Cumulative CO₂ emissions by world region in Rwanda
Rwanda: Cumulative CO₂ emissions by world region was 37.32 million tonnes in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
37.32 million tonnes
Change on year
up 5.8%
World rank
167th
of 215 countries
All-time high
37.32 million tonnes
in 2024
All-time low
16,854 tonnes
in 1950
Years of data
75
1950–2024
Cumulative CO₂ emissions by world region in Rwanda, 1950–2024
Source: Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
Rwanda recorded 37.32 million tonnes for cumulative co₂ emissions by world region in 2024. That is the highest value across all 75 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.8% on the previous year and up 67.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cumulative co₂ emissions by world region in Rwanda peaked at 37.32 million tonnes in 2024 and was at its lowest, 16,854 tonnes, in 1950.
That places Rwanda 167th out of 215 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Cumulative CO₂ emissions by world region in Rwanda, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 16,854 tonnes | — |
| 1951 | 33,708 tonnes | +100.0% |
| 1952 | 65,009 tonnes | +92.9% |
| 1953 | 93,902 tonnes | +44.4% |
| 1954 | 105,941 tonnes | +12.8% |
| 1955 | 120,388 tonnes | +13.6% |
| 1956 | 137,242 tonnes | +14.0% |
| 1957 | 156,504 tonnes | +14.0% |
| 1958 | 175,766 tonnes | +12.3% |
| 1959 | 250,407 tonnes | +42.5% |
| 1960 | 320,232 tonnes | +27.9% |
| 1961 | 411,727 tonnes | +28.6% |
| 1962 | 495,999 tonnes | +20.5% |
| 1963 | 580,271 tonnes | +17.0% |
| 1964 | 616,911 tonnes | +6.3% |
| 1965 | 664,543 tonnes | +7.7% |
| 1966 | 708,511 tonnes | +6.6% |
| 1967 | 748,815 tonnes | +5.7% |
| 1968 | 803,775 tonnes | +7.3% |
| 1969 | 862,399 tonnes | +7.3% |
| 1970 | 921,023 tonnes | +6.8% |
| 1971 | 983,311 tonnes | +6.8% |
| 1972 | 1.05 million tonnes | +6.7% |
| 1973 | 1.12 million tonnes | +6.6% |
| 1974 | 1.19 million tonnes | +6.5% |
| 1975 | 1.37 million tonnes | +14.8% |
| 1976 | 1.64 million tonnes | +19.6% |
| 1977 | 1.90 million tonnes | +16.4% |
| 1978 | 2.19 million tonnes | +15.2% |
| 1979 | 2.49 million tonnes | +13.5% |
| 1980 | 2.98 million tonnes | +19.9% |
| 1981 | 3.58 million tonnes | +20.1% |
| 1982 | 4.19 million tonnes | +17.0% |
| 1983 | 4.89 million tonnes | +16.6% |
| 1984 | 5.52 million tonnes | +13.0% |
| 1985 | 6.14 million tonnes | +11.1% |
| 1986 | 6.74 million tonnes | +9.7% |
| 1987 | 7.35 million tonnes | +9.1% |
| 1988 | 8.04 million tonnes | +9.4% |
| 1989 | 8.72 million tonnes | +8.5% |
| 1990 | 9.25 million tonnes | +6.0% |
| 1991 | 9.72 million tonnes | +5.1% |
| 1992 | 10.20 million tonnes | +4.9% |
| 1993 | 10.68 million tonnes | +4.7% |
| 1994 | 11.14 million tonnes | +4.3% |
| 1995 | 11.60 million tonnes | +4.0% |
| 1996 | 12.06 million tonnes | +4.0% |
| 1997 | 12.54 million tonnes | +4.0% |
| 1998 | 13.02 million tonnes | +3.8% |
| 1999 | 13.53 million tonnes | +3.9% |
| 2000 | 14.04 million tonnes | +3.8% |
| 2001 | 14.56 million tonnes | +3.7% |
| 2002 | 15.07 million tonnes | +3.5% |
| 2003 | 15.58 million tonnes | +3.4% |
| 2004 | 16.09 million tonnes | +3.3% |
| 2005 | 16.61 million tonnes | +3.2% |
| 2006 | 17.12 million tonnes | +3.1% |
| 2007 | 17.66 million tonnes | +3.2% |
| 2008 | 18.19 million tonnes | +3.0% |
| 2009 | 18.75 million tonnes | +3.0% |
| 2010 | 19.33 million tonnes | +3.1% |
| 2011 | 19.97 million tonnes | +3.3% |
| 2012 | 20.69 million tonnes | +3.6% |
| 2013 | 21.47 million tonnes | +3.8% |
| 2014 | 22.30 million tonnes | +3.9% |
| 2015 | 23.27 million tonnes | +4.3% |
| 2016 | 24.32 million tonnes | +4.5% |
