Nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Congo
Congo: Nitrous oxide emissions by sector was 1.21 million tonnes in 2023. ▲ Rising
Nitrous oxide emissions by sector in 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 Congo stood at 1.21 million tonnes.
That represents a change of down 17.1% on the previous year and down 15.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Congo peaked at 1.46 million tonnes in 2022 and was at its lowest, 450,000 tonnes, in 2000.
That places Congo 121st 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 Congo, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 1.05 million tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 1.05 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 1.05 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 1.05 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 1.05 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 1.06 million tonnes | +1.0% |
| 1996 | 490,000 tonnes | -53.8% |
| 1997 | 510,000 tonnes | +4.1% |
| 1998 | 540,000 tonnes | +5.9% |
| 1999 | 540,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 450,000 tonnes | -16.7% |
| 2001 | 500,000 tonnes | +11.1% |
| 2002 | 710,000 tonnes | +42.0% |
| 2003 | 1.10 million tonnes | +54.9% |
| 2004 | 1.15 million tonnes | +4.5% |
| 2005 | 1.34 million tonnes | +16.5% |
| 2006 | 1.36 million tonnes | +1.5% |
| 2007 | 1.23 million tonnes | -9.6% |
| 2008 | 1.25 million tonnes | +1.6% |
| 2009 | 1.18 million tonnes | -5.6% |
| 2010 | 1.36 million tonnes | +15.3% |
| 2011 | 1.41 million tonnes | +3.7% |
| 2012 | 1.35 million tonnes | -4.3% |
| 2013 | 1.43 million tonnes | +5.9% |
| 2014 | 1.23 million tonnes | -14.0% |
| 2015 | 1.41 million tonnes | +14.6% |
| 2016 | 1.42 million tonnes | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 1.39 million tonnes | -2.1% |
| 2018 | 1.43 million tonnes | +2.9% |
| 2019 | 1.42 million tonnes | -0.7% |
| 2020 | 1.25 million tonnes | -12.0% |
| 2021 | 1.22 million tonnes | -2.4% |
| 2022 | 1.46 million tonnes | +19.7% |
| 2023 | 1.21 million tonnes | -17.1% |
Congo compared with similar countries
- Congo's 1.21 million tonnes is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 3.15 million tonnes, 38% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Congo's 1.21 million tonnes is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 4.80 million tonnes, 25% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Nitrous oxide emissions by sector in 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | -53.8% | 1.06 million tonnes | 490,000 tonnes |
| 2003 | +54.9% | 710,000 tonnes | 1.10 million tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 839,000 tonnes | 490,000 tonnes | 1.06 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.03 million tonnes | 450,000 tonnes | 1.36 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.39 million tonnes | 1.23 million tonnes | 1.43 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.28 million tonnes | 1.21 million tonnes | 1.46 million tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Congo
More climate change data for Congo
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 226,333 kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 762.73 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 278.7 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 484.03 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 1.05 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 17.29 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 13.23 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 6.62 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 6.61 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 0.025 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Congo?
- Nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Congo was 1.21 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 Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 1.46 million tonnes in 2022.
- What is the lowest nitrous oxide emissions by sector recorded in Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 450,000 tonnes in 2000.
- How does Congo rank for nitrous oxide emissions by sector?
- Congo ranks 121st out of 193 countries with data for 2023.
- Is nitrous oxide emissions by sector rising or falling in Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is down 15.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this 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.