Cumulative CO₂ emissions from coal in Kenya
Kenya: Cumulative CO₂ emissions from coal was 36.09 million tonnes in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
36.09 million tonnes
Change on year
up 9.8%
World rank
98th
of 179 countries
All-time high
36.09 million tonnes
in 2024
All-time low
117,248 tonnes
in 1950
Years of data
75
1950–2024
Cumulative CO₂ emissions from coal in Kenya, 1950–2024
Source: Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
In 2024, cumulative co₂ emissions from coal in Kenya stood at 36.09 million tonnes. That is the highest value across all 75 years on record.
That represents a change of up 9.8% on the previous year and up 120.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cumulative co₂ emissions from coal in Kenya peaked at 36.09 million tonnes in 2024 and was at its lowest, 117,248 tonnes, in 1950.
That places Kenya 98th out of 179 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 from coal in Kenya, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 117,248 tonnes | — |
| 1951 | 168,544 tonnes | +43.8% |
| 1952 | 245,488 tonnes | +45.7% |
| 1953 | 282,128 tonnes | +14.9% |
| 1954 | 344,416 tonnes | +22.1% |
| 1955 | 414,032 tonnes | +20.2% |
| 1956 | 534,944 tonnes | +29.2% |
| 1957 | 641,200 tonnes | +19.9% |
| 1958 | 743,792 tonnes | +16.0% |
| 1959 | 842,884 tonnes | +13.3% |
| 1960 | 956,297 tonnes | +13.5% |
| 1961 | 1.06 million tonnes | +10.3% |
| 1962 | 1.17 million tonnes | +11.1% |
| 1963 | 1.29 million tonnes | +9.7% |
| 1964 | 1.38 million tonnes | +7.1% |
| 1965 | 1.52 million tonnes | +10.6% |
| 1966 | 1.65 million tonnes | +8.4% |
| 1967 | 1.78 million tonnes | +8.0% |
| 1968 | 1.89 million tonnes | +6.2% |
| 1969 | 1.98 million tonnes | +4.5% |
| 1970 | 2.20 million tonnes | +11.1% |
| 1971 | 2.41 million tonnes | +9.8% |
| 1972 | 2.52 million tonnes | +4.4% |
| 1973 | 2.71 million tonnes | +7.4% |
| 1974 | 2.88 million tonnes | +6.5% |
| 1975 | 3.00 million tonnes | +4.2% |
| 1976 | 3.17 million tonnes | +5.6% |
| 1977 | 3.34 million tonnes | +5.3% |
| 1978 | 3.48 million tonnes | +4.2% |
| 1979 | 3.52 million tonnes | +1.3% |
| 1980 | 3.57 million tonnes | +1.4% |
| 1981 | 3.81 million tonnes | +6.7% |
| 1982 | 3.90 million tonnes | +2.3% |
| 1983 | 4.14 million tonnes | +6.3% |
| 1984 | 4.46 million tonnes | +7.6% |
| 1985 | 4.69 million tonnes | +5.2% |
| 1986 | 4.92 million tonnes | +4.8% |
| 1987 | 5.16 million tonnes | +5.0% |
| 1988 | 5.46 million tonnes | +5.8% |
| 1989 | 5.81 million tonnes | +6.4% |
| 1990 | 6.22 million tonnes | +6.9% |
| 1991 | 6.57 million tonnes | +5.7% |
| 1992 | 6.99 million tonnes | +6.4% |
| 1993 | 7.34 million tonnes | +5.0% |
| 1994 | 7.64 million tonnes | +4.0% |
| 1995 | 8.01 million tonnes | +4.8% |
| 1996 | 8.36 million tonnes | +4.4% |
| 1997 | 8.60 million tonnes | +2.9% |
| 1998 | 8.80 million tonnes | +2.3% |
| 1999 | 8.99 million tonnes | +2.2% |
| 2000 | 9.17 million tonnes | +2.0% |
| 2001 | 9.35 million tonnes | +1.9% |
| 2002 | 9.61 million tonnes | +2.8% |
| 2003 | 9.86 million tonnes | +2.6% |
| 2004 | 10.14 million tonnes | +2.9% |
| 2005 | 10.47 million tonnes | +3.3% |
| 2006 | 10.92 million tonnes | +4.2% |
| 2007 | 11.32 million tonnes | +3.7% |
| 2008 | 11.73 million tonnes | +3.6% |
| 2009 | 12.09 million tonnes | +3.1% |
| 2010 | 12.72 million tonnes | +5.2% |
| 2011 | 13.61 million tonnes | +7.0% |
| 2012 | 14.42 million tonnes | +5.9% |
| 2013 | 15.30 million tonnes | +6.2% |
| 2014 | 16.40 million tonnes | +7.2% |
| 2015 | 17.56 million tonnes | +7.1% |
| 2016 | 18.71 million tonnes | +6.5% |
| 2017 | 19.79 million tonnes | +5.8% |
| 2018 | 21.41 million tonnes | +8.2% |
| 2019 | 22.84 million tonnes | +6.7% |
| 2020 | 24.76 million tonnes | +8.4% |
| 2021 | 26.99 million tonnes | +9.0% |
| 2022 | 29.72 million tonnes | +10.1% |
| 2023 | 32.87 million tonnes | +10.6% |
| 2024 | 36.09 million tonnes | +9.8% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 36.09 million tonnes is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 20.26 million tonnes, 1.8× the median. (40 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 36.09 million tonnes is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3.16 million tonnes, 11.4× the median. (38 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Cumulative CO₂ emissions from coal in Kenya 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 | +45.7% | 168,544 tonnes | 245,488 tonnes |
| 1951 | +43.8% | 117,248 tonnes | 168,544 tonnes |
| 1956 | +29.2% | 414,032 tonnes | 534,944 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 433,468 tonnes | 117,248 tonnes | 842,884 tonnes | 10 |
| 1960s | 1.47 million tonnes | 956,297 tonnes | 1.98 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1970s | 2.92 million tonnes | 2.20 million tonnes | 3.52 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 4.59 million tonnes | 3.57 million tonnes | 5.81 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 7.75 million tonnes | 6.22 million tonnes | 8.99 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 10.47 million tonnes | 9.17 million tonnes | 12.09 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 17.28 million tonnes | 12.72 million tonnes | 22.84 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 30.09 million tonnes | 24.76 million tonnes | 36.09 million tonnes | 5 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
More climate change data for Kenya
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 276.34 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 50,641 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 16,186 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 34,454 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 61.08 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 1,231 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 2,372 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 2,116 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 255.67 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 7.99 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cumulative co₂ emissions from coal in Kenya?
- Cumulative co₂ emissions from coal in Kenya was 36.09 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 from coal recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 36.09 million tonnes in 2024.
- What is the lowest cumulative co₂ emissions from coal recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 117,248 tonnes in 1950.
- How does Kenya rank for cumulative co₂ emissions from coal?
- Kenya ranks 98th out of 179 countries with data for 2024.
- Is cumulative co₂ emissions from coal rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is up 120.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Kenya 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 from coal. 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
Cumulative emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from coal since the first year of available data, measured in tonnes.