Cumulative CO₂ emissions from coal in Zambia
Zambia: Cumulative CO₂ emissions from coal was 143.98 million tonnes in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
143.98 million tonnes
Change on year
up 4.3%
World rank
70th
of 179 countries
All-time high
143.98 million tonnes
in 2024
All-time low
2.21 million tonnes
in 1950
Years of data
75
1950–2024
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.
Cumulative CO₂ emissions from coal in Zambia, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 2.21 million tonnes | — |
| 1951 | 4.60 million tonnes | +108.2% |
| 1952 | 7.28 million tonnes | +58.2% |
| 1953 | 10.18 million tonnes | +39.9% |
| 1954 | 13.37 million tonnes | +31.2% |
| 1955 | 17.13 million tonnes | +28.1% |
| 1956 | 21.17 million tonnes | +23.6% |
| 1957 | 25.32 million tonnes | +19.6% |
| 1958 | 28.92 million tonnes | +14.2% |
| 1959 | 33.03 million tonnes | +14.2% |
| 1960 | 36.92 million tonnes | +11.8% |
| 1961 | 40.18 million tonnes | +8.8% |
| 1962 | 43.29 million tonnes | +7.7% |
| 1963 | 46.25 million tonnes | +6.9% |
| 1964 | 49.00 million tonnes | +5.9% |
| 1965 | 52.23 million tonnes | +6.6% |
| 1966 | 55.06 million tonnes | +5.4% |
| 1967 | 58.74 million tonnes | +6.7% |
| 1968 | 62.06 million tonnes | +5.7% |
| 1969 | 64.95 million tonnes | +4.7% |
| 1970 | 67.39 million tonnes | +3.8% |
| 1971 | 69.56 million tonnes | +3.2% |
| 1972 | 71.90 million tonnes | +3.4% |
| 1973 | 74.14 million tonnes | +3.1% |
| 1974 | 76.13 million tonnes | +2.7% |
| 1975 | 77.99 million tonnes | +2.4% |
| 1976 | 79.78 million tonnes | +2.3% |
| 1977 | 81.37 million tonnes | +2.0% |
| 1978 | 82.78 million tonnes | +1.7% |
| 1979 | 84.12 million tonnes | +1.6% |
| 1980 | 85.47 million tonnes | +1.6% |
| 1981 | 86.60 million tonnes | +1.3% |
| 1982 | 87.95 million tonnes | +1.6% |
| 1983 | 88.97 million tonnes | +1.1% |
| 1984 | 90.09 million tonnes | +1.3% |
| 1985 | 91.20 million tonnes | +1.2% |
| 1986 | 92.42 million tonnes | +1.3% |
| 1987 | 93.45 million tonnes | +1.1% |
| 1988 | 94.83 million tonnes | +1.5% |
| 1989 | 95.71 million tonnes | +0.9% |
| 1990 | 96.54 million tonnes | +0.9% |
| 1991 | 97.38 million tonnes | +0.9% |
| 1992 | 98.25 million tonnes | +0.9% |
| 1993 | 99.13 million tonnes | +0.9% |
| 1994 | 99.97 million tonnes | +0.8% |
| 1995 | 100.30 million tonnes | +0.3% |
| 1996 | 100.72 million tonnes | +0.4% |
| 1997 | 101.21 million tonnes | +0.5% |
| 1998 | 101.67 million tonnes | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 101.95 million tonnes | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 102.24 million tonnes | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 102.54 million tonnes | +0.3% |
| 2002 | 102.84 million tonnes | +0.3% |
| 2003 | 103.17 million tonnes | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 103.40 million tonnes | +0.2% |
| 2005 | 103.72 million tonnes | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 103.85 million tonnes | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 104.14 million tonnes | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 104.46 million tonnes | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 104.86 million tonnes | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 105.25 million tonnes | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 105.52 million tonnes | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 105.88 million tonnes | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 106.34 million tonnes | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 107.23 million tonnes | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 108.18 million tonnes | +0.9% |
| 2016 | 109.15 million tonnes | +0.9% |
| 2017 | 111.66 million tonnes | +2.3% |
| 2018 | 115.65 million tonnes | +3.6% |
| 2019 | 119.09 million tonnes | +3.0% |
| 2020 | 123.51 million tonnes | +3.7% |
| 2021 | 127.02 million tonnes | +2.8% |
| 2022 | 132.11 million tonnes | +4.0% |
| 2023 | 137.98 million tonnes | +4.4% |
| 2024 | 143.98 million tonnes | +4.3% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 143.98 million tonnes is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 20.26 million tonnes, 7.1× the median. (40 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 143.98 million tonnes is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3.16 million tonnes, 45.5× the median. (38 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Cumulative CO₂ emissions from coal in Zambia 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 | +108.2% | 2.21 million tonnes | 4.60 million tonnes |
| 1952 | +58.2% | 4.60 million tonnes | 7.28 million tonnes |
| 1953 | +39.9% | 7.28 million tonnes | 10.18 million tonnes |
| 1954 | +31.2% | 10.18 million tonnes | 13.37 million tonnes |
| 1955 | +28.1% | 13.37 million tonnes | 17.13 million tonnes |
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
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 303.19 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 7,547 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 2,795 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 4,752 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 10.55 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 169.71 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 2,153 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 2,033 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 120.21 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 7.67 kt (2050)
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.