32.33 million tonnes | +5.9% |
| 1991 | 22.11 million tonnes | -31.6% |
| 1992 | 29.61 million tonnes | +34.0% |
| 1993 | 35.03 million tonnes | +18.3% |
| 1994 | 48.38 million tonnes | +38.1% |
| 1995 | 54.82 million tonnes | +13.3% |
| 1996 | 72.21 million tonnes | +31.7% |
| 1997 | 46.93 million tonnes | -35.0% |
| 1998 | 41.54 million tonnes | -11.5% |
| 1999 | 35.90 million tonnes | -13.6% |
| 2000 | 32.73 million tonnes | -8.8% |
| 2001 | 32.83 million tonnes | +0.3% |
| 2002 | 29.60 million tonnes | -9.8% |
| 2003 | 26.65 million tonnes | -10.0% |
| 2004 | 22.10 million tonnes | -17.1% |
| 2005 | 23.12 million tonnes | +4.6% |
| 2006 | 25.02 million tonnes | +8.2% |
| 2007 | 27.31 million tonnes | +9.2% |
| 2008 | 23.95 million tonnes | -12.3% |
| 2009 | 25.53 million tonnes | +6.6% |
| 2010 | 28.50 million tonnes | +11.7% |
| 2011 | 29.99 million tonnes | +5.2% |
| 2012 | 31.65 million tonnes | +5.5% |
| 2013 | 33.28 million tonnes | +5.1% |
| 2014 | 34.22 million tonnes | +2.8% |
| 2015 | 33.53 million tonnes | -2.0% |
| 2016 | 33.04 million tonnes | -1.5% |
| 2017 | 31.68 million tonnes | -4.1% |
| 2018 | 32.12 million tonnes | +1.4% |
| 2019 | 36.25 million tonnes | +12.9% |
| 2020 | 35.26 million tonnes | -2.7% |
| 2021 | 32.51 million tonnes | -7.8% |
| 2022 | 33.20 million tonnes | +2.1% |
| 2023 | 32.84 million tonnes | -1.1% |
| 2024 | 34.56 million tonnes | +5.2% |
Ghana compared with similar countries
- Ghana's 34.56 million tonnes is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 26.17 million tonnes, 1.3× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Ghana's 34.56 million tonnes is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 14.74 million tonnes, 2.3× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Annual CO₂ emissions including land-use change 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | +227.5% | 10.80 million tonnes | 35.38 million tonnes |
| 1974 | +120.0% | 10.86 million tonnes | 23.89 million tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 80.54 million tonnes | 49.10 million tonnes | 96.73 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1960s | 26.08 million tonnes | 11.18 million tonnes | 59.01 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1970s | 14.88 million tonnes | 10.38 million tonnes | 25.34 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 29.26 million tonnes | 10.80 million tonnes | 41.74 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 41.89 million tonnes | 22.11 million tonnes | 72.21 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 26.88 million tonnes | 22.10 million tonnes | 32.83 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 32.43 million tonnes | 28.50 million tonnes | 36.25 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 33.67 million tonnes | 32.51 million tonnes | 35.26 million tonnes | 5 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
- 80 Papua New Guinea 36.31 million tonnes compare
- 81 Madagascar 35.57 million tonnes compare
- 82 Burkina Faso 34.95 million tonnes compare
- 84 Kenya 34.46 million tonnes compare
- 85 Trinidad and Tobago 34.41 million tonnes compare
- 86 Ecuador 33.80 million 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 annual co₂ emissions including land-use change in Ghana?
- Annual co₂ emissions including land-use change in Ghana was 34.56 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 including land-use change recorded in Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 96.73 million tonnes in 1959.
- What is the lowest annual co₂ emissions including land-use change recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.38 million tonnes in 1972.
- How does Ghana rank for annual co₂ emissions including land-use change?
- Ghana ranks 83rd out of 194 countries with data for 2024.
- Is annual co₂ emissions including land-use change rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.0%. 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 Annual CO₂ emissions including land-use change. 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 total emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂), including land-use change, measured in tonnes.