Nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Nitrous oxide emissions by sector was 1.66 million tonnes in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
1.66 million tonnes
Change on year
up 19.4%
World rank
110th
of 193 countries
All-time high
1.66 million tonnes
in 2023
All-time low
1.01 million tonnes
in 2002
Years of data
34
1990–2023
Nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Costa Rica, 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 Costa Rica stood at 1.66 million tonnes. That is the highest value across all 34 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 19.4% on the previous year and up 27.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Costa Rica peaked at 1.66 million tonnes in 2023 and was at its lowest, 1.01 million tonnes, in 2002.
That places Costa Rica 110th 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 Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 1.36 million tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 1.40 million tonnes | +2.9% |
| 1992 | 1.40 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 1.37 million tonnes | -2.1% |
| 1994 | 1.34 million tonnes | -2.2% |
| 1995 | 1.25 million tonnes | -6.7% |
| 1996 | 1.32 million tonnes | +5.6% |
| 1997 | 1.36 million tonnes | +3.0% |
| 1998 | 1.40 million tonnes | +2.9% |
| 1999 | 1.22 million tonnes | -12.9% |
| 2000 | 1.13 million tonnes | -7.4% |
| 2001 | 1.03 million tonnes | -8.8% |
| 2002 | 1.01 million tonnes | -1.9% |
| 2003 | 1.12 million tonnes | +10.9% |
| 2004 | 1.01 million tonnes | -9.8% |
| 2005 | 1.07 million tonnes | +5.9% |
| 2006 | 1.08 million tonnes | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 1.16 million tonnes | +7.4% |
| 2008 | 1.23 million tonnes | +6.0% |
| 2009 | 1.04 million tonnes | -15.4% |
| 2010 | 1.14 million tonnes | +9.6% |
| 2011 | 1.34 million tonnes | +17.5% |
| 2012 | 1.28 million tonnes | -4.5% |
| 2013 | 1.30 million tonnes | +1.6% |
| 2014 | 1.22 million tonnes | -6.2% |
| 2015 | 1.28 million tonnes | +4.9% |
| 2016 | 1.39 million tonnes | +8.6% |
| 2017 | 1.37 million tonnes | -1.4% |
| 2018 | 1.44 million tonnes | +5.1% |
| 2019 | 1.45 million tonnes | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 1.37 million tonnes | -5.5% |
| 2021 | 1.59 million tonnes | +16.1% |
| 2022 | 1.39 million tonnes | -12.6% |
| 2023 | 1.66 million tonnes | +19.4% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 1.66 million tonnes is below the median for high income countries, which is 1.79 million tonnes, 93% of the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 1.66 million tonnes is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 1.66 million tonnes, 1.0× the median. (33 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.34 million tonnes | 1.22 million tonnes | 1.40 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.09 million tonnes | 1.01 million tonnes | 1.23 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.32 million tonnes | 1.14 million tonnes | 1.45 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.50 million tonnes | 1.37 million tonnes | 1.66 million tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
More climate change data for Costa Rica
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 108.28 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 3,751 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 942.79 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 2,808 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 3.56 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 100.29 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 688.78 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 623.33 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 65.45 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 2.35 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Costa Rica?
- Nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Costa Rica was 1.66 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 Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 1.66 million tonnes in 2023.
- What is the lowest nitrous oxide emissions by sector recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.01 million tonnes in 2002.
- How does Costa Rica rank for nitrous oxide emissions by sector?
- Costa Rica ranks 110th out of 193 countries with data for 2023.
- Is nitrous oxide emissions by sector rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 27.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Costa Rica 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.