Nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Nigeria
Nigeria: Nitrous oxide emissions by sector was 27.44 million tonnes in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
27.44 million tonnes
Change on year
down 1.5%
World rank
15th
of 193 countries
All-time high
29.50 million tonnes
in 2020
All-time low
14.38 million tonnes
in 1990
Years of data
34
1990–2023
Nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Nigeria, 1990–2023
Source: Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
Nigeria recorded 27.44 million tonnes for nitrous oxide emissions by sector in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.5% on the previous year and up 13.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Nigeria peaked at 29.50 million tonnes in 2020 and was at its lowest, 14.38 million tonnes, in 1990.
That places Nigeria 15th out of 193 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 14.38 million tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 14.61 million tonnes | +1.6% |
| 1992 | 14.85 million tonnes | +1.6% |
| 1993 | 15.34 million tonnes | +3.3% |
| 1994 | 15.58 million tonnes | +1.6% |
| 1995 | 15.61 million tonnes | +0.2% |
| 1996 | 16.52 million tonnes | +5.8% |
| 1997 | 16.99 million tonnes | +2.8% |
| 1998 | 18.31 million tonnes | +7.8% |
| 1999 | 18.43 million tonnes | +0.7% |
| 2000 | 18.62 million tonnes | +1.0% |
| 2001 | 18.39 million tonnes | -1.2% |
| 2002 | 18.59 million tonnes | +1.1% |
| 2003 | 19.44 million tonnes | +4.6% |
| 2004 | 19.49 million tonnes | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 21.20 million tonnes | +8.8% |
| 2006 | 21.06 million tonnes | -0.7% |
| 2007 | 20.50 million tonnes | -2.7% |
| 2008 | 20.91 million tonnes | +2.0% |
| 2009 | 20.24 million tonnes | -3.2% |
| 2010 | 21.99 million tonnes | +8.6% |
| 2011 | 22.67 million tonnes | +3.1% |
| 2012 | 23.43 million tonnes | +3.4% |
| 2013 | 24.14 million tonnes | +3.0% |
| 2014 | 24.49 million tonnes | +1.4% |
| 2015 | 24.48 million tonnes | -0.0% |
| 2016 | 26.18 million tonnes | +6.9% |
| 2017 | 27.07 million tonnes | +3.4% |
| 2018 | 27.31 million tonnes | +0.9% |
| 2019 | 27.96 million tonnes | +2.4% |
| 2020 | 29.50 million tonnes | +5.5% |
| 2021 | 29.04 million tonnes | -1.6% |
| 2022 | 27.85 million tonnes | -4.1% |
| 2023 | 27.44 million tonnes | -1.5% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 27.44 million tonnes is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 3.15 million tonnes, 8.7× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 27.44 million tonnes is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 4.80 million tonnes, 5.7× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 16.06 million tonnes | 14.38 million tonnes | 18.43 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 19.84 million tonnes | 18.39 million tonnes | 21.20 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 24.97 million tonnes | 21.99 million tonnes | 27.96 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 28.46 million tonnes | 27.44 million tonnes | 29.50 million tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
More climate change data for Nigeria
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 608.40 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 66,810 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 24,814 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 41,996 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 93.64 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 1,500 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 22,614 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 7,292 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 15,322 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 27.52 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Nigeria?
- Nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Nigeria was 27.44 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 Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 29.50 million tonnes in 2020.
- What is the lowest nitrous oxide emissions by sector recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.38 million tonnes in 1990.
- How does Nigeria rank for nitrous oxide emissions by sector?
- Nigeria ranks 15th out of 193 countries with data for 2023.
- Is nitrous oxide emissions by sector rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nigeria 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.