Carbon dioxide emissions by income level in Kenya
Kenya: Carbon dioxide emissions by income level was 21.23 million tonnes in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
21.23 million tonnes
Change on year
up 0.2%
World rank
86th
of 215 countries
All-time high
21.23 million tonnes
in 2024
All-time low
908,672 tonnes
in 1950
Years of data
75
1950–2024
Carbon dioxide emissions by income level in Kenya, 1950–2024
Source: Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
In 2024, carbon dioxide emissions by income level in Kenya stood at 21.23 million tonnes. That is the highest value across all 75 years on record.
The figure is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 60.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, carbon dioxide emissions by income level in Kenya peaked at 21.23 million tonnes in 2024 and was at its lowest, 908,672 tonnes, in 1950.
Kenya ranks 86th 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.
Carbon dioxide emissions by income level in Kenya, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 908,672 tonnes | — |
| 1951 | 1.39 million tonnes | +53.2% |
| 1952 | 1.59 million tonnes | +14.2% |
| 1953 | 1.51 million tonnes | -4.8% |
| 1954 | 1.70 million tonnes | +12.3% |
| 1955 | 1.99 million tonnes | +16.8% |
| 1956 | 2.22 million tonnes | +11.8% |
| 1957 | 2.28 million tonnes | +2.8% |
| 1958 | 2.09 million tonnes | -8.5% |
| 1959 | 2.21 million tonnes | +5.8% |
| 1960 | 2.42 million tonnes | +9.8% |
| 1961 | 2.40 million tonnes | -1.1% |
| 1962 | 2.62 million tonnes | +9.3% |
| 1963 | 2.85 million tonnes | +8.8% |
| 1964 | 2.82 million tonnes | -1.0% |
| 1965 | 2.46 million tonnes | -12.7% |
| 1966 | 2.68 million tonnes | +8.8% |
| 1967 | 2.70 million tonnes | +0.7% |
| 1968 | 2.82 million tonnes | +4.3% |
| 1969 | 3.13 million tonnes | +11.0% |
| 1970 | 3.08 million tonnes | -1.5% |
| 1971 | 3.68 million tonnes | +19.5% |
| 1972 | 3.86 million tonnes | +5.1% |
| 1973 | 3.91 million tonnes | +1.2% |
| 1974 | 4.94 million tonnes | +26.3% |
| 1975 | 4.96 million tonnes | +0.5% |
| 1976 | 4.60 million tonnes | -7.4% |
| 1977 | 5.04 million tonnes | +9.7% |
| 1978 | 5.31 million tonnes | +5.3% |
| 1979 | 5.02 million tonnes | -5.3% |
| 1980 | 6.18 million tonnes | +22.9% |
| 1981 | 6.50 million tonnes | +5.3% |
| 1982 | 4.67 million tonnes | -28.2% |
| 1983 | 4.64 million tonnes | -0.7% |
| 1984 | 4.30 million tonnes | -7.3% |
| 1985 | 3.75 million tonnes | -12.7% |
| 1986 | 4.14 million tonnes | +10.2% |
| 1987 | 5.15 million tonnes | +24.4% |
| 1988 | 4.76 million tonnes | -7.5% |
| 1989 | 5.16 million tonnes | +8.5% |
| 1990 | 5.79 million tonnes | +12.1% |
| 1991 | 4.80 million tonnes | -17.0% |
| 1992 | 5.50 million tonnes | +14.6% |
| 1993 | 6.31 million tonnes | +14.7% |
| 1994 | 6.52 million tonnes | +3.3% |
| 1995 | 7.52 million tonnes | +15.2% |
| 1996 | 9.28 million tonnes | +23.5% |
| 1997 | 8.23 million tonnes | -11.4% |
| 1998 | 10.00 million tonnes | +21.5% |
| 1999 | 10.02 million tonnes | +0.2% |
| 2000 | 10.38 million tonnes | +3.6% |
| 2001 | 9.22 million tonnes | -11.2% |
| 2002 | 7.82 million tonnes | -15.2% |
| 2003 | 6.72 million tonnes | -14.1% |
| 2004 | 7.62 million tonnes | +13.5% |
| 2005 | 8.45 million tonnes | +10.9% |
| 2006 | 9.57 million tonnes | +13.2% |
| 2007 | 9.73 million tonnes | +1.7% |
| 2008 | 10.10 million tonnes | +3.7% |
| 2009 | 12.18 million tonnes | +20.7% |
| 2010 | 11.86 million tonnes | -2.7% |
| 2011 | 12.22 million tonnes | +3.0% |
| 2012 | 11.25 million tonnes | -8.0% |
| 2013 | 12.16 million tonnes | +8.2% |
| 2014 | 13.21 million tonnes | +8.6% |
| 2015 | 15.21 million tonnes | +15.1% |
| 2016 | 16.29 million tonnes | +7.1% |
| 2017 | 16.18 million tonnes | -0.7% |
| 2018 | 17.00 million tonnes | +5.1% |
| 2019 | 18.16 million tonnes | +6.8% |
| 2020 | 19.99 million tonnes | +10.1% |
| 2021 | 20.59 million tonnes | +3.0% |
| 2022 | 20.54 million tonnes | -0.2% |
| 2023 | 21.19 million tonnes | +3.1% |
| 2024 | 21.23 million tonnes | +0.2% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 21.23 million tonnes is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 12.04 million tonnes, 1.8× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 21.23 million tonnes is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 4.96 million tonnes, 4.3× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 1.79 million tonnes | 908,672 tonnes | 2.28 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1960s | 2.69 million tonnes | 2.40 million tonnes | 3.13 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1970s | 4.44 million tonnes | 3.08 million tonnes | 5.31 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 4.93 million tonnes | 3.75 million tonnes | 6.50 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 7.40 million tonnes | 4.80 million tonnes | 10.02 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 9.18 million tonnes | 6.72 million tonnes | 12.18 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.35 million tonnes | 11.25 million tonnes | 18.16 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 20.71 million tonnes | 19.99 million tonnes | 21.23 million tonnes | 5 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
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 carbon dioxide emissions by income level in Kenya?
- Carbon dioxide emissions by income level in Kenya was 21.23 million tonnes in 2024, according to Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest carbon dioxide emissions by income level recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 21.23 million tonnes in 2024.
- What is the lowest carbon dioxide emissions by income level recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 908,672 tonnes in 1950.
- How does Kenya rank for carbon dioxide emissions by income level?
- Kenya ranks 86th out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
- Is carbon dioxide emissions by income level rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is up 60.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- 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 Carbon dioxide emissions by income level. 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.