Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in Ghana
Ghana: Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity was 468.89 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
468.89 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour
Change on year
up 3.6%
World rank
108th
of 213 countries
All-time high
478.26 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour
in 2021
All-time low
79.5 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour
in 2000
Years of data
25
2000–2024
Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in Ghana, 2000–2024
Source: Ember (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour.
Analysis
In 2024, lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in Ghana stood at 468.89 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour.
The figure is up 3.6% on the previous year and up 74.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in Ghana peaked at 478.26 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour in 2021 and was at its lowest, 79.5 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour, in 2000.
That places Ghana 108th out of 213 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in Ghana, year by year
| Year | grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 79.5 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | — |
| 2001 | 126.76 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +59.4% |
| 2002 | 221.46 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +74.7% |
| 2003 | 241.5 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +9.0% |
| 2004 | 103.33 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -57.2% |
| 2005 | 132.05 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +27.8% |
| 2006 | 237.19 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +79.6% |
| 2007 | 321.84 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +35.7% |
| 2008 | 189.9 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -41.0% |
| 2009 | 173.38 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -8.7% |
| 2010 | 230.24 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +32.8% |
| 2011 | 253.76 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +10.2% |
| 2012 | 251.03 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -1.1% |
| 2013 | 266.36 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +6.1% |
| 2014 | 269.11 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +1.0% |
| 2015 | 369.42 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +37.3% |
| 2016 | 410.02 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +11.0% |
| 2017 | 407.52 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -0.6% |
| 2018 | 421.87 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +3.5% |
| 2019 | 416.76 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -1.2% |
| 2020 | 459.2 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +10.2% |
| 2021 | 478.26 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +4.2% |
| 2022 | 469.42 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -1.8% |
| 2023 | 452.68 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -3.6% |
| 2024 | 468.89 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +3.6% |
Ghana compared with similar countries
- Ghana's 468.89 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 450 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour, 1.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Ghana's 468.89 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 443.9 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour, 1.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | +79.6% | 132.05 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 237.19 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour |
| 2002 | +74.7% | 126.76 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 221.46 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour |
| 2004 | -57.2% | 241.5 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 103.33 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 182.69 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 79.5 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 321.84 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 2010s | 329.61 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 230.24 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 421.87 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 2020s | 465.69 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 452.68 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 478.26 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 5 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
- 105 Turkey 474.74 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
- 106 Macao 474.36 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
- 107 Mexico 474.02 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
- 109 United Arab Emirates 467.51 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
- 110 Cape Verde 461.54 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
- 111 Vietnam 460.73 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour 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 lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in Ghana?
- Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in Ghana was 468.89 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour in 2024, according to Ember (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity recorded in Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 478.26 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour in 2021.
- What is the lowest lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 79.5 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour in 2000.
- How does Ghana rank for lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity?
- Ghana ranks 108th out of 213 countries with data for 2024.
- Is lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is up 74.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ghana data come from?
- The figures come from Ember (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Greenhouse gases emitted per unit of generated electricity, measured in grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour.