Carbon intensity of energy in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: Carbon intensity of energy was 274.4 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour in 2024. ▲ Rising
Carbon intensity of energy in Afghanistan, 1980–2024
Source: Global Carbon Budget (2025) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour.
Analysis
Afghanistan recorded 274.4 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour for carbon intensity of energy in 2024.
That represents a change of up 5.1% on the previous year and down 16.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, carbon intensity of energy in Afghanistan peaked at 402.91 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour in 2002 and was at its lowest, 67.04 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour, in 1990.
Afghanistan ranks 27th of 204 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 239.68 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 90.63 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 363.6 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 1990s | 178.41 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 67.04 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 214.88 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 2000s | 322.4 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 198.03 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 402.91 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 2010s | 269.47 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 219.21 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 326.61 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 2020s | 241.08 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 207.46 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 274.4 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 5 |
Countries ranked near Afghanistan
- 24 Madagascar 275.85 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour compare
- 25 Sudan 275.23 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour compare
- 26 Cameroon 274.96 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour compare
- 28 Guyana 274.24 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour compare
- 29 Syria 272.51 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour compare
- 30 Liberia 268.68 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour compare
More climate change data for Afghanistan
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 1.3% (2100)
- Population growth 2.8% (2025)
- Population, total 43.84 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 3.7% (2025)
- Urban population 11.37 million (2025)
- Urban population 25.9% (2025)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 0.2538 tonnes per person (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions 242.63 million tonnes (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita 0.2538 tonnes per person (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 0.2538 tonnes per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is carbon intensity of energy in Afghanistan?
- Carbon intensity of energy in Afghanistan was 274.4 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour in 2024, according to Global Carbon Budget (2025) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest carbon intensity of energy recorded in Afghanistan?
- The highest recorded value was 402.91 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour in 2002.
- What is the lowest carbon intensity of energy recorded in Afghanistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 67.04 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour in 1990.
- How does Afghanistan rank for carbon intensity of energy?
- Afghanistan ranks 27th out of 204 countries with data for 2024.
- Is carbon intensity of energy rising or falling in Afghanistan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Afghanistan data come from?
- The figures come from Global Carbon Budget (2025) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Carbon intensity of energy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 45 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Fossil carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions per unit of total energy supply, measured in grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour.