Carbon intensity of energy in Nigeria
Nigeria: Carbon intensity of energy was 263.78 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour in 2024. ▼ Falling
Carbon intensity of energy in Nigeria, 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
Nigeria recorded 263.78 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour for carbon intensity of energy in 2024.
That represents a change of up 2.0% on the previous year and up 5.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, carbon intensity of energy in Nigeria peaked at 581.29 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour in 1980 and was at its lowest, 196.87 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour, in 1991.
That places Nigeria 35th out of 204 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 45 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 409.58 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 208.21 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 581.29 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 1990s | 312.9 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 196.87 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 411.88 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 2000s | 359.55 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 278.72 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 449.61 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 2010s | 284.9 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 218.57 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 465.24 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 2020s | 262.71 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 249.25 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 283.1 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 5 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
- 32 Mauritania 266.23 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour compare
- 33 Tunisia 265.41 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour compare
- 34 Libya 265.01 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour compare
- 36 Turkey 263.64 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour compare
- 37 Morocco 262.84 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour compare
- 38 Burkina Faso 260.09 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour compare
More climate change data for Nigeria
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 4.7% (2100)
- Population growth 2.1% (2025)
- Population, total 237.53 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 3.3% (2025)
- Urban population 151.48 million (2025)
- Urban population 63.8% (2025)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 0.5837 tonnes per person (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions 4.71 billion tonnes (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita 0.5837 tonnes per person (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 0.5837 tonnes per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is carbon intensity of energy in Nigeria?
- Carbon intensity of energy in Nigeria was 263.78 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 Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 581.29 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour in 1980.
- What is the lowest carbon intensity of energy recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 196.87 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour in 1991.
- How does Nigeria rank for carbon intensity of energy?
- Nigeria ranks 35th out of 204 countries with data for 2024.
- Is carbon intensity of energy rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Nigeria 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.