Cumulative CO₂ emissions in Malawi
Malawi: Cumulative CO₂ emissions was 57.56 million tonnes in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
57.56 million tonnes
Change on year
up 3.4%
World rank
158th
of 215 countries
All-time high
57.56 million tonnes
in 2024
All-time low
234,550 tonnes
in 1950
Years of data
75
1950–2024
Cumulative CO₂ emissions in Malawi, 1950–2024
Source: Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
In 2024, cumulative co₂ emissions in Malawi stood at 57.56 million tonnes. That is the highest value across all 75 years on record.
That represents a change of up 3.4% on the previous year and up 38.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cumulative co₂ emissions in Malawi peaked at 57.56 million tonnes in 2024 and was at its lowest, 234,550 tonnes, in 1950.
That places Malawi 158th 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 Malawi, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 234,550 tonnes | — |
| 1951 | 493,184 tonnes | +110.3% |
| 1952 | 784,109 tonnes | +59.0% |
| 1953 | 1.10 million tonnes | +40.4% |
| 1954 | 1.45 million tonnes | +31.7% |
| 1955 | 1.86 million tonnes | +28.4% |
| 1956 | 2.31 million tonnes | +24.1% |
| 1957 | 2.77 million tonnes | +20.0% |
| 1958 | 3.18 million tonnes | +14.9% |
| 1959 | 3.64 million tonnes | +14.4% |
| 1960 | 4.08 million tonnes | +12.0% |
| 1961 | 4.45 million tonnes | +9.1% |
| 1962 | 4.81 million tonnes | +8.1% |
| 1963 | 5.16 million tonnes | +7.2% |
| 1964 | 5.49 million tonnes | +6.4% |
| 1965 | 5.84 million tonnes | +6.3% |
| 1966 | 6.27 million tonnes | +7.3% |
| 1967 | 6.63 million tonnes | +5.8% |
| 1968 | 7.02 million tonnes | +5.9% |
| 1969 | 7.40 million tonnes | +5.4% |
| 1970 | 7.86 million tonnes | +6.1% |
| 1971 | 8.36 million tonnes | +6.4% |
| 1972 | 8.90 million tonnes | +6.5% |
| 1973 | 9.48 million tonnes | +6.4% |
| 1974 | 10.02 million tonnes | +5.8% |
| 1975 | 10.60 million tonnes | +5.8% |
| 1976 | 11.18 million tonnes | +5.5% |
| 1977 | 11.82 million tonnes | +5.7% |
| 1978 | 12.49 million tonnes | +5.7% |
| 1979 | 13.13 million tonnes | +5.1% |
| 1980 | 13.84 million tonnes | +5.4% |
| 1981 | 14.44 million tonnes | +4.4% |
| 1982 | 15.03 million tonnes | +4.1% |
| 1983 | 15.61 million tonnes | +3.8% |
| 1984 | 16.17 million tonnes | +3.6% |
| 1985 | 16.72 million tonnes | +3.4% |
| 1986 | 17.27 million tonnes | +3.3% |
| 1987 | 17.82 million tonnes | +3.2% |
| 1988 | 18.36 million tonnes | +3.0% |
| 1989 | 18.92 million tonnes | +3.1% |
| 1990 | 19.66 million tonnes | +3.9% |
| 1991 | 20.45 million tonnes | +4.0% |
| 1992 | 21.24 million tonnes | +3.8% |
| 1993 | 22.11 million tonnes | +4.1% |
| 1994 | 23.02 million tonnes | +4.1% |
| 1995 | 23.92 million tonnes | +3.9% |
| 1996 | 24.84 million tonnes | +3.8% |
| 1997 | 25.76 million tonnes | +3.7% |
| 1998 | 26.66 million tonnes | +3.5% |
| 1999 | 27.55 million tonnes | +3.4% |
| 2000 | 28.41 million tonnes | +3.1% |
| 2001 | 29.18 million tonnes | +2.7% |
| 2002 | 30.04 million tonnes | +2.9% |
| 2003 | 30.95 million tonnes | +3.0% |
| 2004 | 31.86 million tonnes | +2.9% |
| 2005 | 32.70 million tonnes | +2.7% |
| 2006 | 33.55 million tonnes | +2.6% |
| 2007 | 34.47 million tonnes | +2.7% |
| 2008 | 35.47 million tonnes | +2.9% |
| 2009 | 36.49 million tonnes | +2.9% |
| 2010 | 37.46 million tonnes | +2.7% |
| 2011 | 38.49 million tonnes | +2.8% |
| 2012 | 39.53 million tonnes | +2.7% |
| 2013 | 40.65 million tonnes | +2.8% |
| 2014 | 41.67 million tonnes | +2.5% |
| 2015 | 42.72 million tonnes | +2.5% |
| 2016 | 43.89 million tonnes | +2.7% |
| 2017 | 45.09 million tonnes | +2.7% |
| 2018 | 46.78 million tonnes | +3.7% |
| 2019 | 48.47 million tonnes | +3.6% |
| 2020 | 50.34 million tonnes | +3.9% |
| 2021 | 52.02 million tonnes | +3.3% |
| 2022 | 53.82 million tonnes | +3.5% |
| 2023 | 55.68 million tonnes | +3.4% |
| 2024 | 57.56 million tonnes | +3.4% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 57.56 million tonnes is below the median for low income countries, which is 61.51 million tonnes, 94% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 57.56 million tonnes is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 103.07 million tonnes, 56% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Cumulative CO₂ emissions 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | +110.3% | 234,550 tonnes | 493,184 tonnes |
| 1952 | +59.0% | 493,184 tonnes | 784,109 tonnes |
| 1953 | +40.4% | 784,109 tonnes | 1.10 million tonnes |
| 1954 | +31.7% | 1.10 million tonnes | 1.45 million tonnes |
| 1955 | +28.4% | 1.45 million tonnes | 1.86 million tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 1.78 million tonnes | 234,550 tonnes | 3.64 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1960s | 5.72 million tonnes | 4.08 million tonnes | 7.40 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1970s | 10.38 million tonnes | 7.86 million tonnes | 13.13 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 16.42 million tonnes | 13.84 million tonnes | 18.92 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 23.52 million tonnes | 19.66 million tonnes | 27.55 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 32.31 million tonnes | 28.41 million tonnes | 36.49 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 42.48 million tonnes | 37.46 million tonnes | 48.47 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 53.88 million tonnes | 50.34 million tonnes | 57.56 million tonnes | 5 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
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 cumulative co₂ emissions in Malawi?
- Cumulative co₂ emissions in Malawi was 57.56 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 Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 57.56 million tonnes in 2024.
- What is the lowest cumulative co₂ emissions recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 234,550 tonnes in 1950.
- How does Malawi rank for cumulative co₂ emissions?
- Malawi ranks 158th out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
- Is cumulative co₂ emissions rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 38.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Malawi 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 — 75 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.