CO₂ emissions by sector in Ghana
Ghana: CO₂ emissions by sector was 500,000 tonnes in 2023. ▲ Rising
CO₂ emissions by sector in Ghana, 1990–2023
Source: Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
The most recent figure for co₂ emissions by sector in Ghana is 500,000 tonnes, measured in 2023.
The figure is up 2.0% on the previous year and down 28.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, co₂ emissions by sector in Ghana peaked at 810,000 tonnes in 2009 and was at its lowest, 259,999 tonnes, in 2000.
That places Ghana 110th out of 187 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
CO₂ emissions by sector in Ghana, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 430,000 tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 290,000 tonnes | -32.6% |
| 1992 | 330,000 tonnes | +13.8% |
| 1993 | 330,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 380,000 tonnes | +15.2% |
| 1995 | 430,000 tonnes | +13.2% |
| 1996 | 490,000 tonnes | +14.0% |
| 1997 | 510,000 tonnes | +4.1% |
| 1998 | 570,000 tonnes | +11.8% |
| 1999 | 590,000 tonnes | +3.5% |
| 2000 | 259,999 tonnes | -55.9% |
| 2001 | 410,000 tonnes | +57.7% |
| 2002 | 310,000 tonnes | -24.4% |
| 2003 | 490,000 tonnes | +58.1% |
| 2004 | 510,000 tonnes | +4.1% |
| 2005 | 460,000 tonnes | -9.8% |
| 2006 | 430,000 tonnes | -6.5% |
| 2007 | 620,000 tonnes | +44.2% |
| 2008 | 390,000 tonnes | -37.1% |
| 2009 | 810,000 tonnes | +107.7% |
| 2010 | 590,000 tonnes | -27.2% |
| 2011 | 710,000 tonnes | +20.3% |
| 2012 | 800,000 tonnes | +12.7% |
| 2013 | 700,000 tonnes | -12.5% |
| 2014 | 620,000 tonnes | -11.4% |
| 2015 | 700,000 tonnes | +12.9% |
| 2016 | 710,000 tonnes | +1.4% |
| 2017 | 580,000 tonnes | -18.3% |
| 2018 | 610,000 tonnes | +5.2% |
| 2019 | 630,000 tonnes | +3.3% |
| 2020 | 700,000 tonnes | +11.1% |
| 2021 | 730,000 tonnes | +4.3% |
| 2022 | 490,000 tonnes | -32.9% |
| 2023 | 500,000 tonnes | +2.0% |
Ghana compared with similar countries
- Ghana's 500,000 tonnes is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 630,000 tonnes, 79% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Ghana's 500,000 tonnes is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 170,000 tonnes, 2.9× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where CO₂ emissions by sector in Ghana 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 | +107.7% | 390,000 tonnes | 810,000 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 435,000 tonnes | 290,000 tonnes | 590,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 469,000 tonnes | 259,999 tonnes | 810,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 665,000 tonnes | 580,000 tonnes | 800,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 605,000 tonnes | 490,000 tonnes | 730,000 tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
More climate change data for Ghana
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 63.84 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 6,671 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 2,693 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 3,979 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 10.16 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 142.09 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 1,417 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 670.16 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 746.8 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 2.53 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is co₂ emissions by sector in Ghana?
- Co₂ emissions by sector in Ghana was 500,000 tonnes in 2023, according to Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest co₂ emissions by sector recorded in Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 810,000 tonnes in 2009.
- What is the lowest co₂ emissions by sector recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 259,999 tonnes in 2000.
- How does Ghana rank for co₂ emissions by sector?
- Ghana ranks 110th out of 187 countries with data for 2023.
- Is co₂ emissions by sector rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 28.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ghana data come from?
- The figures come from Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of CO₂ emissions by sector. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Emissions are measured in tonnes.