Cumulative CO₂ emissions in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Cumulative CO₂ emissions was 42.62 million tonnes in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
42.62 million tonnes
Change on year
up 3.5%
World rank
165th
of 215 countries
All-time high
42.62 million tonnes
in 2024
All-time low
157,552 tonnes
in 1950
Years of data
75
1950–2024
Cumulative CO₂ emissions in Sierra Leone, 1950–2024
Source: Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
Sierra Leone recorded 42.62 million tonnes for cumulative co₂ emissions in 2024. That is the highest value across all 75 years on record.
That represents a change of up 3.5% on the previous year and up 41.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cumulative co₂ emissions in Sierra Leone peaked at 42.62 million tonnes in 2024 and was at its lowest, 157,552 tonnes, in 1950.
Sierra Leone ranks 165th of 215 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Cumulative CO₂ emissions in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 157,552 tonnes | — |
| 1951 | 252,816 tonnes | +60.5% |
| 1952 | 432,352 tonnes | +71.0% |
| 1953 | 600,896 tonnes | +39.0% |
| 1954 | 725,472 tonnes | +20.7% |
| 1955 | 908,672 tonnes | +25.3% |
| 1956 | 1.09 million tonnes | +19.8% |
| 1957 | 1.48 million tonnes | +35.7% |
| 1958 | 1.69 million tonnes | +14.1% |
| 1959 | 1.92 million tonnes | +13.9% |
| 1960 | 2.63 million tonnes | +37.2% |
| 1961 | 2.92 million tonnes | +11.0% |
| 1962 | 3.25 million tonnes | +11.2% |
| 1963 | 3.62 million tonnes | +11.4% |
| 1964 | 3.92 million tonnes | +8.4% |
| 1965 | 4.21 million tonnes | +7.2% |
| 1966 | 4.51 million tonnes | +7.1% |
| 1967 | 4.76 million tonnes | +5.6% |
| 1968 | 5.12 million tonnes | +7.6% |
| 1969 | 6.21 million tonnes | +21.2% |
| 1970 | 7.06 million tonnes | +13.8% |
| 1971 | 7.87 million tonnes | +11.4% |
| 1972 | 8.54 million tonnes | +8.6% |
| 1973 | 9.08 million tonnes | +6.3% |
| 1974 | 9.60 million tonnes | +5.7% |
| 1975 | 10.13 million tonnes | +5.5% |
| 1976 | 10.58 million tonnes | +4.5% |
| 1977 | 11.09 million tonnes | +4.8% |
| 1978 | 11.80 million tonnes | +6.4% |
| 1979 | 12.48 million tonnes | +5.7% |
| 1980 | 13.09 million tonnes | +4.9% |
| 1981 | 13.78 million tonnes | +5.3% |
| 1982 | 14.33 million tonnes | +4.0% |
| 1983 | 15.02 million tonnes | +4.8% |
| 1984 | 15.64 million tonnes | +4.1% |
| 1985 | 16.30 million tonnes | +4.2% |
| 1986 | 16.98 million tonnes | +4.1% |
| 1987 | 17.47 million tonnes | +2.9% |
| 1988 | 17.93 million tonnes | +2.6% |
| 1989 | 18.31 million tonnes | +2.1% |
| 1990 | 18.80 million tonnes | +2.7% |
| 1991 | 19.36 million tonnes | +3.0% |
| 1992 | 19.64 million tonnes | +1.5% |
| 1993 | 19.91 million tonnes | +1.3% |
| 1994 | 20.18 million tonnes | +1.4% |
| 1995 | 20.40 million tonnes | +1.1% |
| 1996 | 20.64 million tonnes | +1.1% |
| 1997 | 20.84 million tonnes | +1.0% |
| 1998 | 21.06 million tonnes | +1.1% |
| 1999 | 21.24 million tonnes | +0.8% |
| 2000 | 21.51 million tonnes | +1.3% |
| 2001 | 21.88 million tonnes | +1.7% |
| 2002 | 22.38 million tonnes | +2.3% |
| 2003 | 22.92 million tonnes | +2.4% |
| 2004 | 23.44 million tonnes | +2.3% |
| 2005 | 23.87 million tonnes | +1.8% |
| 2006 | 24.45 million tonnes | +2.4% |
| 2007 | 24.94 million tonnes | +2.0% |
| 2008 | 25.44 million tonnes | +2.0% |
| 2009 | 25.94 million tonnes | +2.0% |
| 2010 | 26.49 million tonnes | +2.1% |
| 2011 | 27.21 million tonnes | +2.7% |
| 2012 | 28.04 million tonnes | +3.1% |
| 2013 | 29.09 million tonnes | +3.8% |
| 2014 | 30.22 million tonnes | +3.9% |
| 2015 | 31.30 million tonnes | +3.6% |
| 2016 | 32.44 million tonnes | +3.6% |
| 2017 | 33.54 million tonnes | +3.4% |
| 2018 | 34.57 million tonnes | +3.1% |
| 2019 | 35.69 million tonnes | +3.2% |
| 2020 | 36.88 million tonnes | +3.3% |
| 2021 | 38.36 million tonnes | +4.0% |
| 2022 | 39.80 million tonnes | +3.8% |
| 2023 | 41.19 million tonnes | +3.5% |
| 2024 | 42.62 million tonnes | +3.5% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 42.62 million tonnes is below the median for low income countries, which is 61.51 million tonnes, 69% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 42.62 million tonnes is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 103.07 million tonnes, 41% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Cumulative CO₂ emissions in Sierra Leone 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | +71.0% | 252,816 tonnes | 432,352 tonnes |
| 1951 | +60.5% | 157,552 tonnes | 252,816 tonnes |
| 1953 | +39.0% | 432,352 tonnes | 600,896 tonnes |
| 1960 | +37.2% | 1.92 million tonnes | 2.63 million tonnes |
| 1957 | +35.7% | 1.09 million tonnes | 1.48 million tonnes |
| 1955 | +25.3% | 725,472 tonnes | 908,672 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 924,794 tonnes | 157,552 tonnes | 1.92 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1960s | 4.12 million tonnes | 2.63 million tonnes | 6.21 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1970s | 9.82 million tonnes | 7.06 million tonnes | 12.48 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 15.88 million tonnes | 13.09 million tonnes | 18.31 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 20.21 million tonnes | 18.80 million tonnes | 21.24 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 23.68 million tonnes | 21.51 million tonnes | 25.94 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 30.86 million tonnes | 26.49 million tonnes | 35.69 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 39.77 million tonnes | 36.88 million tonnes | 42.62 million tonnes | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
More climate change data for Sierra Leone
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 3.65 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 1,547 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 538.77 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 1,008 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 2.03 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 36.02 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 1,431 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 201.66 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 1,229 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 0.761 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cumulative co₂ emissions in Sierra Leone?
- Cumulative co₂ emissions in Sierra Leone was 42.62 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 Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 42.62 million tonnes in 2024.
- What is the lowest cumulative co₂ emissions recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 157,552 tonnes in 1950.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for cumulative co₂ emissions?
- Sierra Leone ranks 165th out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
- Is cumulative co₂ emissions rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is up 41.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sierra Leone 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.