Per capita CO₂ emissions from coal in Zambia
Zambia: Per capita CO₂ emissions from coal was 0.2815 tonnes per person in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
0.2815 tonnes per person
Change on year
down 0.7%
World rank
68th
of 179 countries
All-time high
1.45 tonnes per person
in 1956
All-time low
0.0109 tonnes per person
in 2006
Years of data
75
1950–2024
Per capita CO₂ emissions from coal in Zambia, 1950–2024
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
In 2024, per capita co₂ emissions from coal in Zambia stood at 0.2815 tonnes per person.
That represents a change of down 0.7% on the previous year and up 402.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, per capita co₂ emissions from coal in Zambia peaked at 1.45 tonnes per person in 1956 and was at its lowest, 0.0109 tonnes per person, in 2006.
That places Zambia 68th out of 179 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Per capita CO₂ emissions from coal in Zambia, year by year
| Year | tonnes per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 0.9524 tonnes per person | — |
| 1951 | 0.9998 tonnes per person | +5.0% |
| 1952 | 1.09 tonnes per person | +8.6% |
| 1953 | 1.14 tonnes per person | +5.1% |
| 1954 | 1.21 tonnes per person | +6.4% |
| 1955 | 1.39 tonnes per person | +14.6% |
| 1956 | 1.45 tonnes per person | +4.4% |
| 1957 | 1.44 tonnes per person | -0.5% |
| 1958 | 1.21 tonnes per person | -16.1% |
| 1959 | 1.35 tonnes per person | +11.0% |
| 1960 | 1.23 tonnes per person | -8.4% |
| 1961 | 1 tonnes per person | -18.9% |
| 1962 | 0.9259 tonnes per person | -7.4% |
| 1963 | 0.856 tonnes per person | -7.5% |
| 1964 | 0.7693 tonnes per person | -10.1% |
| 1965 | 0.8723 tonnes per person | +13.4% |
| 1966 | 0.7439 tonnes per person | -14.7% |
| 1967 | 0.9338 tonnes per person | +25.5% |
| 1968 | 0.8177 tonnes per person | -12.4% |
| 1969 | 0.6879 tonnes per person | -15.9% |
| 1970 | 0.5638 tonnes per person | -18.0% |
| 1971 | 0.4891 tonnes per person | -13.3% |
| 1972 | 0.5116 tonnes per person | +4.6% |
| 1973 | 0.478 tonnes per person | -6.6% |
| 1974 | 0.4101 tonnes per person | -14.2% |
| 1975 | 0.3723 tonnes per person | -9.2% |
| 1976 | 0.349 tonnes per person | -6.2% |
| 1977 | 0.2999 tonnes per person | -14.1% |
| 1978 | 0.2568 tonnes per person | -14.4% |
| 1979 | 0.2384 tonnes per person | -7.2% |
| 1980 | 0.233 tonnes per person | -2.3% |
| 1981 | 0.1892 tonnes per person | -18.8% |
| 1982 | 0.2188 tonnes per person | +15.6% |
| 1983 | 0.1585 tonnes per person | -27.6% |
| 1984 | 0.1715 tonnes per person | +8.2% |
| 1985 | 0.1632 tonnes per person | -4.8% |
| 1986 | 0.1752 tonnes per person | +7.3% |
| 1987 | 0.1425 tonnes per person | -18.7% |
| 1988 | 0.1871 tonnes per person | +31.3% |
| 1989 | 0.1154 tonnes per person | -38.3% |
| 1990 | 0.1068 tonnes per person | -7.4% |
| 1991 | 0.1051 tonnes per person | -1.6% |
| 1992 | 0.1066 tonnes per person | +1.5% |
| 1993 | 0.1054 tonnes per person | -1.1% |
| 1994 | 0.0978 tonnes per person | -7.2% |
| 1995 | 0.0375 tonnes per person | -61.6% |
| 1996 | 0.0468 tonnes per person | +24.7% |
| 1997 | 0.0524 tonnes per person | +12.1% |
| 1998 | 0.0487 tonnes per person | -7.2% |
| 1999 | 0.0286 tonnes per person | -41.3% |
| 2000 | 0.0289 tonnes per person | +1.1% |
| 2001 | 0.0291 tonnes per person | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 0.0286 tonnes per person | -1.8% |
| 2003 | 0.0294 tonnes per person | +2.8% |
| 2004 | 0.021 tonnes per person | -28.3% |
| 2005 | 0.0269 tonnes per person | +27.8% |
| 2006 | 0.0109 tonnes per person | -59.6% |
| 2007 | 0.0233 tonnes per person | +114.5% |
| 2008 | 0.0242 tonnes per person | +3.7% |
| 2009 | 0.0299 tonnes per person | +23.6% |
| 2010 | 0.0275 tonnes per person | -8.0% |
| 2011 | 0.0188 tonnes per person | -31.7% |
| 2012 | 0.0241 tonnes per person | +28.2% |
| 2013 | 0.0302 tonnes per person | +25.6% |
| 2014 | 0.056 tonnes per person | +85.2% |
| 2015 | 0.0579 tonnes per person | +3.4% |
| 2016 | 0.0572 tonnes per person | -1.2% |
| 2017 | 0.1441 tonnes per person | +152.0% |
| 2018 | 0.2216 tonnes per person | +53.8% |
| 2019 | 0.186 tonnes per person | -16.1% |
| 2020 | 0.2321 tonnes per person | +24.8% |
| 2021 | 0.1791 tonnes per person | -22.8% |
| 2022 | 0.2522 tonnes per person | +40.8% |
| 2023 | 0.2835 tonnes per person | +12.4% |
| 2024 | 0.2815 tonnes per person | -0.7% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 0.2815 tonnes per person is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.0262 tonnes per person, 10.7× the median. (40 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 0.2815 tonnes per person is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.0024 tonnes per person, 117.2× the median. (38 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Per capita CO₂ emissions from coal in Zambia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | +152.0% | 0.0572 tonnes per person | 0.1441 tonnes per person |
| 2007 | +114.5% | 0.0109 tonnes per person | 0.0233 tonnes per person |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 1.22 tonnes per person | 0.9524 tonnes per person | 1.45 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.884 tonnes per person | 0.6879 tonnes per person | 1.23 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.3969 tonnes per person | 0.2384 tonnes per person | 0.5638 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.1754 tonnes per person | 0.1154 tonnes per person | 0.233 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.0736 tonnes per person | 0.0286 tonnes per person | 0.1068 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.0252 tonnes per person | 0.0109 tonnes per person | 0.0299 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.0823 tonnes per person | 0.0188 tonnes per person | 0.2216 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.2457 tonnes per person | 0.1791 tonnes per person | 0.2835 tonnes per person | 5 |
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 per capita co₂ emissions from coal in Zambia?
- Per capita co₂ emissions from coal in Zambia was 0.2815 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 from coal recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 1.45 tonnes per person in 1956.
- What is the lowest per capita co₂ emissions from coal recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0109 tonnes per person in 2006.
- How does Zambia rank for per capita co₂ emissions from coal?
- Zambia ranks 68th out of 179 countries with data for 2024.
- Is per capita co₂ emissions from coal rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 402.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Zambia 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 from coal. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 75 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.