Per capita CO₂ emissions by source in Lesotho
Lesotho: Per capita CO₂ emissions by source was 0.702 tonnes per person in 2024. ▲ Rising
Per capita CO₂ emissions by source in Lesotho, 1990–2024
Source: Global Carbon Budget (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes per person.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 0.702 tonnes per person for per capita co₂ emissions by source in 2024.
The figure is up 3.3% on the previous year and down 12.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, per capita co₂ emissions by source in Lesotho peaked at 1.1 tonnes per person in 2011 and was at its lowest, 0.6047 tonnes per person, in 2020.
Lesotho ranks 47th of 179 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Per capita CO₂ emissions by source in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | tonnes per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 0.6312 tonnes per person | — |
| 1991 | 0.6483 tonnes per person | +2.7% |
| 1992 | 0.665 tonnes per person | +2.6% |
| 1993 | 0.6762 tonnes per person | +1.7% |
| 1994 | 0.6881 tonnes per person | +1.7% |
| 1995 | 0.6928 tonnes per person | +0.7% |
| 1996 | 0.6988 tonnes per person | +0.9% |
| 1997 | 0.7062 tonnes per person | +1.1% |
| 1998 | 0.717 tonnes per person | +1.5% |
| 1999 | 0.7243 tonnes per person | +1.0% |
| 2000 | 0.7347 tonnes per person | +1.4% |
| 2001 | 0.7453 tonnes per person | +1.5% |
| 2002 | 0.7601 tonnes per person | +2.0% |
| 2003 | 0.7771 tonnes per person | +2.2% |
| 2004 | 0.7974 tonnes per person | +2.6% |
| 2005 | 0.8179 tonnes per person | +2.6% |
| 2006 | 0.8349 tonnes per person | +2.1% |
| 2007 | 0.846 tonnes per person | +1.3% |
| 2008 | 0.8552 tonnes per person | +1.1% |
| 2009 | 0.8638 tonnes per person | +1.0% |
| 2010 | 0.8773 tonnes per person | +1.6% |
| 2011 | 1.1 tonnes per person | +25.1% |
| 2012 | 1.08 tonnes per person | -1.5% |
| 2013 | 0.7447 tonnes per person | -31.1% |
| 2014 | 0.8032 tonnes per person | +7.9% |
| 2015 | 0.6807 tonnes per person | -15.3% |
| 2016 | 0.6467 tonnes per person | -5.0% |
| 2017 | 0.7576 tonnes per person | +17.1% |
| 2018 | 0.6779 tonnes per person | -10.5% |
| 2019 | 0.6655 tonnes per person | -1.8% |
| 2020 | 0.6047 tonnes per person | -9.1% |
| 2021 | 1.06 tonnes per person | +75.5% |
| 2022 | 0.7164 tonnes per person | -32.5% |
| 2023 | 0.6795 tonnes per person | -5.2% |
| 2024 | 0.702 tonnes per person | +3.3% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 0.702 tonnes per person is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.0262 tonnes per person, 26.8× the median. (40 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 0.702 tonnes per person is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.0024 tonnes per person, 292.3× the median. (38 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Per capita CO₂ emissions by source 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | +75.5% | 0.6047 tonnes per person | 1.06 tonnes per person |
| 2022 | -32.5% | 1.06 tonnes per person | 0.7164 tonnes per person |
| 2013 | -31.1% | 1.08 tonnes per person | 0.7447 tonnes per person |
| 2011 | +25.1% | 0.8773 tonnes per person | 1.1 tonnes per person |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.6848 tonnes per person | 0.6312 tonnes per person | 0.7243 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.8032 tonnes per person | 0.7347 tonnes per person | 0.8638 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.8032 tonnes per person | 0.6467 tonnes per person | 1.1 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.7528 tonnes per person | 0.6047 tonnes per person | 1.06 tonnes per person | 5 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 44 Philippines 0.7954 tonnes per person compare
- 45 Kyrgyzstan 0.7886 tonnes per person compare
- 46 Canada 0.7215 tonnes per person compare
- 48 Dominican Republic 0.6966 tonnes per person compare
- 49 Norway 0.6906 tonnes per person compare
- 50 Sweden 0.6171 tonnes per person compare
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 per capita co₂ emissions by source in Lesotho?
- Per capita co₂ emissions by source in Lesotho was 0.702 tonnes per person in 2024, according to Global Carbon Budget (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest per capita co₂ emissions by source recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 1.1 tonnes per person in 2011.
- What is the lowest per capita co₂ emissions by source recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.6047 tonnes per person in 2020.
- How does Lesotho rank for per capita co₂ emissions by source?
- Lesotho ranks 47th out of 179 countries with data for 2024.
- Is per capita co₂ emissions by source rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from Global Carbon Budget (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Per capita CO₂ emissions by source. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Annual emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from coal, measured in tonnes per person.