CO₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change in Kenya
Kenya: CO₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change was 34.46 million tonnes in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
34.46 million tonnes
Change on year
up 0.4%
World rank
84th
of 194 countries
All-time high
83.81 million tonnes
in 2010
All-time low
12.34 million tonnes
in 1973
Years of data
75
1950–2024
CO₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change in Kenya, 1950–2024
Source: Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
Kenya recorded 34.46 million tonnes for co₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change in 2024.
The figure is up 0.4% on the previous year and down 33.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, co₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change in Kenya peaked at 83.81 million tonnes in 2010 and was at its lowest, 12.34 million tonnes, in 1973.
Kenya ranks 84th of 194 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 75 years of available data.
CO₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change in Kenya, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 30.26 million tonnes | — |
| 1951 | 32.12 million tonnes | +6.2% |
| 1952 | 34.19 million tonnes | +6.4% |
| 1953 | 36.86 million tonnes | +7.8% |
| 1954 | 37.64 million tonnes | +2.1% |
| 1955 | 39.69 million tonnes | +5.4% |
| 1956 | 42.60 million tonnes | +7.3% |
| 1957 | 44.56 million tonnes | +4.6% |
| 1958 | 45.26 million tonnes | +1.6% |
| 1959 | 47.76 million tonnes | +5.5% |
| 1960 | 63.84 million tonnes | +33.7% |
| 1961 | 50.02 million tonnes | -21.6% |
| 1962 | 40.62 million tonnes | -18.8% |
| 1963 | 33.50 million tonnes | -17.5% |
| 1964 | 28.65 million tonnes | -14.5% |
| 1965 | 24.64 million tonnes | -14.0% |
| 1966 | 22.38 million tonnes | -9.1% |
| 1967 | 19.88 million tonnes | -11.2% |
| 1968 | 17.12 million tonnes | -13.9% |
| 1969 | 15.52 million tonnes | -9.4% |
| 1970 | 13.63 million tonnes | -12.2% |
| 1971 | 13.20 million tonnes | -3.2% |
| 1972 | 12.45 million tonnes | -5.6% |
| 1973 | 12.34 million tonnes | -0.9% |
| 1974 | 46.90 million tonnes | +280.2% |
| 1975 | 32.53 million tonnes | -30.6% |
| 1976 | 23.69 million tonnes | -27.2% |
| 1977 | 17.18 million tonnes | -27.5% |
| 1978 | 15.62 million tonnes | -9.0% |
| 1979 | 14.92 million tonnes | -4.5% |
| 1980 | 20.61 million tonnes | +38.2% |
| 1981 | 27.32 million tonnes | +32.5% |
| 1982 | 24.47 million tonnes | -10.4% |
| 1983 | 20.40 million tonnes | -16.7% |
| 1984 | 78.77 million tonnes | +286.1% |
| 1985 | 53.00 million tonnes | -32.7% |
| 1986 | 42.89 million tonnes | -19.1% |
| 1987 | 50.09 million tonnes | +16.8% |
| 1988 | 64.50 million tonnes | +28.8% |
| 1989 | 42.74 million tonnes | -33.7% |
| 1990 | 52.65 million tonnes | +23.2% |
| 1991 | 63.47 million tonnes | +20.5% |
| 1992 | 59.07 million tonnes | -6.9% |
| 1993 | 77.33 million tonnes | +30.9% |
| 1994 | 61.25 million tonnes | -20.8% |
| 1995 | 47.15 million tonnes | -23.0% |
| 1996 | 51.05 million tonnes | +8.3% |
| 1997 | 45.45 million tonnes | -11.0% |
| 1998 | 64.52 million tonnes | +42.0% |
| 1999 | 52.01 million tonnes | -19.4% |
| 2000 | 49.84 million tonnes | -4.2% |
| 2001 | 45.43 million tonnes | -8.9% |
| 2002 | 44.63 million tonnes | -1.7% |
| 2003 | 45.44 million tonnes | +1.8% |
| 2004 | 41.40 million tonnes | -8.9% |
| 2005 | 46.18 million tonnes | +11.5% |
| 2006 | 54.32 million tonnes | +17.6% |
| 2007 | 53.42 million tonnes | -1.7% |
| 2008 | 60.99 million tonnes | +14.2% |
| 2009 | 61.71 million tonnes | +1.2% |
| 2010 | 83.81 million tonnes | +35.8% |
| 2011 | 82.59 million tonnes | -1.5% |
| 2012 | 68.68 million tonnes | -16.8% |
| 2013 | 57.27 million tonnes | -16.6% |
| 2014 | 51.69 million tonnes | -9.7% |
| 2015 | 56.73 million tonnes | +9.7% |
| 2016 | 41.39 million tonnes | -27.0% |
| 2017 | 62.21 million tonnes | +50.3% |
| 2018 | 54.62 million tonnes | -12.2% |
| 2019 | 42.15 million tonnes | -22.8% |
| 2020 | 42.23 million tonnes | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 34.36 million tonnes | -18.7% |
| 2022 | 33.84 million tonnes | -1.5% |
| 2023 | 34.33 million tonnes | +1.5% |
| 2024 | 34.46 million tonnes | +0.4% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 34.46 million tonnes is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 26.17 million tonnes, 1.3× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 34.46 million tonnes is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 14.74 million tonnes, 2.3× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where CO₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change in Kenya 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | +286.1% | 20.40 million tonnes | 78.77 million tonnes |
| 1974 | +280.2% | 12.34 million tonnes | 46.90 million tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 39.09 million tonnes | 30.26 million tonnes | 47.76 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1960s | 31.62 million tonnes | 15.52 million tonnes | 63.84 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1970s | 20.25 million tonnes | 12.34 million tonnes | 46.90 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 42.48 million tonnes | 20.40 million tonnes | 78.77 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 57.40 million tonnes | 45.45 million tonnes | 77.33 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 50.34 million tonnes | 41.40 million tonnes | 61.71 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 60.11 million tonnes | 41.39 million tonnes | 83.81 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 35.84 million tonnes | 33.84 million tonnes | 42.23 million tonnes | 5 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
- 81 Madagascar 35.57 million tonnes compare
- 82 Burkina Faso 34.95 million tonnes compare
- 83 Ghana 34.56 million tonnes compare
- 85 Trinidad and Tobago 34.41 million tonnes compare
- 86 Ecuador 33.80 million tonnes compare
- 87 Dominican Republic 33.24 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 from fossil fuels and land-use change in Kenya?
- Co₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change in Kenya was 34.46 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 Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 83.81 million tonnes in 2010.
- What is the lowest co₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.34 million tonnes in 1973.
- How does Kenya rank for co₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change?
- Kenya ranks 84th out of 194 countries with data for 2024.
- Is co₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is down 33.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Kenya 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), including land-use change, measured in tonnes.