Methane emissions in Lesotho
Lesotho: Methane emissions was 1.31 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
1.31 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
Change on year
down 1.4%
World rank
154th
of 199 countries
All-time high
1.80 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 1999
All-time low
57,138 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 1850
Years of data
175
1850–2024
Methane emissions in Lesotho, 1850–2024
Source: Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes of CO₂ equivalents.
Analysis
The most recent figure for methane emissions in Lesotho is 1.31 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents, measured in 2024.
The figure is down 1.4% on the previous year and down 18.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, methane emissions in Lesotho peaked at 1.80 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 1999 and was at its lowest, 57,138 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents, in 1850.
That places Lesotho 154th out of 199 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850s | 61,701 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 57,138 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 66,310 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1860s | 75,381 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 67,348 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 83,467 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1870s | 95,712 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 85,280 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 106,203 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1880s | 122,143 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 108,553 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 135,801 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1890s | 156,646 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 139,006 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 173,898 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1900s | 204,454 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 177,668 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 232,647 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1910s | 290,489 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 239,198 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 342,540 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1920s | 425,336 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 354,351 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 495,759 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1930s | 612,288 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 511,469 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 710,766 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1940s | 769,798 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 732,250 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 807,958 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1950s | 850,059 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 816,348 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 884,221 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1960s | 1.00 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 892,507 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.13 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.19 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.12 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.27 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.34 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.25 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.49 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.53 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.40 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.80 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.69 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.61 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.75 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.62 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.46 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.71 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.33 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.28 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.39 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 151 Brunei 1.58 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 152 North Macedonia 1.53 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 153 Estonia 1.33 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 155 Djibouti 1.22 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 156 Gambia 1.20 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 157 Eswatini 1.17 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
More climate change data for Lesotho
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.0% (2100)
- Population growth 1.1% (2025)
- Population, total 2.36 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 3.3% (2025)
- Urban population 1.06 million (2025)
- Urban population 44.7% (2025)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 1.1 tonnes per person (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions 72.33 million tonnes (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita 1.1 tonnes per person (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 1.1 tonnes per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is methane emissions in Lesotho?
- Methane emissions in Lesotho was 1.31 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2024, according to Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest methane emissions recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 1.80 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 1999.
- What is the lowest methane emissions recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 57,138 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 1850.
- How does Lesotho rank for methane emissions?
- Lesotho ranks 154th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is methane emissions rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Methane emissions. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 175 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Measured in tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalents over a 100-year timescale.