Cumulative CO₂ emissions in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: Cumulative CO₂ emissions was 242.63 million tonnes in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
242.63 million tonnes
Change on year
up 4.7%
World rank
124th
of 215 countries
All-time high
242.63 million tonnes
in 2024
All-time low
14,656 tonnes
in 1949
Years of data
76
1949–2024
Cumulative CO₂ emissions in Afghanistan, 1949–2024
Source: Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
Afghanistan recorded 242.63 million tonnes for cumulative co₂ emissions in 2024. That is the highest value across all 76 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.7% on the previous year and up 70.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cumulative co₂ emissions in Afghanistan peaked at 242.63 million tonnes in 2024 and was at its lowest, 14,656 tonnes, in 1949.
That places Afghanistan 124th out of 215 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Cumulative CO₂ emissions in Afghanistan, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1949 | 14,656 tonnes | — |
| 1950 | 98,928 tonnes | +575.0% |
| 1951 | 190,528 tonnes | +92.6% |
| 1952 | 282,128 tonnes | +48.1% |
| 1953 | 388,384 tonnes | +37.7% |
| 1954 | 494,640 tonnes | +27.4% |
| 1955 | 648,528 tonnes | +31.1% |
| 1956 | 831,728 tonnes | +28.2% |
| 1957 | 1.12 million tonnes | +35.2% |
| 1958 | 1.45 million tonnes | +29.3% |
| 1959 | 1.84 million tonnes | +26.4% |
| 1960 | 2.25 million tonnes | +22.5% |
| 1961 | 2.74 million tonnes | +21.8% |
| 1962 | 3.43 million tonnes | +25.1% |
| 1963 | 4.14 million tonnes | +20.6% |
| 1964 | 4.98 million tonnes | +20.3% |
| 1965 | 5.98 million tonnes | +20.2% |
| 1966 | 7.08 million tonnes | +18.2% |
| 1967 | 8.36 million tonnes | +18.1% |
| 1968 | 9.58 million tonnes | +14.6% |
| 1969 | 10.52 million tonnes | +9.8% |
| 1970 | 12.19 million tonnes | +15.9% |
| 1971 | 14.09 million tonnes | +15.5% |
| 1972 | 15.62 million tonnes | +10.9% |
| 1973 | 17.25 million tonnes | +10.5% |
| 1974 | 19.17 million tonnes | +11.1% |
| 1975 | 21.29 million tonnes | +11.1% |
| 1976 | 23.27 million tonnes | +9.3% |
| 1977 | 25.65 million tonnes | +10.2% |
| 1978 | 27.80 million tonnes | +8.4% |
| 1979 | 30.04 million tonnes | +8.0% |
| 1980 | 31.79 million tonnes | +5.8% |
| 1981 | 33.77 million tonnes | +6.2% |
| 1982 | 35.87 million tonnes | +6.2% |
| 1983 | 38.39 million tonnes | +7.0% |
| 1984 | 41.21 million tonnes | +7.4% |
| 1985 | 44.71 million tonnes | +8.5% |
| 1986 | 47.84 million tonnes | +7.0% |
| 1987 | 50.96 million tonnes | +6.5% |
| 1988 | 53.81 million tonnes | +5.6% |
| 1989 | 56.58 million tonnes | +5.1% |
| 1990 | 58.60 million tonnes | +3.6% |
| 1991 | 60.52 million tonnes | +3.3% |
| 1992 | 62.00 million tonnes | +2.4% |
| 1993 | 63.49 million tonnes | +2.4% |
| 1994 | 64.94 million tonnes | +2.3% |
| 1995 | 66.36 million tonnes | +2.2% |
| 1996 | 67.73 million tonnes | +2.1% |
| 1997 | 69.03 million tonnes | +1.9% |
| 1998 | 70.31 million tonnes | +1.9% |
| 1999 | 71.40 million tonnes | +1.6% |
| 2000 | 72.45 million tonnes | +1.5% |
| 2001 | 73.52 million tonnes | +1.5% |
| 2002 | 74.86 million tonnes | +1.8% |
| 2003 | 76.42 million tonnes | +2.1% |
| 2004 | 77.66 million tonnes | +1.6% |
| 2005 | 79.55 million tonnes | +2.4% |
| 2006 | 81.71 million tonnes | +2.7% |
| 2007 | 84.51 million tonnes | +3.4% |
| 2008 | 88.76 million tonnes | +5.0% |
| 2009 | 95.15 million tonnes | +7.2% |
| 2010 | 103.51 million tonnes | +8.8% |
| 2011 | 114.92 million tonnes | +11.0% |
| 2012 | 124.65 million tonnes | +8.5% |
| 2013 | 133.54 million tonnes | +7.1% |
| 2014 | 142.24 million tonnes | +6.5% |
| 2015 | 151.63 million tonnes | +6.6% |
| 2016 | 160.23 million tonnes | +5.7% |
| 2017 | 169.54 million tonnes | +5.8% |
| 2018 | 179.74 million tonnes | +6.0% |
| 2019 | 190.14 million tonnes | +5.8% |
| 2020 | 201.25 million tonnes | +5.8% |
