Nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Zambia
Zambia: Nitrous oxide emissions by sector was 11.30 million tonnes in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
11.30 million tonnes
Change on year
down 2.4%
World rank
41st
of 193 countries
All-time high
11.58 million tonnes
in 2022
All-time low
8.11 million tonnes
in 2000
Years of data
34
1990–2023
Nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Zambia, 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 Zambia stood at 11.30 million tonnes.
That represents a change of down 2.4% on the previous year and up 0.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Zambia peaked at 11.58 million tonnes in 2022 and was at its lowest, 8.11 million tonnes, in 2000.
That places Zambia 41st out of 193 countries with data for 2023, putting it 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 Zambia, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 9.17 million tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 9.24 million tonnes | +0.8% |
| 1992 | 9.32 million tonnes | +0.9% |
| 1993 | 9.30 million tonnes | -0.2% |
| 1994 | 9.09 million tonnes | -2.3% |
| 1995 | 8.98 million tonnes | -1.2% |
| 1996 | 8.41 million tonnes | -6.3% |
| 1997 | 8.42 million tonnes | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 9.16 million tonnes | +8.8% |
| 1999 | 8.47 million tonnes | -7.5% |
| 2000 | 8.11 million tonnes | -4.3% |
| 2001 | 8.23 million tonnes | +1.5% |
| 2002 | 9.40 million tonnes | +14.2% |
| 2003 | 10.27 million tonnes | +9.3% |
| 2004 | 10.20 million tonnes | -0.7% |
| 2005 | 10.64 million tonnes | +4.3% |
| 2006 | 9.60 million tonnes | -9.8% |
| 2007 | 10.00 million tonnes | +4.2% |
| 2008 | 10.04 million tonnes | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 9.25 million tonnes | -7.9% |
| 2010 | 10.18 million tonnes | +10.1% |
| 2011 | 9.94 million tonnes | -2.4% |
| 2012 | 10.91 million tonnes | +9.8% |
| 2013 | 11.23 million tonnes | +2.9% |
| 2014 | 10.89 million tonnes | -3.0% |
| 2015 | 11.17 million tonnes | +2.6% |
| 2016 | 11.12 million tonnes | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 10.53 million tonnes | -5.3% |
| 2018 | 10.33 million tonnes | -1.9% |
| 2019 | 10.90 million tonnes | +5.5% |
| 2020 | 10.61 million tonnes | -2.7% |
| 2021 | 10.65 million tonnes | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 11.58 million tonnes | +8.7% |
| 2023 | 11.30 million tonnes | -2.4% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 11.30 million tonnes is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 3.15 million tonnes, 3.6× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 11.30 million tonnes is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 4.80 million tonnes, 2.4× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 8.96 million tonnes | 8.41 million tonnes | 9.32 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 9.57 million tonnes | 8.11 million tonnes | 10.64 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.72 million tonnes | 9.94 million tonnes | 11.23 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.04 million tonnes | 10.61 million tonnes | 11.58 million tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
More climate change data for Zambia
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 303.19 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 7,547 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 2,795 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 4,752 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 10.55 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 169.71 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 2,153 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 2,033 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 120.21 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 7.67 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Zambia?
- Nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Zambia was 11.30 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 Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 11.58 million tonnes in 2022.
- What is the lowest nitrous oxide emissions by sector recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.11 million tonnes in 2000.
- How does Zambia rank for nitrous oxide emissions by sector?
- Zambia ranks 41st out of 193 countries with data for 2023.
- Is nitrous oxide emissions by sector rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zambia 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.