Carbon intensity of energy in Malawi
Malawi: Carbon intensity of energy was 217.64 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
217.64 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour
Change on year
down 5.2%
World rank
87th
of 204 countries
All-time high
258 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour
in 1980
All-time low
155.87 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour
in 2010
Years of data
45
1980–2024
Carbon intensity of energy in Malawi, 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
In 2024, carbon intensity of energy in Malawi stood at 217.64 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour.
That represents a change of down 5.2% on the previous year and up 38.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, carbon intensity of energy in Malawi peaked at 258 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour in 1980 and was at its lowest, 155.87 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour, in 2010.
Malawi ranks 87th of 204 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 45 years of available data.
Carbon intensity of energy in Malawi, year by year
| Year | grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 258 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | — |
| 1981 | 206.18 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | -20.1% |
| 1982 | 221.88 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | +7.6% |
| 1983 | 244.96 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | +10.4% |
| 1984 | 242.68 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | -0.9% |
| 1985 | 212.68 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | -12.4% |
| 1986 | 220.3 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | +3.6% |
| 1987 | 212.46 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | -3.6% |
| 1988 | 209.75 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | -1.3% |
| 1989 | 186.25 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | -11.2% |
| 1990 | 224.75 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | +20.7% |
| 1991 | 204.49 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | -9.0% |
| 1992 | 201.96 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | -1.2% |
| 1993 | 232.59 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | +15.2% |
| 1994 | 224.16 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | -3.6% |
| 1995 | 214.22 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | -4.4% |
| 1996 | 215.51 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | +0.6% |
| 1997 | 213.87 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | -0.8% |
| 1998 | 204.58 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | -4.3% |
| 1999 | 203.77 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | -0.4% |
| 2000 | 175.42 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | -13.9% |
| 2001 | 166.9 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | -4.9% |
| 2002 | 190.02 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | +13.9% |
| 2003 | 190.81 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 178.45 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | -6.5% |
| 2005 | 178.97 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 172.82 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | -3.4% |
| 2007 | 188.95 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | +9.3% |
| 2008 | 177.74 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | -5.9% |
| 2009 | 198.3 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | +11.6% |
| 2010 | 155.87 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | -21.4% |
| 2011 | 166.39 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | +6.7% |
| 2012 | 168.03 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | +1.0% |
| 2013 | 177.19 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | +5.5% |
| 2014 | 157.09 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | -11.3% |
| 2015 | 169.83 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | +8.1% |
| 2016 | 173.44 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | +2.1% |
| 2017 | 164.24 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | -5.3% |
| 2018 | 247.36 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | +50.6% |
| 2019 | 212.23 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | -14.2% |
| 2020 | 237.59 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | +11.9% |
| 2021 | 214.32 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | -9.8% |
| 2022 | 223.08 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | +4.1% |
| 2023 | 229.69 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | +3.0% |
| 2024 | 217.64 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | -5.2% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 217.64 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour is below the median for low income countries, which is 234.44 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour, 93% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 217.64 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 227.53 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour, 96% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Carbon intensity of energy in Malawi 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | +50.6% | 164.24 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 247.36 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 221.51 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 186.25 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 258 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 1990s | 213.99 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 201.96 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 232.59 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 2000s | 181.84 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 166.9 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 198.3 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 2010s | 179.17 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 155.87 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 247.36 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 2020s | 224.47 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 214.32 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 237.59 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 5 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 84 Malaysia 219.13 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour compare
- 85 Solomon Islands 219.13 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour compare
- 86 Taiwan 218.54 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour compare
- 88 Sri Lanka 217.37 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour compare
- 89 Iran 216.16 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour compare
- 90 Jordan 215.73 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour compare
More climate change data for Malawi
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 415.04 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 4,106 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 1,605 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 2,501 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 6.06 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 89.31 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 3,185 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 2,819 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 366.56 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 10.64 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is carbon intensity of energy in Malawi?
- Carbon intensity of energy in Malawi was 217.64 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 Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 258 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour in 1980.
- What is the lowest carbon intensity of energy recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 155.87 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour in 2010.
- How does Malawi rank for carbon intensity of energy?
- Malawi ranks 87th out of 204 countries with data for 2024.
- Is carbon intensity of energy rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 38.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malawi 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.