| 2021 | 211.12 million tonnes | +4.9% |
| 2022 | 221.29 million tonnes | +4.8% |
| 2023 | 231.81 million tonnes | +4.8% |
| 2024 | 242.63 million tonnes | +4.7% |
Afghanistan compared with similar countries
- Afghanistan's 242.63 million tonnes is above the median for low income countries, which is 61.51 million tonnes, 3.9× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Afghanistan's 242.63 million tonnes is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 2.06 billion tonnes, 12% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Cumulative CO₂ emissions in Afghanistan 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | +575.0% | 14,656 tonnes | 98,928 tonnes |
| 1951 | +92.6% | 98,928 tonnes | 190,528 tonnes |
| 1952 | +48.1% | 190,528 tonnes | 282,128 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 14,656 tonnes | 14,656 tonnes | 14,656 tonnes | 1 |
| 1950s | 735,350 tonnes | 98,928 tonnes | 1.84 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1960s | 5.91 million tonnes | 2.25 million tonnes | 10.52 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1970s | 20.64 million tonnes | 12.19 million tonnes | 30.04 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 43.49 million tonnes | 31.79 million tonnes | 56.58 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 65.44 million tonnes | 58.60 million tonnes | 71.40 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 80.46 million tonnes | 72.45 million tonnes | 95.15 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 147.02 million tonnes | 103.51 million tonnes | 190.14 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 221.62 million tonnes | 201.25 million tonnes | 242.63 million tonnes | 5 |
Countries ranked near Afghanistan
- 121 El Salvador 264.57 million tonnes compare
- 122 Cambodia 251.61 million tonnes compare
- 123 Laos 243.01 million tonnes compare
- 125 Democratic Republic of Congo 238.70 million tonnes compare
- 126 Nepal 232.10 million tonnes compare
- 127 Mozambique 211.22 million tonnes compare
More climate change data for Afghanistan
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 79.22 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 23,854 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 5,965 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 17,889 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 22.51 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 638.89 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 2,345 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 1,090 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 1,255 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 4.11 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cumulative co₂ emissions in Afghanistan?
- Cumulative co₂ emissions in Afghanistan was 242.63 million tonnes in 2024, according to Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest cumulative co₂ emissions recorded in Afghanistan?
- The highest recorded value was 242.63 million tonnes in 2024.
- What is the lowest cumulative co₂ emissions recorded in Afghanistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 14,656 tonnes in 1949.
- How does Afghanistan rank for cumulative co₂ emissions?
- Afghanistan ranks 124th out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
- Is cumulative co₂ emissions rising or falling in Afghanistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 70.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Afghanistan data come from?
- The figures come from Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Cumulative CO₂ emissions. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 76 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total cumulative emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂), excluding land-use change, since the first year of available data, measured in tonnes.