Nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Nitrous oxide emissions by sector was 1.02 million tonnes in 2023. ▲ Rising
Nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Sierra Leone, 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 Sierra Leone is 1.02 million tonnes, measured in 2023.
The figure is down 3.8% on the previous year and up 1.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Sierra Leone peaked at 1.11 million tonnes in 2015 and was at its lowest, 360,000 tonnes, in 2000.
Sierra Leone ranks 125th of 193 countries on this measure, 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 Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 570,000 tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 560,000 tonnes | -1.8% |
| 1992 | 580,000 tonnes | +3.6% |
| 1993 | 590,000 tonnes | +1.7% |
| 1994 | 600,000 tonnes | +1.7% |
| 1995 | 590,000 tonnes | -1.7% |
| 1996 | 430,000 tonnes | -27.1% |
| 1997 | 420,000 tonnes | -2.3% |
| 1998 | 400,000 tonnes | -4.8% |
| 1999 | 380,000 tonnes | -5.0% |
| 2000 | 360,000 tonnes | -5.3% |
| 2001 | 370,000 tonnes | +2.8% |
| 2002 | 420,000 tonnes | +13.5% |
| 2003 | 580,000 tonnes | +38.1% |
| 2004 | 650,000 tonnes | +12.1% |
| 2005 | 650,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 970,000 tonnes | +49.2% |
| 2007 | 880,000 tonnes | -9.3% |
| 2008 | 720,000 tonnes | -18.2% |
| 2009 | 800,000 tonnes | +11.1% |
| 2010 | 740,000 tonnes | -7.5% |
| 2011 | 830,000 tonnes | +12.2% |
| 2012 | 1.03 million tonnes | +24.1% |
| 2013 | 1.01 million tonnes | -1.9% |
| 2014 | 1.05 million tonnes | +4.0% |
| 2015 | 1.11 million tonnes | +5.7% |
| 2016 | 1.03 million tonnes | -7.2% |
| 2017 | 1.02 million tonnes | -1.0% |
| 2018 | 990,000 tonnes | -2.9% |
| 2019 | 940,000 tonnes | -5.1% |
| 2020 | 970,000 tonnes | +3.2% |
| 2021 | 1.09 million tonnes | +12.4% |
| 2022 | 1.06 million tonnes | -2.8% |
| 2023 | 1.02 million tonnes | -3.8% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 1.02 million tonnes is below the median for low income countries, which is 5.66 million tonnes, 18% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 1.02 million tonnes is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 4.80 million tonnes, 21% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Sierra Leone 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | +49.2% | 650,000 tonnes | 970,000 tonnes |
| 2003 | +38.1% | 420,000 tonnes | 580,000 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 512,000 tonnes | 380,000 tonnes | 600,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 640,000 tonnes | 360,000 tonnes | 970,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 975,000 tonnes | 740,000 tonnes | 1.11 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.03 million tonnes | 970,000 tonnes | 1.09 million tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
More climate change data for Sierra Leone
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 3.65 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 1,547 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 538.77 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 1,008 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 2.03 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 36.02 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 1,431 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 201.66 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 1,229 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 0.761 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Sierra Leone?
- Nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Sierra Leone was 1.02 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 Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 1.11 million tonnes in 2015.
- What is the lowest nitrous oxide emissions by sector recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 360,000 tonnes in 2000.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for nitrous oxide emissions by sector?
- Sierra Leone ranks 125th out of 193 countries with data for 2023.
- Is nitrous oxide emissions by sector rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sierra Leone 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.