Cumulative CO₂ emissions from coal in Lesotho
Lesotho: Cumulative CO₂ emissions from coal was 54.43 million tonnes in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Cumulative CO₂ emissions from coal in Lesotho, 1990–2024
Source: Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
The most recent figure for cumulative co₂ emissions from coal in Lesotho is 54.43 million tonnes, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.
The figure is up 3.1% on the previous year and up 41.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cumulative co₂ emissions from coal in Lesotho peaked at 54.43 million tonnes in 2024 and was at its lowest, 1.14 million tonnes, in 1990.
Lesotho ranks 90th of 179 countries on this measure, 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 Lesotho, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 1.14 million tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 2.34 million tonnes | +104.6% |
| 1992 | 3.58 million tonnes | +53.3% |
| 1993 | 4.87 million tonnes | +35.9% |
| 1994 | 6.20 million tonnes | +27.2% |
| 1995 | 7.55 million tonnes | +21.8% |
| 1996 | 8.93 million tonnes | +18.3% |
| 1997 | 10.33 million tonnes | +15.7% |
| 1998 | 11.76 million tonnes | +13.9% |
| 1999 | 13.21 million tonnes | +12.3% |
| 2000 | 14.69 million tonnes | +11.1% |
| 2001 | 16.18 million tonnes | +10.2% |
| 2002 | 17.69 million tonnes | +9.4% |
| 2003 | 19.24 million tonnes | +8.7% |
| 2004 | 20.81 million tonnes | +8.2% |
| 2005 | 22.40 million tonnes | +7.7% |
| 2006 | 24.03 million tonnes | +7.2% |
| 2007 | 25.68 million tonnes | +6.9% |
| 2008 | 27.36 million tonnes | +6.5% |
| 2009 | 29.07 million tonnes | +6.3% |
| 2010 | 30.83 million tonnes | +6.0% |
| 2011 | 33.04 million tonnes | +7.2% |
| 2012 | 35.23 million tonnes | +6.7% |
| 2013 | 36.77 million tonnes | +4.3% |
| 2014 | 38.44 million tonnes | +4.5% |
| 2015 | 39.87 million tonnes | +3.7% |
| 2016 | 41.25 million tonnes | +3.5% |
| 2017 | 42.88 million tonnes | +4.0% |
| 2018 | 44.36 million tonnes | +3.5% |
| 2019 | 45.83 million tonnes | +3.3% |
| 2020 | 47.18 million tonnes | +2.9% |
| 2021 | 49.58 million tonnes | +5.1% |
| 2022 | 51.22 million tonnes | +3.3% |
| 2023 | 52.79 million tonnes | +3.1% |
| 2024 | 54.43 million tonnes | +3.1% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 54.43 million tonnes is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 20.26 million tonnes, 2.7× the median. (40 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 54.43 million tonnes is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3.16 million tonnes, 17.2× the median. (38 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Cumulative CO₂ emissions from coal in Lesotho 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | +104.6% | 1.14 million tonnes | 2.34 million tonnes |
| 1992 | +53.3% | 2.34 million tonnes | 3.58 million tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6.99 million tonnes | 1.14 million tonnes | 13.21 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 21.71 million tonnes | 14.69 million tonnes | 29.07 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 38.85 million tonnes | 30.83 million tonnes | 45.83 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 51.04 million tonnes | 47.18 million tonnes | 54.43 million tonnes | 5 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 87 New Caledonia 65.65 million tonnes compare
- 88 Myanmar 63.44 million tonnes compare
- 89 Afghanistan 62.91 million tonnes compare
- 91 Guatemala 53.47 million tonnes compare
- 92 Cambodia 47.49 million tonnes compare
- 93 Democratic Republic of Congo 46.70 million tonnes compare
More climate change data for Lesotho
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 6.55 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 2,116 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 715.74 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 1,401 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 2.7 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 50.03 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 61.29 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 51.99 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 9.3 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 0.1962 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cumulative co₂ emissions from coal in Lesotho?
- Cumulative co₂ emissions from coal in Lesotho was 54.43 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 Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 54.43 million tonnes in 2024.
- What is the lowest cumulative co₂ emissions from coal recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.14 million tonnes in 1990.
- How does Lesotho rank for cumulative co₂ emissions from coal?
- Lesotho ranks 90th out of 179 countries with data for 2024.
- Is cumulative co₂ emissions from coal rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 41.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Lesotho 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 — 35 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.