Methane emissions, per square kilometre in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Methane emissions, per square kilometre was 23.13 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
23.13 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre
Change on year
up 2.4%
World rank
176th
of 195 countries
All-time high
23.13 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre
in 2024
All-time low
4.89 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre
in 1971
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Methane emissions, per square kilometre in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1961–2024
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre.
Analysis
The most recent figure for methane emissions, per square kilometre in Democratic Republic of Congo is 23.13 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 64 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.4% on the previous year and up 24.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, methane emissions, per square kilometre in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 23.13 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre in 2024 and was at its lowest, 4.89 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre, in 1971.
That places Democratic Republic of Congo 176th out of 195 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.
Methane emissions, per square kilometre in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 5.66 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | — |
| 1962 | 5.65 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | -0.2% |
| 1963 | 5.63 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | -0.4% |
| 1964 | 5.62 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | -0.2% |
| 1965 | 5.6 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | -0.5% |
| 1966 | 5.64 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | +0.8% |
| 1967 | 5.67 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | +0.5% |
| 1968 | 5.74 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | +1.3% |
| 1969 | 5.78 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | +0.7% |
| 1970 | 8.63 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | +49.2% |
| 1971 | 4.89 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | -43.4% |
| 1972 | 5.32 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | +8.9% |
| 1973 | 5.76 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | +8.2% |
| 1974 | 5.1 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | -11.4% |
| 1975 | 6.1 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | +19.5% |
| 1976 | 7.56 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | +23.9% |
| 1977 | 8.18 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | +8.3% |
| 1978 | 8.15 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | -0.4% |
| 1979 | 10.37 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | +27.2% |
| 1980 | 8.78 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | -15.3% |
| 1981 | 7.97 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | -9.3% |
| 1982 | 9.01 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | +13.0% |
| 1983 | 9.16 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | +1.7% |
| 1984 | 8.23 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | -10.1% |
| 1985 | 8.53 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | +3.6% |
| 1986 | 8.4 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | -1.5% |
| 1987 | 10.46 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | +24.4% |
| 1988 | 8.37 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | -20.0% |
| 1989 | 9.01 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | +7.7% |
| 1990 | 11.47 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | +27.3% |
| 1991 | 11.4 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | -0.6% |
| 1992 | 11.36 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | -0.3% |
| 1993 | 11.31 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | -0.5% |
| 1994 | 11.46 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | +1.3% |
| 1995 | 11.83 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | +3.2% |
| 1996 | 10.7 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | -9.5% |
| 1997 | 10.56 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | -1.3% |
| 1998 | 10.7 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | +1.3% |
| 1999 | 10.21 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | -4.5% |
| 2000 | 10.6 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | +3.8% |
| 2001 | 10.86 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | +2.5% |
| 2002 | 12.07 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | +11.1% |
| 2003 | 12.73 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | +5.5% |
| 2004 | 13.3 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | +4.5% |
| 2005 | 13.26 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | -0.3% |
| 2006 | 13.56 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | +2.2% |
| 2007 | 13.2 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | -2.6% |
| 2008 | 13.63 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | +3.2% |
| 2009 | 13.62 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 14.21 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | +4.3% |
| 2011 | 14.07 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | -0.9% |
| 2012 | 17.07 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | +21.3% |
| 2013 | 18.05 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | +5.7% |
| 2014 | 18.57 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | +2.9% |
| 2015 | 19.26 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | +3.7% |
| 2016 | 19.68 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | +2.2% |
| 2017 | 20.66 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | +4.9% |
| 2018 | 20.09 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | -2.7% |
| 2019 | 20.65 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | +2.8% |
| 2020 | 21.18 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | +2.6% |
| 2021 | 21.58 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | +1.8% |
| 2022 | 22.26 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | +3.2% |
| 2023 | 22.59 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | +1.5% |
| 2024 | 23.13 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | +2.4% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 23.13 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre is below the median for low income countries, which is 42.61 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre, 54% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 23.13 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 58.8 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre, 39% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Methane emissions, per square kilometre 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | +49.2% | 5.78 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | 8.63 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre |
| 1971 | -43.4% | 8.63 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | 4.89 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre |
| 1979 | +27.2% | 8.15 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | 10.37 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre |
| 1990 | +27.3% | 9.01 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | 11.47 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 5.67 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | 5.6 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | 5.78 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | 9 |
| 1970s | 7 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | 4.89 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | 10.37 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1980s | 8.79 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | 7.97 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | 10.46 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1990s | 11.1 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | 10.21 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | 11.83 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2000s | 12.68 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | 10.6 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | 13.63 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2010s | 18.23 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | 14.07 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | 20.66 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2020s | 22.15 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | 21.18 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | 23.13 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre | 5 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
- 173 Peru 24.75 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre compare
- 174 Niger 23.88 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre compare
- 175 Mali 23.81 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre compare
- 177 Norway 23.05 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre compare
- 178 Belize 21.96 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre compare
- 179 Yemen 21.94 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre compare
More climate change data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Share co2 vs population 4.23 (2100)
- Co2 gdp growth, annual growth rate -5.63 % change on previous year (2025)
- Co2 gdp pop growth, annual growth rate -1.24 % change on previous year (2025)
- 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)
- Urban population 45.1% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is methane emissions, per square kilometre in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Methane emissions, per square kilometre in Democratic Republic of Congo was 23.13 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre in 2024, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest methane emissions, per square kilometre recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 23.13 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre in 2024.
- What is the lowest methane emissions, per square kilometre recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.89 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per square kilometre in 1971.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for methane emissions, per square kilometre?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 176th out of 195 countries with data for 2024.
- Is methane emissions, per square kilometre rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is up 24.6%. 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 Methane emissions, per square kilometre. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 64 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
Methane emissions 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.
Methane emissions ÷ Land area (sq. km)
Computed from
- Methane emissions 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
Methane emissions 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.