Nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Ghana
Ghana: Nitrous oxide emissions by sector was 4.67 million tonnes in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
4.67 million tonnes
Change on year
down 7.0%
World rank
71st
of 193 countries
All-time high
5.02 million tonnes
in 2022
All-time low
2.71 million tonnes
in 1990
Years of data
34
1990–2023
Nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Ghana, 1990–2023
Source: Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
Ghana recorded 4.67 million tonnes for nitrous oxide emissions by sector in 2023.
The figure is down 7.0% on the previous year and up 15.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Ghana peaked at 5.02 million tonnes in 2022 and was at its lowest, 2.71 million tonnes, in 1990.
That places Ghana 71st 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 Ghana, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 2.71 million tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 2.78 million tonnes | +2.6% |
| 1992 | 2.75 million tonnes | -1.1% |
| 1993 | 2.77 million tonnes | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 2.75 million tonnes | -0.7% |
| 1995 | 2.78 million tonnes | +1.1% |
| 1996 | 3.12 million tonnes | +12.2% |
| 1997 | 3.16 million tonnes | +1.3% |
| 1998 | 3.66 million tonnes | +15.8% |
| 1999 | 3.12 million tonnes | -14.8% |
| 2000 | 3.68 million tonnes | +17.9% |
| 2001 | 2.91 million tonnes | -20.9% |
| 2002 | 2.82 million tonnes | -3.1% |
| 2003 | 3.18 million tonnes | +12.8% |
| 2004 | 2.92 million tonnes | -8.2% |
| 2005 | 3.73 million tonnes | +27.7% |
| 2006 | 3.63 million tonnes | -2.7% |
| 2007 | 3.42 million tonnes | -5.8% |
| 2008 | 3.42 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 3.28 million tonnes | -4.1% |
| 2010 | 3.49 million tonnes | +6.4% |
| 2011 | 3.82 million tonnes | +9.5% |
| 2012 | 3.69 million tonnes | -3.4% |
| 2013 | 4.04 million tonnes | +9.5% |
| 2014 | 3.93 million tonnes | -2.7% |
| 2015 | 4.13 million tonnes | +5.1% |
| 2016 | 4.11 million tonnes | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 4.40 million tonnes | +7.1% |
| 2018 | 4.25 million tonnes | -3.4% |
| 2019 | 4.35 million tonnes | +2.4% |
| 2020 | 5.01 million tonnes | +15.2% |
| 2021 | 4.44 million tonnes | -11.4% |
| 2022 | 5.02 million tonnes | +13.1% |
| 2023 | 4.67 million tonnes | -7.0% |
Ghana compared with similar countries
- Ghana's 4.67 million tonnes is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 3.15 million tonnes, 1.5× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Ghana's 4.67 million tonnes is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 4.80 million tonnes, 97% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.96 million tonnes | 2.71 million tonnes | 3.66 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.30 million tonnes | 2.82 million tonnes | 3.73 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.02 million tonnes | 3.49 million tonnes | 4.40 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.79 million tonnes | 4.44 million tonnes | 5.02 million tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
More climate change data for Ghana
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 63.84 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 6,671 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 2,693 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 3,979 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 10.16 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 142.09 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 1,417 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 670.16 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 746.8 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 2.53 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Ghana?
- Nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Ghana was 4.67 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 Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 5.02 million tonnes in 2022.
- What is the lowest nitrous oxide emissions by sector recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.71 million tonnes in 1990.
- How does Ghana rank for nitrous oxide emissions by sector?
- Ghana ranks 71st out of 193 countries with data for 2023.
- Is nitrous oxide emissions by sector rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ghana 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.