What is the highest emissions of air pollutants recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?

The highest recorded value was 5.50 million tonnes in 2017.

What is the lowest emissions of air pollutants recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?

The lowest recorded value was 149,409 tonnes in 1810.

How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for emissions of air pollutants?

Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 12th out of 220 countries with data for 2022.

Is emissions of air pollutants rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?

Over the last ten years it is up 30.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.

Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo data come from?

The figures come from Hoesly et al. (2024) - Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of emissions of air pollutants. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

emissions of air pollutants in Democratic Republic of Congo

Name: emissions of air pollutants in Democratic Republic of Congo
Creator: Hoesly et al. (2024) - Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

Democratic Republic of Congo: emissions of air pollutants was 5.25 million tonnes in 2022. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2022)

5.25 million tonnes

Change on year

up 1.3%

World rank

12th

of 220 countries

All-time high

5.50 million tonnes

in 2017

All-time low

149,409 tonnes

in 1810

Years of data

273

1750–2022

emissions of air pollutants in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1750–2022

Source: Hoesly et al. (2024) - Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.

Analysis

The most recent figure for emissions of air pollutants in Democratic Republic of Congo is 5.25 million tonnes, measured in 2022.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.3% on the previous year and up 30.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, emissions of air pollutants in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 5.50 million tonnes in 2017 and was at its lowest, 149,409 tonnes, in 1810.

That places Democratic Republic of Congo 12th out of 220 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top 10%.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1750s	149,878 tonnes	149,854 tonnes	149,901 tonnes	10
1760s	149,910 tonnes	149,906 tonnes	149,914 tonnes	10
1770s	149,897 tonnes	149,879 tonnes	149,915 tonnes	10
1780s	149,833 tonnes	149,790 tonnes	149,875 tonnes	10
1790s	149,712 tonnes	149,643 tonnes	149,781 tonnes	10
1800s	149,530 tonnes	149,431 tonnes	149,628 tonnes	10
1810s	149,618 tonnes	149,409 tonnes	149,825 tonnes	10
1820s	150,044 tonnes	149,871 tonnes	150,216 tonnes	10
1830s	150,387 tonnes	150,254 tonnes	150,519 tonnes	10
1840s	150,637 tonnes	150,548 tonnes	150,725 tonnes	10
1850s	161,919 tonnes	150,749 tonnes	173,573 tonnes	10
1860s	189,352 tonnes	176,312 tonnes	202,931 tonnes	10
1870s	221,590 tonnes	206,122 tonnes	237,704 tonnes	10
1880s	259,622 tonnes	241,492 tonnes	278,527 tonnes	10
1890s	304,281 tonnes	282,976 tonnes	326,512 tonnes	10
1900s	359,735 tonnes	331,749 tonnes	389,085 tonnes	10
1910s	430,249 tonnes	396,041 tonnes	466,581 tonnes	10
1920s	501,787 tonnes	429,536 tonnes	565,408 tonnes	10
1930s	627,766 tonnes	579,100 tonnes	724,347 tonnes	10
1940s	902,075 tonnes	744,857 tonnes	1.10 million tonnes	10
1950s	1.47 million tonnes	1.18 million tonnes	1.65 million tonnes	10
1960s	1.80 million tonnes	1.67 million tonnes	1.99 million tonnes	10
1970s	2.19 million tonnes	1.97 million tonnes	2.47 million tonnes	10
1980s	2.94 million tonnes	2.54 million tonnes	3.39 million tonnes	10
1990s	3.52 million tonnes	3.37 million tonnes	3.66 million tonnes	10
2000s	3.13 million tonnes	2.89 million tonnes	3.30 million tonnes	10
2010s	4.58 million tonnes	3.33 million tonnes	5.50 million tonnes	10
2020s	5.17 million tonnes	5.08 million tonnes	5.25 million tonnes	3

Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo

9 Russia 7.02 million tonnes compare
10 Thailand 6.89 million tonnes compare
11 Vietnam 5.97 million tonnes compare
13 Malaysia 4.68 million tonnes compare
14 Egypt 4.50 million tonnes compare
15 South Africa 4.37 million tonnes compare

See the full ranking of 220 places →

More climate change data for Democratic Republic of Congo

Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 4.2% (2100)
Population growth 3.2% (2025)
Population, total 112.83 million (2025)
Urban population growth 4.0% (2025)
Urban population 50.90 million (2025)
Urban population 45.1% (2025)
CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 0.054 tonnes per person (2024)
Cumulative CO₂ emissions 238.70 million tonnes (2024)
CO₂ emissions per capita 0.054 tonnes per person (2024)
CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 0.054 tonnes per person (2024)

All data for Democratic Republic of Congo →

Frequently asked questions

What is emissions of air pollutants in Democratic Republic of Congo?: Emissions of air pollutants in Democratic Republic of Congo was 5.25 million tonnes in 2022, according to Hoesly et al. (2024) - Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest emissions of air pollutants recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?: The highest recorded value was 5.50 million tonnes in 2017.
What is the lowest emissions of air pollutants recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?: The lowest recorded value was 149,409 tonnes in 1810.
How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for emissions of air pollutants?: Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 12th out of 220 countries with data for 2022.
Is emissions of air pollutants rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?: Over the last ten years it is up 30.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo data come from?: The figures come from Hoesly et al. (2024) - Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of emissions of air pollutants. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 273 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator: emissions of air pollutants
Unit: tonnes
Source: Hoesly et al. (2024) - Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 220 places, 60,060 data points, 1750–2022
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a pollutant produced from the incomplete combustion of carbon-based fuels such as oil, gas, wood, and coal. CO is a harmful gas that contributes to both outdoor and indoor air pollution.