CO₂ emissions per capita in Lesotho
Lesotho: CO₂ emissions per capita was 1.1 tonnes per person in 2024. ▲ Rising
CO₂ emissions per capita in Lesotho, 1990–2024
Source: Global Carbon Budget (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes per person.
Analysis
In 2024, co₂ emissions per capita in Lesotho stood at 1.1 tonnes per person.
That represents a change of up 2.0% on the previous year and up 2.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, co₂ emissions per capita in Lesotho peaked at 1.37 tonnes per person in 2012 and was at its lowest, 0.8139 tonnes per person, in 1990.
Lesotho ranks 157th of 213 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
CO₂ emissions per capita in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | tonnes per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 0.8139 tonnes per person | — |
| 1991 | 0.8293 tonnes per person | +1.9% |
| 1992 | 0.8469 tonnes per person | +2.1% |
| 1993 | 0.8573 tonnes per person | +1.2% |
| 1994 | 0.8686 tonnes per person | +1.3% |
| 1995 | 0.875 tonnes per person | +0.7% |
| 1996 | 0.8805 tonnes per person | +0.6% |
| 1997 | 0.8901 tonnes per person | +1.1% |
| 1998 | 0.9022 tonnes per person | +1.4% |
| 1999 | 0.9109 tonnes per person | +1.0% |
| 2000 | 0.9234 tonnes per person | +1.4% |
| 2001 | 0.9357 tonnes per person | +1.3% |
| 2002 | 0.9552 tonnes per person | +2.1% |
| 2003 | 0.9727 tonnes per person | +1.8% |
| 2004 | 1 tonnes per person | +3.2% |
| 2005 | 1.03 tonnes per person | +2.6% |
| 2006 | 1.05 tonnes per person | +1.5% |
| 2007 | 1.06 tonnes per person | +1.6% |
| 2008 | 1.08 tonnes per person | +1.6% |
| 2009 | 1.12 tonnes per person | +3.7% |
| 2010 | 1.14 tonnes per person | +1.9% |
| 2011 | 1.37 tonnes per person | +20.2% |
| 2012 | 1.37 tonnes per person | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 1.03 tonnes per person | -24.7% |
| 2014 | 1.08 tonnes per person | +4.3% |
| 2015 | 0.9714 tonnes per person | -9.9% |
| 2016 | 0.9511 tonnes per person | -2.1% |
| 2017 | 1.06 tonnes per person | +11.4% |
| 2018 | 0.9917 tonnes per person | -6.4% |
| 2019 | 0.99 tonnes per person | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 0.8883 tonnes per person | -10.3% |
| 2021 | 1.37 tonnes per person | +54.1% |
| 2022 | 1.12 tonnes per person | -18.5% |
| 2023 | 1.08 tonnes per person | -3.3% |
| 2024 | 1.1 tonnes per person | +2.0% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 1.1 tonnes per person is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.7616 tonnes per person, 1.4× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 1.1 tonnes per person is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.3417 tonnes per person, 3.2× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where CO₂ emissions per capita in Lesotho 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | +54.1% | 0.8883 tonnes per person | 1.37 tonnes per person |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.8675 tonnes per person | 0.8139 tonnes per person | 0.9109 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.01 tonnes per person | 0.9234 tonnes per person | 1.12 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.1 tonnes per person | 0.9511 tonnes per person | 1.37 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.11 tonnes per person | 0.8883 tonnes per person | 1.37 tonnes per person | 5 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 154 Namibia 1.14 tonnes per person compare
- 155 Cape Verde 1.13 tonnes per person compare
- 156 Samoa 1.13 tonnes per person compare
- 158 Guatemala 1.08 tonnes per person compare
- 159 Tajikistan 1.01 tonnes per person compare
- 160 Mauritania 1.01 tonnes per person compare
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 per capita in Lesotho?
- Co₂ emissions per capita in Lesotho was 1.1 tonnes per person in 2024, according to Global Carbon Budget (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest co₂ emissions per capita recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 1.37 tonnes per person in 2012.
- What is the lowest co₂ emissions per capita recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.8139 tonnes per person in 1990.
- How does Lesotho rank for co₂ emissions per capita?
- Lesotho ranks 157th out of 213 countries with data for 2024.
- Is co₂ emissions per capita rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from Global Carbon Budget (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of CO₂ emissions per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from burning fossil fuels and industrial processes. This includes emissions from transport, electricity generation, and heating, but not land-use change.