What is emissions of air pollutants in Lesotho?

Emissions of air pollutants in Lesotho was 164,415 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 Lesotho?

The highest recorded value was 189,902 tonnes in 2009.

What is the lowest emissions of air pollutants recorded in Lesotho?

The lowest recorded value was 6,268 tonnes in 1750.

How does Lesotho rank for emissions of air pollutants?

Lesotho ranks 130th out of 220 countries with data for 2022.

Is emissions of air pollutants rising or falling in Lesotho?

Over the last ten years it is down 13.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.

Where does this Lesotho 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 Lesotho

Name: emissions of air pollutants in Lesotho
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)

Lesotho: emissions of air pollutants was 164,415 tonnes in 2022. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2022)

164,415 tonnes

Change on year

up 0.7%

World rank

130th

of 220 countries

All-time high

189,902 tonnes

in 2009

All-time low

6,268 tonnes

in 1750

Years of data

273

1750–2022

emissions of air pollutants in Lesotho, 1750–2022

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

Analysis

In 2022, emissions of air pollutants in Lesotho stood at 164,415 tonnes.

The figure is up 0.7% on the previous year and down 13.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, emissions of air pollutants in Lesotho peaked at 189,902 tonnes in 2009 and was at its lowest, 6,268 tonnes, in 1750.

Lesotho ranks 130th of 220 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

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	6,581 tonnes	6,268 tonnes	6,894 tonnes	10
1760s	7,312 tonnes	6,964 tonnes	7,659 tonnes	10
1770s	8,123 tonnes	7,736 tonnes	8,509 tonnes	10
1780s	9,023 tonnes	8,595 tonnes	9,452 tonnes	10
1790s	10,024 tonnes	9,548 tonnes	10,500 tonnes	10
1800s	11,135 tonnes	10,606 tonnes	11,664 tonnes	10
1810s	12,841 tonnes	11,782 tonnes	13,900 tonnes	10
1820s	15,405 tonnes	14,135 tonnes	16,675 tonnes	10
1830s	18,480 tonnes	16,957 tonnes	20,004 tonnes	10
1840s	22,169 tonnes	20,342 tonnes	23,996 tonnes	10
1850s	25,911 tonnes	24,402 tonnes	27,474 tonnes	10
1860s	29,560 tonnes	27,839 tonnes	31,343 tonnes	10
1870s	33,723 tonnes	31,759 tonnes	35,757 tonnes	10
1880s	38,471 tonnes	36,231 tonnes	40,792 tonnes	10
1890s	43,927 tonnes	41,510 tonnes	45,883 tonnes	10
1900s	48,805 tonnes	46,243 tonnes	52,593 tonnes	10
1910s	58,629 tonnes	53,619 tonnes	63,917 tonnes	10
1920s	68,587 tonnes	65,178 tonnes	71,476 tonnes	10
1930s	76,234 tonnes	72,153 tonnes	82,277 tonnes	10
1940s	92,803 tonnes	84,185 tonnes	101,784 tonnes	10
1950s	92,961 tonnes	82,027 tonnes	103,888 tonnes	10
1960s	74,460 tonnes	70,145 tonnes	79,584 tonnes	10
1970s	88,013 tonnes	77,778 tonnes	99,228 tonnes	10
1980s	113,638 tonnes	101,959 tonnes	122,888 tonnes	10
1990s	133,960 tonnes	120,956 tonnes	163,328 tonnes	10
2000s	177,945 tonnes	171,806 tonnes	189,902 tonnes	10
2010s	178,649 tonnes	164,740 tonnes	189,516 tonnes	10
2020s	163,710 tonnes	163,342 tonnes	164,415 tonnes	3

Countries ranked near Lesotho

127 Cuba 168,694 tonnes compare
128 Guinea-Bissau 167,968 tonnes compare
129 Yemen 166,882 tonnes compare
131 Maldives 158,394 tonnes compare
132 Kuwait 152,708 tonnes compare
133 Namibia 151,004 tonnes compare

See the full ranking of 220 places →

More climate change data for Lesotho

Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.0% (2100)
Population growth 1.1% (2025)
Population, total 2.36 million (2025)
Urban population growth 3.3% (2025)
Urban population 1.06 million (2025)
Urban population 44.7% (2025)
CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 1.1 tonnes per person (2024)
Cumulative CO₂ emissions 72.33 million tonnes (2024)
CO₂ emissions per capita 1.1 tonnes per person (2024)
CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 1.1 tonnes per person (2024)

All data for Lesotho →

Frequently asked questions

What is emissions of air pollutants in Lesotho?: Emissions of air pollutants in Lesotho was 164,415 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 Lesotho?: The highest recorded value was 189,902 tonnes in 2009.
What is the lowest emissions of air pollutants recorded in Lesotho?: The lowest recorded value was 6,268 tonnes in 1750.
How does Lesotho rank for emissions of air pollutants?: Lesotho ranks 130th out of 220 countries with data for 2022.
Is emissions of air pollutants rising or falling in Lesotho?: Over the last ten years it is down 13.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Lesotho 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.