CO₂ emissions embedded in trade in Zambia
Zambia: CO₂ emissions embedded in trade was 874,454 tonnes in 2023. ◆ Volatile
CO₂ emissions embedded in trade in Zambia, 1990–2023
Source: Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
Zambia recorded 874,454 tonnes for co₂ emissions embedded in trade in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 10.8% on the previous year and down 79.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, co₂ emissions embedded in trade in Zambia peaked at 4.63 million tonnes in 2014 and was at its lowest, -827,779 tonnes, in 1990.
Zambia ranks 88th of 120 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.
CO₂ emissions embedded in trade in Zambia, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | -827,779 tonnes | — |
| 1991 | -530,732 tonnes | -35.9% |
| 1992 | -419,258 tonnes | -21.0% |
| 1993 | -378,774 tonnes | -9.7% |
| 1994 | -299,233 tonnes | -21.0% |
| 1995 | -173,268 tonnes | -42.1% |
| 1996 | -74,701 tonnes | -56.9% |
| 1997 | -71,781 tonnes | -3.9% |
| 1998 | 198,339 tonnes | -376.3% |
| 1999 | 217,545 tonnes | +9.7% |
| 2000 | 1.91 million tonnes | +776.9% |
| 2001 | 2.09 million tonnes | +9.6% |
| 2002 | 2.02 million tonnes | -3.5% |
| 2003 | 1.81 million tonnes | -10.3% |
| 2004 | 1.86 million tonnes | +2.8% |
| 2005 | 1.93 million tonnes | +3.4% |
| 2006 | 2.69 million tonnes | +39.7% |
| 2007 | 3.41 million tonnes | +26.6% |
| 2008 | 4.38 million tonnes | +28.4% |
| 2009 | 2.93 million tonnes | -33.0% |
| 2010 | 2.79 million tonnes | -4.8% |
| 2011 | 4.31 million tonnes | +54.6% |
| 2012 | 3.95 million tonnes | -8.3% |
| 2013 | 4.28 million tonnes | +8.4% |
| 2014 | 4.63 million tonnes | +8.0% |
| 2015 | 4.05 million tonnes | -12.5% |
| 2016 | 3.28 million tonnes | -18.9% |
| 2017 | 2.65 million tonnes | -19.2% |
| 2018 | 1.98 million tonnes | -25.5% |
| 2019 | 2.30 million tonnes | +16.2% |
| 2020 | -114,386 tonnes | -105.0% |
| 2021 | 546,460 tonnes | -577.7% |
| 2022 | 788,977 tonnes | +44.4% |
| 2023 | 874,454 tonnes | +10.8% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 874,454 tonnes is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 2.98 million tonnes, 29% of the median. (28 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 874,454 tonnes is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3.33 million tonnes, 26% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where CO₂ emissions embedded in trade in Zambia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | +776.9% | 217,545 tonnes | 1.91 million tonnes |
| 2021 | +577.7% | -114,386 tonnes | 546,460 tonnes |
| 1998 | +376.3% | -71,781 tonnes | 198,339 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | -235,964 tonnes | -827,779 tonnes | 217,545 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.50 million tonnes | 1.81 million tonnes | 4.38 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.42 million tonnes | 1.98 million tonnes | 4.63 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 523,876 tonnes | -114,386 tonnes | 874,454 tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
More climate change data for Zambia
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 303.19 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 7,547 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 2,795 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 4,752 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 10.55 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 169.71 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 2,153 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 2,033 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 120.21 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 7.67 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is co₂ emissions embedded in trade in Zambia?
- Co₂ emissions embedded in trade in Zambia was 874,454 tonnes in 2023, according to Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest co₂ emissions embedded in trade recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 4.63 million tonnes in 2014.
- What is the lowest co₂ emissions embedded in trade recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was -827,779 tonnes in 1990.
- How does Zambia rank for co₂ emissions embedded in trade?
- Zambia ranks 88th out of 120 countries with data for 2023.
- Is co₂ emissions embedded in trade rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 79.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of CO₂ emissions embedded in trade. 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
Annual net carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions embedded in trade, measured in tonnes.