Nitrous oxide emissions in Kenya
Kenya: Nitrous oxide emissions was 20.51 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
20.51 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
Change on year
down 0.6%
World rank
27th
of 201 countries
All-time high
21.98 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 2020
All-time low
317,308 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 1850
Years of data
175
1850–2024
Nitrous oxide emissions in Kenya, 1850–2024
Source: Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes of CO₂ equivalents.
Analysis
Kenya recorded 20.51 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents for nitrous oxide emissions in 2024.
The figure is down 0.6% on the previous year and up 29.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, nitrous oxide emissions in Kenya peaked at 21.98 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2020 and was at its lowest, 317,308 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents, in 1850.
Kenya ranks 27th of 201 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850s | 340,746 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 317,308 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 358,904 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1860s | 364,671 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 360,537 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 368,646 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1870s | 449,002 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 369,794 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 545,407 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1880s | 577,047 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 556,013 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 594,799 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1890s | 653,293 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 622,515 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 687,124 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1900s | 736,169 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 695,480 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 783,201 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1910s | 957,087 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 797,071 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.16 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1920s | 1.41 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.20 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.59 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1930s | 1.53 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.44 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.60 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1940s | 3.48 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.44 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5.85 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1950s | 5.13 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 4.10 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 6.00 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1960s | 4.84 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 4.06 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5.16 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1970s | 6.12 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5.52 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 7.33 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1980s | 8.18 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 6.71 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 9.58 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1990s | 9.45 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 9.03 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 9.82 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2000s | 11.52 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 9.20 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 15.45 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2010s | 16.38 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 15.25 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 19.14 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2020s | 20.53 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 19.74 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 21.98 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
- 24 Tanzania 26.18 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 25 Colombia 23.44 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 26 Egypt 22.81 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 28 South Africa 20.29 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 29 Ukraine 20.27 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 30 Thailand 20.06 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
More climate change data for Kenya
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 1.0% (2100)
- Population growth 1.9% (2025)
- Population, total 57.53 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 2.9% (2025)
- Urban population 18.53 million (2025)
- Urban population 32.2% (2025)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 0.3761 tonnes per person (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions 551.31 million tonnes (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita 0.3761 tonnes per person (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 0.3761 tonnes per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is nitrous oxide emissions in Kenya?
- Nitrous oxide emissions in Kenya was 20.51 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2024, according to Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest nitrous oxide emissions recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 21.98 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2020.
- What is the lowest nitrous oxide emissions recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 317,308 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 1850.
- How does Kenya rank for nitrous oxide emissions?
- Kenya ranks 27th out of 201 countries with data for 2024.
- Is nitrous oxide emissions rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is up 29.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Kenya data come from?
- The figures come from Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Nitrous oxide emissions. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 175 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Measured in tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalents over a 100-year timescale.