What is emissions of air pollutants in Sierra Leone?

Emissions of air pollutants in Sierra Leone was 444,930 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 Sierra Leone?

The highest recorded value was 451,342 tonnes in 2014.

What is the lowest emissions of air pollutants recorded in Sierra Leone?

The lowest recorded value was 16,739 tonnes in 1750.

How does Sierra Leone rank for emissions of air pollutants?

Sierra Leone ranks 87th out of 220 countries with data for 2022.

Is emissions of air pollutants rising or falling in Sierra Leone?

Over the last ten years it is down 0.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.

Where does this Sierra Leone 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 Sierra Leone

Name: emissions of air pollutants in Sierra Leone
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)

Sierra Leone: emissions of air pollutants was 444,930 tonnes in 2022. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2022)

444,930 tonnes

Change on year

up 0.8%

World rank

87th

of 220 countries

All-time high

451,342 tonnes

in 2014

All-time low

16,739 tonnes

in 1750

Years of data

273

1750–2022

emissions of air pollutants in Sierra Leone, 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 Sierra Leone stood at 444,930 tonnes.

That represents a change of up 0.8% on the previous year and down 0.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, emissions of air pollutants in Sierra Leone peaked at 451,342 tonnes in 2014 and was at its lowest, 16,739 tonnes, in 1750.

That places Sierra Leone 87th out of 220 countries with data for 2022, putting it 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	16,756 tonnes	16,739 tonnes	16,773 tonnes	10
1760s	16,794 tonnes	16,777 tonnes	16,810 tonnes	10
1770s	16,830 tonnes	16,814 tonnes	16,846 tonnes	10
1780s	16,864 tonnes	16,849 tonnes	16,879 tonnes	10
1790s	16,896 tonnes	16,882 tonnes	16,910 tonnes	10
1800s	16,926 tonnes	16,913 tonnes	16,938 tonnes	10
1810s	16,991 tonnes	16,941 tonnes	17,042 tonnes	10
1820s	17,102 tonnes	17,053 tonnes	17,151 tonnes	10
1830s	17,209 tonnes	17,162 tonnes	17,257 tonnes	10
1840s	17,314 tonnes	17,268 tonnes	17,361 tonnes	10
1850s	17,421 tonnes	17,371 tonnes	17,470 tonnes	10
1860s	17,620 tonnes	17,481 tonnes	17,759 tonnes	10
1870s	17,958 tonnes	17,789 tonnes	18,136 tonnes	10
1880s	18,349 tonnes	18,178 tonnes	18,518 tonnes	10
1890s	20,962 tonnes	18,555 tonnes	32,510 tonnes	10
1900s	64,782 tonnes	42,134 tonnes	74,996 tonnes	10
1910s	77,332 tonnes	74,790 tonnes	80,657 tonnes	10
1920s	90,384 tonnes	81,528 tonnes	100,001 tonnes	10
1930s	113,936 tonnes	102,312 tonnes	126,981 tonnes	10
1940s	135,429 tonnes	128,022 tonnes	148,855 tonnes	10
1950s	164,054 tonnes	158,713 tonnes	172,105 tonnes	10
1960s	178,316 tonnes	169,749 tonnes	207,513 tonnes	10
1970s	221,062 tonnes	203,899 tonnes	246,456 tonnes	10
1980s	277,242 tonnes	248,532 tonnes	304,422 tonnes	10
1990s	311,763 tonnes	268,209 tonnes	354,346 tonnes	10
2000s	394,881 tonnes	380,630 tonnes	418,726 tonnes	10
2010s	439,686 tonnes	425,118 tonnes	451,342 tonnes	10
2020s	441,567 tonnes	438,527 tonnes	444,930 tonnes	3

Countries ranked near Sierra Leone

84 Gabon 458,700 tonnes compare
85 Netherlands 457,898 tonnes compare
86 Tunisia 454,469 tonnes compare
88 Ecuador 425,124 tonnes compare
89 Burundi 424,356 tonnes compare
90 Honduras 420,063 tonnes compare

See the full ranking of 220 places →

More climate change data for Sierra Leone

Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.2% (2100)
Population growth 2.0% (2025)
Population, total 8.82 million (2025)
Urban population growth 3.3% (2025)
Urban population 4.05 million (2025)
Urban population 45.9% (2025)
CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 0.166 tonnes per person (2024)
Cumulative CO₂ emissions 42.62 million tonnes (2024)
CO₂ emissions per capita 0.166 tonnes per person (2024)
CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 0.166 tonnes per person (2024)

All data for Sierra Leone →

Frequently asked questions

What is emissions of air pollutants in Sierra Leone?: Emissions of air pollutants in Sierra Leone was 444,930 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 Sierra Leone?: The highest recorded value was 451,342 tonnes in 2014.
What is the lowest emissions of air pollutants recorded in Sierra Leone?: The lowest recorded value was 16,739 tonnes in 1750.
How does Sierra Leone rank for emissions of air pollutants?: Sierra Leone ranks 87th out of 220 countries with data for 2022.
Is emissions of air pollutants rising or falling in Sierra Leone?: Over the last ten years it is down 0.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Sierra Leone 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.