Greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Kenya
Kenya: Greenhouse gas emissions by sector was 53.34 million tonnes in 2023. ▲ Rising
Greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Kenya, 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 Kenya is 53.34 million tonnes, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of up 9.5% on the previous year and up 25.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Kenya peaked at 61.28 million tonnes in 2020 and was at its lowest, 23.87 million tonnes, in 2001.
That places Kenya 26th out of 193 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Kenya, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 27.25 million tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 26.09 million tonnes | -4.3% |
| 1992 | 25.90 million tonnes | -0.7% |
| 1993 | 25.67 million tonnes | -0.9% |
| 1994 | 25.81 million tonnes | +0.5% |
| 1995 | 25.53 million tonnes | -1.1% |
| 1996 | 24.06 million tonnes | -5.8% |
| 1997 | 23.96 million tonnes | -0.4% |
| 1998 | 24.54 million tonnes | +2.4% |
| 1999 | 26.11 million tonnes | +6.4% |
| 2000 | 23.88 million tonnes | -8.5% |
| 2001 | 23.87 million tonnes | -0.0% |
| 2002 | 24.91 million tonnes | +4.4% |
| 2003 | 26.68 million tonnes | +7.1% |
| 2004 | 28.39 million tonnes | +6.4% |
| 2005 | 27.57 million tonnes | -2.9% |
| 2006 | 26.75 million tonnes | -3.0% |
| 2007 | 43.68 million tonnes | +63.3% |
| 2008 | 44.10 million tonnes | +1.0% |
| 2009 | 42.27 million tonnes | -4.1% |
| 2010 | 42.50 million tonnes | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 43.69 million tonnes | +2.8% |
| 2012 | 43.40 million tonnes | -0.7% |
| 2013 | 42.62 million tonnes | -1.8% |
| 2014 | 43.14 million tonnes | +1.2% |
| 2015 | 43.47 million tonnes | +0.8% |
| 2016 | 47.50 million tonnes | +9.3% |
| 2017 | 44.09 million tonnes | -7.2% |
| 2018 | 45.75 million tonnes | +3.8% |
| 2019 | 53.19 million tonnes | +16.3% |
| 2020 | 61.28 million tonnes | +15.2% |
| 2021 | 54.55 million tonnes | -11.0% |
| 2022 | 48.71 million tonnes | -10.7% |
| 2023 | 53.34 million tonnes | +9.5% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 53.34 million tonnes is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 10.91 million tonnes, 4.9× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 53.34 million tonnes is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 11.69 million tonnes, 4.6× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Kenya 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | +63.3% | 26.75 million tonnes | 43.68 million tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 25.49 million tonnes | 23.96 million tonnes | 27.25 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 31.21 million tonnes | 23.87 million tonnes | 44.10 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 44.94 million tonnes | 42.50 million tonnes | 53.19 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 54.47 million tonnes | 48.71 million tonnes | 61.28 million tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
- 23 Myanmar 61.04 million tonnes compare
- 24 Turkey 54.70 million tonnes compare
- 25 Germany 54.59 million tonnes compare
- 27 United Kingdom 50.09 million tonnes compare
- 28 South Sudan 47.55 million tonnes compare
- 29 Uzbekistan 42.15 million tonnes compare
More climate change data for Kenya
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 276.34 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 50,641 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 16,186 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 34,454 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 61.08 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 1,231 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 2,372 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 2,116 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 255.67 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 7.99 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Kenya?
- Greenhouse gas emissions by sector in Kenya was 53.34 million 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 Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 61.28 million tonnes in 2020.
- What is the lowest greenhouse gas emissions by sector recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 23.87 million tonnes in 2001.
- How does Kenya rank for greenhouse gas emissions by sector?
- Kenya ranks 26th out of 193 countries with data for 2023.
- Is greenhouse gas emissions by sector rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is up 25.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Kenya 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.