What is emissions of air pollutants in Zambia?

Emissions of air pollutants in Zambia was 1.88 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 Zambia?

The highest recorded value was 1.88 million tonnes in 2022.

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

The lowest recorded value was 21,236 tonnes in 1750.

How does Zambia rank for emissions of air pollutants?

Zambia ranks 34th out of 220 countries with data for 2022.

Is emissions of air pollutants rising or falling in Zambia?

Over the last ten years it is up 27.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.

Where does this Zambia 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 Zambia

Name: emissions of air pollutants in Zambia
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)

Zambia: emissions of air pollutants was 1.88 million tonnes in 2022. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2022)

1.88 million tonnes

Change on year

up 1.4%

World rank

34th

of 220 countries

All-time high

1.88 million tonnes

in 2022

All-time low

21,236 tonnes

in 1750

Years of data

273

1750–2022

emissions of air pollutants in Zambia, 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 Zambia stood at 1.88 million tonnes. That is the highest value across all 273 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.4% on the previous year and up 27.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, emissions of air pollutants in Zambia peaked at 1.88 million tonnes in 2022 and was at its lowest, 21,236 tonnes, in 1750.

Zambia ranks 34th of 220 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

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	21,252 tonnes	21,236 tonnes	21,269 tonnes	10
1760s	21,287 tonnes	21,272 tonnes	21,302 tonnes	10
1770s	21,318 tonnes	21,305 tonnes	21,331 tonnes	10
1780s	21,345 tonnes	21,334 tonnes	21,356 tonnes	10
1790s	21,368 tonnes	21,359 tonnes	21,377 tonnes	10
1800s	21,386 tonnes	21,379 tonnes	21,393 tonnes	10
1810s	21,448 tonnes	21,395 tonnes	21,501 tonnes	10
1820s	21,563 tonnes	21,512 tonnes	21,614 tonnes	10
1830s	21,673 tonnes	21,625 tonnes	21,720 tonnes	10
1840s	21,776 tonnes	21,731 tonnes	21,820 tonnes	10
1850s	21,909 tonnes	21,830 tonnes	21,990 tonnes	10
1860s	23,642 tonnes	22,009 tonnes	26,388 tonnes	10
1870s	30,826 tonnes	27,128 tonnes	34,807 tonnes	10
1880s	40,668 tonnes	35,785 tonnes	45,926 tonnes	10
1890s	53,667 tonnes	47,218 tonnes	60,612 tonnes	10
1900s	73,301 tonnes	62,318 tonnes	85,308 tonnes	10
1910s	103,650 tonnes	88,316 tonnes	120,401 tonnes	10
1920s	146,036 tonnes	124,594 tonnes	169,472 tonnes	10
1930s	207,160 tonnes	175,334 tonnes	247,762 tonnes	10
1940s	313,208 tonnes	259,440 tonnes	363,936 tonnes	10
1950s	426,176 tonnes	380,938 tonnes	471,942 tonnes	10
1960s	648,705 tonnes	481,837 tonnes	804,528 tonnes	10
1970s	837,071 tonnes	753,896 tonnes	896,920 tonnes	10
1980s	1.02 million tonnes	909,734 tonnes	1.15 million tonnes	10
1990s	1.22 million tonnes	1.16 million tonnes	1.24 million tonnes	10
2000s	1.23 million tonnes	1.19 million tonnes	1.33 million tonnes	10
2010s	1.58 million tonnes	1.38 million tonnes	1.77 million tonnes	10
2020s	1.85 million tonnes	1.81 million tonnes	1.88 million tonnes	3

Countries ranked near Zambia

31 North Korea 2.27 million tonnes compare
32 Mozambique 2.03 million tonnes compare
33 Italy 1.94 million tonnes compare
35 Madagascar 1.77 million tonnes compare
36 Sri Lanka 1.76 million tonnes compare
37 Guatemala 1.75 million tonnes compare

See the full ranking of 220 places →

More climate change data for Zambia

Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.6% (2100)
Population growth 2.8% (2025)
Population, total 21.91 million (2025)
Urban population growth 3.7% (2025)
Urban population 10.06 million (2025)
Urban population 45.9% (2025)
CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 0.565 tonnes per person (2024)
Cumulative CO₂ emissions 300.84 million tonnes (2024)
CO₂ emissions per capita 0.565 tonnes per person (2024)
CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 0.565 tonnes per person (2024)

All data for Zambia →

Frequently asked questions

What is emissions of air pollutants in Zambia?: Emissions of air pollutants in Zambia was 1.88 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 Zambia?: The highest recorded value was 1.88 million tonnes in 2022.
What is the lowest emissions of air pollutants recorded in Zambia?: The lowest recorded value was 21,236 tonnes in 1750.
How does Zambia rank for emissions of air pollutants?: Zambia ranks 34th out of 220 countries with data for 2022.
Is emissions of air pollutants rising or falling in Zambia?: Over the last ten years it is up 27.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Zambia 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.