Nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Lesotho
Lesotho: Nitrous oxide emissions by sector was 420,000 tonnes in 2023. ▼ Falling
Nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Lesotho, 1990–2023
Source: Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
The most recent figure for nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Lesotho is 420,000 tonnes, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 28.8% on the previous year and down 17.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Lesotho peaked at 630,000 tonnes in 1999 and was at its lowest, 310,000 tonnes, in 2020.
Lesotho ranks 141st of 193 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
Nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 500,000 tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 490,000 tonnes | -2.0% |
| 1992 | 540,000 tonnes | +10.2% |
| 1993 | 530,000 tonnes | -1.9% |
| 1994 | 519,999 tonnes | -1.9% |
| 1995 | 490,000 tonnes | -5.8% |
| 1996 | 500,000 tonnes | +2.0% |
| 1997 | 530,000 tonnes | +6.0% |
| 1998 | 460,000 tonnes | -13.2% |
| 1999 | 630,000 tonnes | +37.0% |
| 2000 | 610,000 tonnes | -3.2% |
| 2001 | 610,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 530,000 tonnes | -13.1% |
| 2003 | 540,000 tonnes | +1.9% |
| 2004 | 500,000 tonnes | -7.4% |
| 2005 | 560,000 tonnes | +12.0% |
| 2006 | 550,000 tonnes | -1.8% |
| 2007 | 570,000 tonnes | +3.6% |
| 2008 | 519,999 tonnes | -8.8% |
| 2009 | 530,000 tonnes | +1.9% |
| 2010 | 519,999 tonnes | -1.9% |
| 2011 | 540,000 tonnes | +3.8% |
| 2012 | 530,000 tonnes | -1.9% |
| 2013 | 510,000 tonnes | -3.8% |
| 2014 | 500,000 tonnes | -2.0% |
| 2015 | 480,000 tonnes | -4.0% |
| 2016 | 460,000 tonnes | -4.2% |
| 2017 | 510,000 tonnes | +10.9% |
| 2018 | 480,000 tonnes | -5.9% |
| 2019 | 410,000 tonnes | -14.6% |
| 2020 | 310,000 tonnes | -24.4% |
| 2021 | 340,000 tonnes | +9.7% |
| 2022 | 590,000 tonnes | +73.5% |
| 2023 | 420,000 tonnes | -28.8% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 420,000 tonnes is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 3.15 million tonnes, 13% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 420,000 tonnes is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 4.80 million tonnes, 9% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Lesotho 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | +73.5% | 340,000 tonnes | 590,000 tonnes |
| 1999 | +37.0% | 460,000 tonnes | 630,000 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 519,000 tonnes | 460,000 tonnes | 630,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 552,000 tonnes | 500,000 tonnes | 610,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 494,000 tonnes | 410,000 tonnes | 540,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 415,000 tonnes | 310,000 tonnes | 590,000 tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
More climate change data for Lesotho
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 6.55 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 2,116 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 715.74 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 1,401 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 2.7 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 50.03 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 61.29 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 51.99 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 9.3 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 0.1962 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Lesotho?
- Nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Lesotho was 420,000 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 Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 630,000 tonnes in 1999.
- What is the lowest nitrous oxide emissions by sector recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 310,000 tonnes in 2020.
- How does Lesotho rank for nitrous oxide emissions by sector?
- Lesotho ranks 141st out of 193 countries with data for 2023.
- Is nitrous oxide emissions by sector rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 17.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Lesotho 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.