CO₂ emissions from transport in Lesotho
Lesotho: CO₂ emissions from transport was 530,000 tonnes in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
530,000 tonnes
Change on year
up 6.0%
World rank
158th
of 191 countries
All-time high
530,000 tonnes
in 2019
All-time low
250,000 tonnes
in 1990
Years of data
34
1990–2023
CO₂ emissions from transport in Lesotho, 1990–2023
Source: Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 530,000 tonnes for co₂ emissions from transport in 2023. That is the highest value across all 34 years on record.
That represents a change of up 6.0% on the previous year and up 26.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, co₂ emissions from transport in Lesotho peaked at 530,000 tonnes in 2019 and was at its lowest, 250,000 tonnes, in 1990.
That places Lesotho 158th out of 191 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
CO₂ emissions from transport in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 250,000 tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 250,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 250,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 250,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 259,999 tonnes | +4.0% |
| 1995 | 259,999 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 259,999 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 259,999 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 270,000 tonnes | +3.8% |
| 1999 | 270,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 270,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 270,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 280,000 tonnes | +3.7% |
| 2003 | 280,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 280,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 320,000 tonnes | +14.3% |
| 2006 | 310,000 tonnes | -3.1% |
| 2007 | 320,000 tonnes | +3.2% |
| 2008 | 350,000 tonnes | +9.4% |
| 2009 | 390,000 tonnes | +11.4% |
| 2010 | 400,000 tonnes | +2.6% |
| 2011 | 410,000 tonnes | +2.5% |
| 2012 | 440,000 tonnes | +7.3% |
| 2013 | 420,000 tonnes | -4.5% |
| 2014 | 430,000 tonnes | +2.4% |
| 2015 | 470,000 tonnes | +9.3% |
| 2016 | 500,000 tonnes | +6.4% |
| 2017 | 500,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 519,999 tonnes | +4.0% |
| 2019 | 530,000 tonnes | +1.9% |
| 2020 | 420,000 tonnes | -20.8% |
| 2021 | 470,000 tonnes | +11.9% |
| 2022 | 500,000 tonnes | +6.4% |
| 2023 | 530,000 tonnes | +6.0% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 530,000 tonnes is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 3.18 million tonnes, 17% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 530,000 tonnes is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.82 million tonnes, 29% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 258,000 tonnes | 250,000 tonnes | 270,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 307,000 tonnes | 270,000 tonnes | 390,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 462,000 tonnes | 400,000 tonnes | 530,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 480,000 tonnes | 420,000 tonnes | 530,000 tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
More climate change data for Lesotho
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 6.55 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 2,116 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 715.74 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 1,401 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 2.7 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 50.03 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 61.29 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 51.99 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 9.3 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 0.1962 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is co₂ emissions from transport in Lesotho?
- Co₂ emissions from transport in Lesotho was 530,000 tonnes in 2023, according to Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest co₂ emissions from transport recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 530,000 tonnes in 2019.
- What is the lowest co₂ emissions from transport recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 250,000 tonnes in 1990.
- How does Lesotho rank for co₂ emissions from transport?
- Lesotho ranks 158th out of 191 countries with data for 2023.
- Is co₂ emissions from transport rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 26.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of CO₂ emissions from transport. 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.