Nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: Nitrous oxide emissions by sector was 3.83 million tonnes in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
3.83 million tonnes
Change on year
up 3.0%
World rank
80th
of 193 countries
All-time high
4.36 million tonnes
in 2017
All-time low
2.31 million tonnes
in 1994
Years of data
34
1990–2023
Nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Afghanistan, 1990–2023
Source: Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
Afghanistan recorded 3.83 million tonnes for nitrous oxide emissions by sector in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.0% on the previous year and down 3.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Afghanistan peaked at 4.36 million tonnes in 2017 and was at its lowest, 2.31 million tonnes, in 1994.
That places Afghanistan 80th out of 193 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Afghanistan, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 2.40 million tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 2.48 million tonnes | +3.3% |
| 1992 | 2.43 million tonnes | -2.0% |
| 1993 | 2.46 million tonnes | +1.2% |
| 1994 | 2.31 million tonnes | -6.1% |
| 1995 | 2.40 million tonnes | +3.9% |
| 1996 | 2.61 million tonnes | +8.8% |
| 1997 | 2.88 million tonnes | +10.3% |
| 1998 | 3.14 million tonnes | +9.0% |
| 1999 | 3.38 million tonnes | +7.6% |
| 2000 | 2.91 million tonnes | -13.9% |
| 2001 | 2.54 million tonnes | -12.7% |
| 2002 | 2.97 million tonnes | +16.9% |
| 2003 | 3.08 million tonnes | +3.7% |
| 2004 | 3.05 million tonnes | -1.0% |
| 2005 | 3.18 million tonnes | +4.3% |
| 2006 | 3.03 million tonnes | -4.7% |
| 2007 | 2.96 million tonnes | -2.3% |
| 2008 | 3.20 million tonnes | +8.1% |
| 2009 | 3.44 million tonnes | +7.5% |
| 2010 | 3.80 million tonnes | +10.5% |
| 2011 | 3.89 million tonnes | +2.4% |
| 2012 | 3.92 million tonnes | +0.8% |
| 2013 | 3.96 million tonnes | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 4.23 million tonnes | +6.8% |
| 2015 | 4.19 million tonnes | -0.9% |
| 2016 | 4.17 million tonnes | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 4.36 million tonnes | +4.6% |
| 2018 | 4.21 million tonnes | -3.4% |
| 2019 | 3.98 million tonnes | -5.5% |
| 2020 | 3.91 million tonnes | -1.8% |
| 2021 | 3.76 million tonnes | -3.8% |
| 2022 | 3.72 million tonnes | -1.1% |
| 2023 | 3.83 million tonnes | +3.0% |
Afghanistan compared with similar countries
- Afghanistan's 3.83 million tonnes is below the median for low income countries, which is 5.66 million tonnes, 68% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Afghanistan's 3.83 million tonnes is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 1.59 million tonnes, 2.4× the median. (22 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.65 million tonnes | 2.31 million tonnes | 3.38 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.04 million tonnes | 2.54 million tonnes | 3.44 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.07 million tonnes | 3.80 million tonnes | 4.36 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.81 million tonnes | 3.72 million tonnes | 3.91 million tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Afghanistan
More climate change data for Afghanistan
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 79.22 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 23,854 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 5,965 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 17,889 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 22.51 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 638.89 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 2,345 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 1,090 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 1,255 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 4.11 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Afghanistan?
- Nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Afghanistan was 3.83 million tonnes in 2023, according to Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest nitrous oxide emissions by sector recorded in Afghanistan?
- The highest recorded value was 4.36 million tonnes in 2017.
- What is the lowest nitrous oxide emissions by sector recorded in Afghanistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.31 million tonnes in 1994.
- How does Afghanistan rank for nitrous oxide emissions by sector?
- Afghanistan ranks 80th out of 193 countries with data for 2023.
- Is nitrous oxide emissions by sector rising or falling in Afghanistan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Afghanistan data come from?
- The figures come from Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Nitrous oxide 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.