Greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Greenhouse gas emissions by sector was 320,000 tonnes in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1990–2023
Source: Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
The most recent figure for greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Democratic Republic of Congo is 320,000 tonnes, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of up 3.2% on the previous year and up 68.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 1.14 million tonnes in 1990 and was at its lowest, 70,000 tonnes, in 2003.
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 86th of 179 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.
Greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 1.14 million tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 1.03 million tonnes | -9.6% |
| 1992 | 880,000 tonnes | -14.6% |
| 1993 | 850,000 tonnes | -3.4% |
| 1994 | 700,000 tonnes | -17.6% |
| 1995 | 630,000 tonnes | -10.0% |
| 1996 | 640,000 tonnes | +1.6% |
| 1997 | 640,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 750,000 tonnes | +17.2% |
| 1999 | 750,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 80,000 tonnes | -89.3% |
| 2001 | 80,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 80,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 70,000 tonnes | -12.5% |
| 2004 | 80,000 tonnes | +14.3% |
| 2005 | 129,999 tonnes | +62.5% |
| 2006 | 129,999 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 150,000 tonnes | +15.4% |
| 2008 | 160,000 tonnes | +6.7% |
| 2009 | 170,000 tonnes | +6.2% |
| 2010 | 160,000 tonnes | -5.9% |
| 2011 | 170,000 tonnes | +6.2% |
| 2012 | 180,000 tonnes | +5.9% |
| 2013 | 190,000 tonnes | +5.6% |
| 2014 | 190,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 190,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 210,000 tonnes | +10.5% |
| 2017 | 210,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 220,000 tonnes | +4.8% |
| 2019 | 220,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 259,999 tonnes | +18.2% |
| 2021 | 280,000 tonnes | +7.7% |
| 2022 | 310,000 tonnes | +10.7% |
| 2023 | 320,000 tonnes | +3.2% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 320,000 tonnes is above the median for low income countries, which is 110,000 tonnes, 2.9× the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 320,000 tonnes is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 80,000 tonnes, 4.0× the median. (45 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Democratic Republic of Congo 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | -89.3% | 750,000 tonnes | 80,000 tonnes |
| 2005 | +62.5% | 80,000 tonnes | 129,999 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 801,000 tonnes | 630,000 tonnes | 1.14 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 113,000 tonnes | 70,000 tonnes | 170,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 194,000 tonnes | 160,000 tonnes | 220,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 292,500 tonnes | 259,999 tonnes | 320,000 tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
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 greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Democratic Republic of Congo was 320,000 tonnes in 2023, according to Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest greenhouse gas emissions by sector recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 1.14 million tonnes in 1990.
- What is the lowest greenhouse gas emissions by sector recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 70,000 tonnes in 2003.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for greenhouse gas emissions by sector?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 86th out of 179 countries with data for 2023.
- Is greenhouse gas emissions by sector rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is up 68.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo data come from?
- The figures come from Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Greenhouse gas emissions by sector. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Emissions are measured in tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalents.