CO₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change in Zambia
Zambia: CO₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change was 12.04 million tonnes in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
12.04 million tonnes
Change on year
up 1.8%
World rank
105th
of 215 countries
All-time high
12.04 million tonnes
in 2024
All-time low
1.78 million tonnes
in 1999
Years of data
75
1950–2024
CO₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change in Zambia, 1950–2024
Source: Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
In 2024, co₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change in Zambia stood at 12.04 million tonnes. That is the highest value across all 75 years on record.
The figure is up 1.8% on the previous year and up 128.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, co₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change in Zambia peaked at 12.04 million tonnes in 2024 and was at its lowest, 1.78 million tonnes, in 1999.
Zambia ranks 105th of 215 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 from fossil fuels and land-use change in Zambia, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 2.33 million tonnes | — |
| 1951 | 2.57 million tonnes | +10.3% |
| 1952 | 2.89 million tonnes | +12.5% |
| 1953 | 3.15 million tonnes | +9.0% |
| 1954 | 3.46 million tonnes | +10.0% |
| 1955 | 4.08 million tonnes | +17.9% |
| 1956 | 4.45 million tonnes | +9.0% |
| 1957 | 4.58 million tonnes | +2.9% |
| 1958 | 4.09 million tonnes | -10.7% |
| 1959 | 4.57 million tonnes | +11.5% |
| 1960 | 4.36 million tonnes | -4.7% |
| 1961 | 3.71 million tonnes | -14.8% |
| 1962 | 3.58 million tonnes | -3.4% |
| 1963 | 3.44 million tonnes | -3.9% |
| 1964 | 3.27 million tonnes | -4.9% |
| 1965 | 3.91 million tonnes | +19.5% |
| 1966 | 3.50 million tonnes | -10.6% |
| 1967 | 4.79 million tonnes | +36.9% |
| 1968 | 4.57 million tonnes | -4.6% |
| 1969 | 4.27 million tonnes | -6.5% |
| 1970 | 3.77 million tonnes | -11.8% |
| 1971 | 3.79 million tonnes | +0.6% |
| 1972 | 4.06 million tonnes | +7.2% |
| 1973 | 4.59 million tonnes | +12.9% |
| 1974 | 4.20 million tonnes | -8.5% |
| 1975 | 4.08 million tonnes | -2.9% |
| 1976 | 4.02 million tonnes | -1.4% |
| 1977 | 3.73 million tonnes | -7.1% |
| 1978 | 3.47 million tonnes | -7.1% |
| 1979 | 3.60 million tonnes | +3.6% |
| 1980 | 3.52 million tonnes | -2.0% |
| 1981 | 3.36 million tonnes | -4.7% |
| 1982 | 3.51 million tonnes | +4.5% |
| 1983 | 3.26 million tonnes | -7.1% |
| 1984 | 2.80 million tonnes | -14.0% |
| 1985 | 2.73 million tonnes | -2.6% |
| 1986 | 2.87 million tonnes | +4.9% |
| 1987 | 2.67 million tonnes | -6.7% |
| 1988 | 3.11 million tonnes | +16.3% |
| 1989 | 2.57 million tonnes | -17.3% |
| 1990 | 2.41 million tonnes | -6.3% |
| 1991 | 2.38 million tonnes | -1.1% |
| 1992 | 2.42 million tonnes | +1.8% |
| 1993 | 2.47 million tonnes | +1.7% |
| 1994 | 2.39 million tonnes | -3.0% |
| 1995 | 2.14 million tonnes | -10.5% |
| 1996 | 1.84 million tonnes | -14.2% |
| 1997 | 2.35 million tonnes | +28.1% |
| 1998 | 2.28 million tonnes | -3.2% |
| 1999 | 1.78 million tonnes | -22.0% |
| 2000 | 1.78 million tonnes | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 1.89 million tonnes | +5.7% |
| 2002 | 1.96 million tonnes | +4.0% |
| 2003 | 2.07 million tonnes | +5.8% |
| 2004 | 2.10 million tonnes | +1.4% |
| 2005 | 2.24 million tonnes | +6.6% |
| 2006 | 2.23 million tonnes | -0.5% |
| 2007 | 2.30 million tonnes | +3.0% |
| 2008 | 2.55 million tonnes | +11.1% |
| 2009 | 2.94 million tonnes | +15.2% |
| 2010 | 3.12 million tonnes | +6.2% |
| 2011 | 3.38 million tonnes | +8.3% |
| 2012 | 4.18 million tonnes | +23.6% |
| 2013 | 4.43 million tonnes | +6.0% |
| 2014 | 5.28 million tonnes | +19.4% |
| 2015 | 5.52 million tonnes | +4.5% |
| 2016 | 5.98 million tonnes | +8.2% |
| 2017 | 7.46 million tonnes | +24.8% |
| 2018 | 8.66 million tonnes | +16.1% |
| 2019 | 8.85 million tonnes | +2.2% |
| 2020 | 9.99 million tonnes | +12.9% |
| 2021 | 9.35 million tonnes | -6.4% |
| 2022 | 10.94 million tonnes | +17.0% |
| 2023 | 11.83 million tonnes | +8.2% |
| 2024 | 12.04 million tonnes | +1.8% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 12.04 million tonnes is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 12.04 million tonnes, 1.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 12.04 million tonnes is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 4.96 million tonnes, 2.4× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 3.62 million tonnes | 2.33 million tonnes | 4.58 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1960s | 3.94 million tonnes | 3.27 million tonnes | 4.79 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1970s | 3.93 million tonnes | 3.47 million tonnes | 4.59 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.04 million tonnes | 2.57 million tonnes | 3.52 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.25 million tonnes | 1.78 million tonnes | 2.47 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.21 million tonnes | 1.78 million tonnes | 2.94 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.69 million tonnes | 3.12 million tonnes | 8.85 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 10.83 million tonnes | 9.35 million tonnes | 12.04 million tonnes | 5 |
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 from fossil fuels and land-use change in Zambia?
- Co₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change in Zambia was 12.04 million tonnes in 2024, according to Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest co₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 12.04 million tonnes in 2024.
- What is the lowest co₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.78 million tonnes in 1999.
- How does Zambia rank for co₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change?
- Zambia ranks 105th out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
- Is co₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 128.0%. 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 from fossil fuels and land-use change. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 75 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Annual total emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂), excluding land-use change, measured in tonnes.