| 2017 | 25.49 million tonnes | +4.8% |
| 2018 | 26.80 million tonnes | +5.2% |
| 2019 | 28.22 million tonnes | +5.3% |
| 2020 | 29.61 million tonnes | +4.9% |
| 2021 | 31.31 million tonnes | +5.7% |
| 2022 | 33.27 million tonnes | +6.3% |
| 2023 | 35.28 million tonnes | +6.1% |
| 2024 | 37.32 million tonnes | +5.8% |
Rwanda compared with similar countries
- Rwanda's 37.32 million tonnes is below the median for low income countries, which is 61.51 million tonnes, 61% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Rwanda's 37.32 million tonnes is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 103.07 million tonnes, 36% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Cumulative CO₂ emissions by world region in Rwanda 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 | +100.0% | 16,854 tonnes | 33,708 tonnes |
| 1952 | +92.9% | 33,708 tonnes | 65,009 tonnes |
| 1953 | +44.4% | 65,009 tonnes | 93,902 tonnes |
| 1959 | +42.5% | 175,766 tonnes | 250,407 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 115,572 tonnes | 16,854 tonnes | 250,407 tonnes | 10 |
| 1960s | 621,318 tonnes | 320,232 tonnes | 862,399 tonnes | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.49 million tonnes | 921,023 tonnes | 2.49 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 5.82 million tonnes | 2.98 million tonnes | 8.72 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 11.37 million tonnes | 9.25 million tonnes | 13.53 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 16.37 million tonnes | 14.04 million tonnes | 18.75 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 23.19 million tonnes | 19.33 million tonnes | 28.22 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 33.36 million tonnes | 29.61 million tonnes | 37.32 million tonnes | 5 |
Countries ranked near Rwanda
- 164 Eswatini 44.61 million tonnes compare
- 165 Sierra Leone 42.62 million tonnes compare
- 166 Somalia 41.93 million tonnes compare
- 168 Greenland 35.19 million tonnes compare
- 169 French Polynesia 35.02 million tonnes compare
- 170 Faroe Islands 33.66 million tonnes compare
More climate change data for Rwanda
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 14.59 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 4,059 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 1,586 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 2,473 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 5.98 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 88.33 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 388.82 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 261.95 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 126.86 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 0.9885 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cumulative co₂ emissions by world region in Rwanda?
- Cumulative co₂ emissions by world region in Rwanda was 37.32 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 by world region recorded in Rwanda?
- The highest recorded value was 37.32 million tonnes in 2024.
- What is the lowest cumulative co₂ emissions by world region recorded in Rwanda?
- The lowest recorded value was 16,854 tonnes in 1950.
- How does Rwanda rank for cumulative co₂ emissions by world region?
- Rwanda ranks 167th out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
- Is cumulative co₂ emissions by world region rising or falling in Rwanda?
- Over the last ten years it is up 67.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Rwanda 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 by world region. 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.