Nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Nitrous oxide emissions by sector was 12.16 million tonnes in 2023. ▲ Rising
Nitrous oxide 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
In 2023, nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Democratic Republic of Congo stood at 12.16 million tonnes.
That represents a change of down 4.1% on the previous year and up 2.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 12.83 million tonnes in 2006 and was at its lowest, 7.99 million tonnes, in 2000.
That places Democratic Republic of Congo 36th 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.
Nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 11.38 million tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 11.31 million tonnes | -0.6% |
| 1992 | 11.35 million tonnes | +0.4% |
| 1993 | 11.32 million tonnes | -0.3% |
| 1994 | 11.32 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 11.25 million tonnes | -0.6% |
| 1996 | 8.76 million tonnes | -22.1% |
| 1997 | 8.54 million tonnes | -2.5% |
| 1998 | 8.98 million tonnes | +5.2% |
| 1999 | 8.16 million tonnes | -9.1% |
| 2000 | 7.99 million tonnes | -2.1% |
| 2001 | 8.57 million tonnes | +7.3% |
| 2002 | 10.89 million tonnes | +27.1% |
| 2003 | 11.95 million tonnes | +9.7% |
| 2004 | 12.82 million tonnes | +7.3% |
| 2005 | 12.52 million tonnes | -2.3% |
| 2006 | 12.83 million tonnes | +2.5% |
| 2007 | 11.27 million tonnes | -12.2% |
| 2008 | 11.89 million tonnes | +5.5% |
| 2009 | 11.79 million tonnes | -0.8% |
| 2010 | 12.31 million tonnes | +4.4% |
| 2011 | 11.53 million tonnes | -6.3% |
| 2012 | 11.23 million tonnes | -2.6% |
| 2013 | 11.92 million tonnes | +6.1% |
| 2014 | 11.57 million tonnes | -2.9% |
| 2015 | 12.05 million tonnes | +4.1% |
| 2016 | 12.09 million tonnes | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 12.41 million tonnes | +2.6% |
| 2018 | 11.72 million tonnes | -5.6% |
| 2019 | 12.05 million tonnes | +2.8% |
| 2020 | 12.20 million tonnes | +1.2% |
| 2021 | 12.40 million tonnes | +1.6% |
| 2022 | 12.68 million tonnes | +2.3% |
| 2023 | 12.16 million tonnes | -4.1% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 12.16 million tonnes is above the median for low income countries, which is 5.66 million tonnes, 2.1× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 12.16 million tonnes is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 4.80 million tonnes, 2.5× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Nitrous oxide 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | +27.1% | 8.57 million tonnes | 10.89 million tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 10.24 million tonnes | 8.16 million tonnes | 11.38 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 11.25 million tonnes | 7.99 million tonnes | 12.83 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 11.89 million tonnes | 11.23 million tonnes | 12.41 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 12.36 million tonnes | 12.16 million tonnes | 12.68 million 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 nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Democratic Republic of Congo was 12.16 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 Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 12.83 million tonnes in 2006.
- What is the lowest nitrous oxide emissions by sector recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.99 million tonnes in 2000.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for nitrous oxide emissions by sector?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 36th out of 193 countries with data for 2023.
- Is nitrous oxide emissions by sector rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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 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.