Nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Kenya
Kenya: Nitrous oxide emissions by sector was 17.09 million tonnes in 2023. ▲ Rising
Nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Kenya, 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 Kenya stood at 17.09 million tonnes.
That represents a change of up 10.5% on the previous year and up 24.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Kenya peaked at 19.55 million tonnes in 2020 and was at its lowest, 7.81 million tonnes, in 1997.
Kenya ranks 27th of 193 countries on this measure, 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 Kenya, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 8.74 million tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 8.41 million tonnes | -3.8% |
| 1992 | 8.36 million tonnes | -0.6% |
| 1993 | 8.26 million tonnes | -1.2% |
| 1994 | 8.36 million tonnes | +1.2% |
| 1995 | 8.21 million tonnes | -1.8% |
| 1996 | 7.86 million tonnes | -4.3% |
| 1997 | 7.81 million tonnes | -0.6% |
| 1998 | 8.08 million tonnes | +3.5% |
| 1999 | 8.49 million tonnes | +5.1% |
| 2000 | 7.84 million tonnes | -7.7% |
| 2001 | 7.89 million tonnes | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 8.16 million tonnes | +3.4% |
| 2003 | 8.74 million tonnes | +7.1% |
| 2004 | 9.16 million tonnes | +4.8% |
| 2005 | 9.05 million tonnes | -1.2% |
| 2006 | 8.68 million tonnes | -4.1% |
| 2007 | 13.74 million tonnes | +58.3% |
| 2008 | 13.74 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 13.30 million tonnes | -3.2% |
| 2010 | 13.43 million tonnes | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 13.87 million tonnes | +3.3% |
| 2012 | 13.90 million tonnes | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 13.74 million tonnes | -1.2% |
| 2014 | 13.86 million tonnes | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 13.76 million tonnes | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 15.09 million tonnes | +9.7% |
| 2017 | 14.15 million tonnes | -6.2% |
| 2018 | 14.60 million tonnes | +3.2% |
| 2019 | 16.81 million tonnes | +15.1% |
| 2020 | 19.55 million tonnes | +16.3% |
| 2021 | 17.35 million tonnes | -11.3% |
| 2022 | 15.46 million tonnes | -10.9% |
| 2023 | 17.09 million tonnes | +10.5% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 17.09 million tonnes is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 3.15 million tonnes, 5.4× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 17.09 million tonnes is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 4.80 million tonnes, 3.6× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Kenya 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | +58.3% | 8.68 million tonnes | 13.74 million tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 8.26 million tonnes | 7.81 million tonnes | 8.74 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 10.03 million tonnes | 7.84 million tonnes | 13.74 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.32 million tonnes | 13.43 million tonnes | 16.81 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 17.36 million tonnes | 15.46 million tonnes | 19.55 million tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
More climate change data for Kenya
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 276.34 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 50,641 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 16,186 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 34,454 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 61.08 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 1,231 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 2,372 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 2,116 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 255.67 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 7.99 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Kenya?
- Nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Kenya was 17.09 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 Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 19.55 million tonnes in 2020.
- What is the lowest nitrous oxide emissions by sector recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.81 million tonnes in 1997.
- How does Kenya rank for nitrous oxide emissions by sector?
- Kenya ranks 27th out of 193 countries with data for 2023.
- Is nitrous oxide emissions by sector rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is up 24.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Kenya 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.