Cumulative CO₂ emissions from coal in Zambia
Zambia: Cumulative CO₂ emissions from coal was 143.98 million tonnes in 2024. ▲ Rising
Cumulative CO₂ emissions from coal in Zambia, 1950–2024
Source: Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
Zambia recorded 143.98 million tonnes for cumulative co₂ emissions from coal in 2024. That is the highest value across all 75 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.3% on the previous year and up 34.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cumulative co₂ emissions from coal in Zambia peaked at 143.98 million tonnes in 2024 and was at its lowest, 2.21 million tonnes, in 1950.
That places Zambia 70th out of 179 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 75 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 16.32 million tonnes | 2.21 million tonnes | 33.03 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1960s | 50.87 million tonnes | 36.92 million tonnes | 64.95 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1970s | 76.51 million tonnes | 67.39 million tonnes | 84.12 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 90.67 million tonnes | 85.47 million tonnes | 95.71 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 99.71 million tonnes | 96.54 million tonnes | 101.95 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 103.52 million tonnes | 102.24 million tonnes | 104.86 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 109.39 million tonnes | 105.25 million tonnes | 119.09 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 132.92 million tonnes | 123.51 million tonnes | 143.98 million tonnes | 5 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
More climate change data for Zambia
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.6% (2100)
- Population growth 2.8% (2025)
- Population, total 21.91 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 3.7% (2025)
- Urban population 10.06 million (2025)
- Urban population 45.9% (2025)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 0.565 tonnes per person (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions 300.84 million tonnes (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita 0.565 tonnes per person (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 0.565 tonnes per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cumulative co₂ emissions from coal in Zambia?
- Cumulative co₂ emissions from coal in Zambia was 143.98 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 Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 143.98 million tonnes in 2024.
- What is the lowest cumulative co₂ emissions from coal recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.21 million tonnes in 1950.
- How does Zambia rank for cumulative co₂ emissions from coal?
- Zambia ranks 70th out of 179 countries with data for 2024.
- Is cumulative co₂ emissions from coal rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 34.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zambia 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.