Cumulative CO₂ emissions from oil in Zambia
Zambia: Cumulative CO₂ emissions from oil was 136.85 million tonnes in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
136.85 million tonnes
Change on year
up 3.9%
World rank
126th
of 215 countries
All-time high
136.85 million tonnes
in 2024
All-time low
95,425 tonnes
in 1950
Years of data
75
1950–2024
Cumulative CO₂ emissions from oil in Zambia, 1950–2024
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 oil in Zambia is 136.85 million tonnes, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 75 years on record.
That represents a change of up 3.9% on the previous year and up 48.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cumulative co₂ emissions from oil in Zambia peaked at 136.85 million tonnes in 2024 and was at its lowest, 95,425 tonnes, in 1950.
Zambia ranks 126th of 215 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 oil in Zambia, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 95,425 tonnes | — |
| 1951 | 243,993 tonnes | +155.7% |
| 1952 | 413,840 tonnes | +69.6% |
| 1953 | 608,096 tonnes | +46.9% |
| 1954 | 823,651 tonnes | +35.4% |
| 1955 | 1.07 million tonnes | +29.7% |
| 1956 | 1.38 million tonnes | +29.0% |
| 1957 | 1.70 million tonnes | +23.1% |
| 1958 | 2.06 million tonnes | +21.5% |
| 1959 | 2.41 million tonnes | +17.1% |
| 1960 | 2.78 million tonnes | +15.1% |
| 1961 | 3.16 million tonnes | +13.6% |
| 1962 | 3.56 million tonnes | +12.8% |
| 1963 | 3.97 million tonnes | +11.5% |
| 1964 | 4.42 million tonnes | +11.3% |
| 1965 | 5.00 million tonnes | +13.2% |
| 1966 | 5.55 million tonnes | +11.1% |
| 1967 | 6.52 million tonnes | +17.3% |
| 1968 | 7.59 million tonnes | +16.5% |
| 1969 | 8.81 million tonnes | +16.1% |
| 1970 | 10.05 million tonnes | +14.1% |
| 1971 | 11.44 million tonnes | +13.8% |
| 1972 | 12.92 million tonnes | +13.0% |
| 1973 | 15.06 million tonnes | +16.5% |
| 1974 | 17.05 million tonnes | +13.2% |
| 1975 | 19.05 million tonnes | +11.7% |
| 1976 | 21.09 million tonnes | +10.7% |
| 1977 | 23.04 million tonnes | +9.3% |
| 1978 | 25.05 million tonnes | +8.7% |
| 1979 | 27.21 million tonnes | +8.6% |
| 1980 | 29.30 million tonnes | +7.7% |
| 1981 | 31.46 million tonnes | +7.4% |
| 1982 | 33.55 million tonnes | +6.6% |
| 1983 | 35.73 million tonnes | +6.5% |
| 1984 | 37.30 million tonnes | +4.4% |
| 1985 | 38.78 million tonnes | +4.0% |
| 1986 | 40.28 million tonnes | +3.9% |
| 1987 | 41.77 million tonnes | +3.7% |
| 1988 | 43.33 million tonnes | +3.7% |
| 1989 | 44.86 million tonnes | +3.5% |
| 1990 | 46.26 million tonnes | +3.1% |
| 1991 | 47.65 million tonnes | +3.0% |
| 1992 | 49.06 million tonnes | +3.0% |
| 1993 | 50.50 million tonnes | +2.9% |
| 1994 | 51.94 million tonnes | +2.9% |
| 1995 | 53.63 million tonnes | +3.2% |
| 1996 | 54.90 million tonnes | +2.4% |
| 1997 | 56.62 million tonnes | +3.1% |
| 1998 | 58.29 million tonnes | +3.0% |
| 1999 | 59.67 million tonnes | +2.4% |
| 2000 | 61.01 million tonnes | +2.2% |
| 2001 | 62.51 million tonnes | +2.5% |
| 2002 | 64.07 million tonnes | +2.5% |
| 2003 | 65.68 million tonnes | +2.5% |
| 2004 | 67.39 million tonnes | +2.6% |
| 2005 | 69.15 million tonnes | +2.6% |
| 2006 | 71.03 million tonnes | +2.7% |
| 2007 | 72.83 million tonnes | +2.5% |
| 2008 | 74.85 million tonnes | +2.8% |
| 2009 | 77.05 million tonnes | +2.9% |
| 2010 | 79.35 million tonnes | +3.0% |
| 2011 | 82.00 million tonnes | +3.3% |
| 2012 | 85.21 million tonnes | +3.9% |
| 2013 | 88.46 million tonnes | +3.8% |
| 2014 | 92.12 million tonnes | +4.1% |
| 2015 | 95.99 million tonnes | +4.2% |
| 2016 | 100.23 million tonnes | +4.4% |
| 2017 | 104.32 million tonnes | +4.1% |
| 2018 | 107.93 million tonnes | +3.5% |
| 2019 | 112.37 million tonnes | +4.1% |
| 2020 | 116.85 million tonnes | +4.0% |
| 2021 | 121.63 million tonnes | +4.1% |
| 2022 | 126.61 million tonnes | +4.1% |
| 2023 | 131.68 million tonnes | +4.0% |
| 2024 | 136.85 million tonnes | +3.9% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 136.85 million tonnes is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 182.59 million tonnes, 75% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 136.85 million tonnes is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 82.60 million tonnes, 1.7× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Cumulative CO₂ emissions from oil 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 | +155.7% | 95,425 tonnes | 243,993 tonnes |
| 1952 | +69.6% | 243,993 tonnes | 413,840 tonnes |
| 1953 | +46.9% | 413,840 tonnes | 608,096 tonnes |
| 1954 | +35.4% | 608,096 tonnes | 823,651 tonnes |
| 1955 | +29.7% | 823,651 tonnes | 1.07 million tonnes |
| 1956 | +29.0% | 1.07 million tonnes | 1.38 million tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 1.08 million tonnes | 95,425 tonnes | 2.41 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1960s | 5.14 million tonnes | 2.78 million tonnes | 8.81 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1970s | 18.20 million tonnes | 10.05 million tonnes | 27.21 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 37.64 million tonnes | 29.30 million tonnes | 44.86 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 52.85 million tonnes | 46.26 million tonnes | 59.67 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 68.56 million tonnes | 61.01 million tonnes | 77.05 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 94.80 million tonnes | 79.35 million tonnes | 112.37 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 126.73 million tonnes | 116.85 million tonnes | 136.85 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 oil in Zambia?
- Cumulative co₂ emissions from oil in Zambia was 136.85 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 oil recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 136.85 million tonnes in 2024.
- What is the lowest cumulative co₂ emissions from oil recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 95,425 tonnes in 1950.
- How does Zambia rank for cumulative co₂ emissions from oil?
- Zambia ranks 126th out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
- Is cumulative co₂ emissions from oil rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 48.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- 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 oil. 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 oil since the first year of available data, measured in tonnes.