Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in Lesotho
Lesotho: Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity was 20.83 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour in 2022. ▼ Falling
Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in Lesotho, 2000–2022
Source: Ember (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 20.83 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour for lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in 2022.
That represents a change of up 10.4% on the previous year and up 2.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in Lesotho peaked at 35.71 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour in 2001 and was at its lowest, 17.24 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour, in 2008.
Lesotho ranks 212th of 213 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 23 years of available data.
Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 34.48 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | — |
| 2001 | 35.71 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +3.6% |
| 2002 | 32.26 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -9.7% |
| 2003 | 31.25 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -3.1% |
| 2004 | 33.33 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +6.7% |
| 2005 | 21.74 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -34.8% |
| 2006 | 19.23 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -11.5% |
| 2007 | 18.18 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -5.5% |
| 2008 | 17.24 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -5.2% |
| 2009 | 30.77 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +78.5% |
| 2010 | 28.99 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -5.8% |
| 2011 | 20.41 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -29.6% |
| 2012 | 20.41 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 19.61 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -3.9% |
| 2014 | 19.23 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -1.9% |
| 2015 | 18.87 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -1.9% |
| 2016 | 19.23 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +1.9% |
| 2017 | 18.52 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -3.7% |
| 2018 | 19.23 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +3.8% |
| 2019 | 25.64 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +33.3% |
| 2020 | 23.26 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -9.3% |
| 2021 | 18.87 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -18.9% |
| 2022 | 20.83 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +10.4% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 20.83 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 450 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour, 5% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 20.83 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 443.9 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour, 5% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in Lesotho 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | +78.5% | 17.24 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 30.77 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 27.42 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 17.24 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 35.71 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 2010s | 21.01 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 18.52 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 28.99 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 2020s | 20.99 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 18.87 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 23.26 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 3 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 209 Costa Rica 24.2 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
- 210 Bhutan 23.64 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
- 211 Ethiopia 23.08 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
- 213 Central African Republic 0 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
More climate change data for Lesotho
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 6.55 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 2,116 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 715.74 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 1,401 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 2.7 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 50.03 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 61.29 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 51.99 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 9.3 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 0.1962 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in Lesotho?
- Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in Lesotho was 20.83 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour in 2022, according to Ember (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 35.71 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour in 2001.
- What is the lowest lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.24 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour in 2008.
- How does Lesotho rank for lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity?
- Lesotho ranks 212th out of 213 countries with data for 2022.
- Is lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Lesotho 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 — 23 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.