CO₂ emissions by sector in Kenya
Kenya: CO₂ emissions by sector was 1.74 million tonnes in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
1.74 million tonnes
Change on year
down 1.1%
World rank
77th
of 187 countries
All-time high
2.20 million tonnes
in 2017
All-time low
500,000 tonnes
in 1993
Years of data
34
1990–2023
CO₂ emissions by sector in Kenya, 1990–2023
Source: Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
Kenya recorded 1.74 million tonnes for co₂ emissions by sector in 2023.
That represents a change of down 1.1% on the previous year and up 23.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, co₂ emissions by sector in Kenya peaked at 2.20 million tonnes in 2017 and was at its lowest, 500,000 tonnes, in 1993.
That places Kenya 77th 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 Kenya, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 600,000 tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 560,000 tonnes | -6.7% |
| 1992 | 540,000 tonnes | -3.6% |
| 1993 | 500,000 tonnes | -7.4% |
| 1994 | 640,000 tonnes | +28.0% |
| 1995 | 870,000 tonnes | +35.9% |
| 1996 | 910,000 tonnes | +4.6% |
| 1997 | 940,000 tonnes | +3.3% |
| 1998 | 1.11 million tonnes | +18.1% |
| 1999 | 1.36 million tonnes | +22.5% |
| 2000 | 1.33 million tonnes | -2.2% |
| 2001 | 1.11 million tonnes | -16.5% |
| 2002 | 1.02 million tonnes | -8.1% |
| 2003 | 790,000 tonnes | -22.5% |
| 2004 | 940,000 tonnes | +19.0% |
| 2005 | 1.15 million tonnes | +22.3% |
| 2006 | 1.12 million tonnes | -2.6% |
| 2007 | 1.14 million tonnes | +1.8% |
| 2008 | 1.09 million tonnes | -4.4% |
| 2009 | 1.44 million tonnes | +32.1% |
| 2010 | 1.44 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 1.32 million tonnes | -8.3% |
| 2012 | 1.43 million tonnes | +8.3% |
| 2013 | 1.41 million tonnes | -1.4% |
| 2014 | 1.60 million tonnes | +13.5% |
| 2015 | 1.92 million tonnes | +20.0% |
| 2016 | 1.93 million tonnes | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 2.20 million tonnes | +14.0% |
| 2018 | 1.89 million tonnes | -14.1% |
| 2019 | 1.75 million tonnes | -7.4% |
| 2020 | 1.77 million tonnes | +1.1% |
| 2021 | 1.93 million tonnes | +9.0% |
| 2022 | 1.76 million tonnes | -8.8% |
| 2023 | 1.74 million tonnes | -1.1% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 1.74 million tonnes is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 630,000 tonnes, 2.8× the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 1.74 million tonnes is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 170,000 tonnes, 10.2× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 803,000 tonnes | 500,000 tonnes | 1.36 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.11 million tonnes | 790,000 tonnes | 1.44 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.69 million tonnes | 1.32 million tonnes | 2.20 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.80 million tonnes | 1.74 million tonnes | 1.93 million tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
- 74 Croatia 1.89 million tonnes compare
- 75 New Zealand 1.84 million tonnes compare
- 76 Armenia 1.76 million tonnes compare
- 78 Dominican Republic 1.63 million tonnes compare
- 79 Nepal 1.51 million tonnes compare
- 80 Luxembourg 1.36 million tonnes compare
More climate change data for Kenya
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 276.34 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 50,641 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 16,186 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 34,454 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 61.08 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 1,231 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 2,372 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 2,116 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 255.67 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 7.99 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is co₂ emissions by sector in Kenya?
- Co₂ emissions by sector in Kenya was 1.74 million 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 Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 2.20 million tonnes in 2017.
- What is the lowest co₂ emissions by sector recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 500,000 tonnes in 1993.
- How does Kenya rank for co₂ emissions by sector?
- Kenya ranks 77th out of 187 countries with data for 2023.
- Is co₂ emissions by sector rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is up 23.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Kenya 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.