emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre was 2.32 tonnes per square kilometre in 2022. ▲ Rising
Latest (2022)
2.32 tonnes per square kilometre
Change on year
up 1.3%
World rank
116th
of 207 countries
All-time high
2.43 tonnes per square kilometre
in 2017
All-time low
0.7459 tonnes per square kilometre
in 1961
Years of data
62
1961–2022
emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1961–2022
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in tonnes per square kilometre.
Analysis
In 2022, emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre in Democratic Republic of Congo stood at 2.32 tonnes per square kilometre.
The figure is up 1.3% on the previous year and up 30.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 2.43 tonnes per square kilometre in 2017 and was at its lowest, 0.7459 tonnes per square kilometre, in 1961.
That places Democratic Republic of Congo 116th out of 207 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 62 years of available data.
emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | tonnes per square kilometre | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.7459 tonnes per square kilometre | — |
| 1962 | 0.751 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.7% |
| 1963 | 0.7613 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.4% |
| 1964 | 0.7712 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.3% |
| 1965 | 0.7903 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.5% |
| 1966 | 0.8085 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.3% |
| 1967 | 0.8315 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.8% |
| 1968 | 0.854 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.7% |
| 1969 | 0.8781 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.8% |
| 1970 | 0.8885 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.2% |
| 1971 | 0.8701 tonnes per square kilometre | -2.1% |
| 1972 | 0.895 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.9% |
| 1973 | 0.9147 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.2% |
| 1974 | 0.9417 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.0% |
| 1975 | 0.9719 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.2% |
| 1976 | 0.9984 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.7% |
| 1977 | 1.03 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.9% |
| 1978 | 1.06 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.0% |
| 1979 | 1.09 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.9% |
| 1980 | 1.12 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.0% |
| 1981 | 1.16 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.1% |
| 1982 | 1.19 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.8% |
| 1983 | 1.23 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.3% |
| 1984 | 1.27 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.3% |
| 1985 | 1.31 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.1% |
| 1986 | 1.35 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.5% |
| 1987 | 1.4 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.4% |
| 1988 | 1.45 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.4% |
| 1989 | 1.49 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.3% |
| 1990 | 1.54 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.2% |
| 1991 | 1.57 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.6% |
| 1992 | 1.62 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.2% |
| 1993 | 1.6 tonnes per square kilometre | -0.7% |
| 1994 | 1.59 tonnes per square kilometre | -0.8% |
| 1995 | 1.57 tonnes per square kilometre | -1.2% |
| 1996 | 1.55 tonnes per square kilometre | -1.4% |
| 1997 | 1.53 tonnes per square kilometre | -1.6% |
| 1998 | 1.5 tonnes per square kilometre | -1.8% |
| 1999 | 1.49 tonnes per square kilometre | -0.8% |
| 2000 | 1.46 tonnes per square kilometre | -2.0% |
| 2001 | 1.43 tonnes per square kilometre | -1.8% |
| 2002 | 1.4 tonnes per square kilometre | -2.4% |
| 2003 | 1.36 tonnes per square kilometre | -2.6% |
| 2004 | 1.32 tonnes per square kilometre | -3.0% |
| 2005 | 1.27 tonnes per square kilometre | -3.4% |
| 2006 | 1.32 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.6% |
| 2007 | 1.36 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.4% |
| 2008 | 1.41 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.4% |
| 2009 | 1.46 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.3% |
| 2010 | 1.47 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.7% |
| 2011 | 1.54 tonnes per square kilometre | +5.0% |
| 2012 | 1.78 tonnes per square kilometre | +15.3% |
| 2013 | 1.96 tonnes per square kilometre | +10.2% |
| 2014 | 2.17 tonnes per square kilometre | +10.8% |
| 2015 | 2.22 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.6% |
| 2016 | 2.3 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.2% |
| 2017 | 2.43 tonnes per square kilometre | +5.7% |
| 2018 | 2.15 tonnes per square kilometre | -11.4% |
| 2019 | 2.2 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.1% |
| 2020 | 2.24 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.1% |
| 2021 | 2.29 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.0% |
| 2022 | 2.32 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.3% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 2.32 tonnes per square kilometre is below the median for low income countries, which is 2.58 tonnes per square kilometre, 90% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 2.32 tonnes per square kilometre is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3.61 tonnes per square kilometre, 64% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.7991 tonnes per square kilometre | 0.7459 tonnes per square kilometre | 0.8781 tonnes per square kilometre | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.9655 tonnes per square kilometre | 0.8701 tonnes per square kilometre | 1.09 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.3 tonnes per square kilometre | 1.12 tonnes per square kilometre | 1.49 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.55 tonnes per square kilometre | 1.49 tonnes per square kilometre | 1.62 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.38 tonnes per square kilometre | 1.27 tonnes per square kilometre | 1.46 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.02 tonnes per square kilometre | 1.47 tonnes per square kilometre | 2.43 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.28 tonnes per square kilometre | 2.24 tonnes per square kilometre | 2.32 tonnes per square kilometre | 3 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
- 113 Estonia 2.48 tonnes per square kilometre compare
- 114 Portugal 2.45 tonnes per square kilometre compare
- 115 United States 2.4 tonnes per square kilometre compare
- 117 Bulgaria 2.23 tonnes per square kilometre compare
- 118 Nicaragua 2.22 tonnes per square kilometre compare
- 119 French Polynesia 2.18 tonnes per square kilometre compare
More climate change data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Spring temperature anomalies 0.2047 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.8778 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 1.05 °C (2026)
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 4.2% (2100)
- Population, total, annual growth rate 3.25 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population, total, per unit of GDP 0.0012 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Urban population, annual growth rate 4.1 % change on previous year (2025)
- Urban population, per unit of GDP 0.0006 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Urban population, per capita 0.4511 units per person (2025)
- Precipitation anomalies, annual growth rate 28.16 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre in Democratic Republic of Congo was 2.32 tonnes per square kilometre in 2022, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 2.43 tonnes per square kilometre in 2017.
- What is the lowest emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.7459 tonnes per square kilometre in 1961.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 116th out of 207 countries with data for 2022.
- Is emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is up 30.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 62 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
emissions of air pollutants divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
emissions of air pollutants ÷ Land area (sq. km)
Computed from
- emissions of air pollutants Hoesly et al. (2024) – Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data
- Land area FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
emissions of air pollutants divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.