Per capita CO₂ emissions by fuel type in Malawi
Malawi: Per capita CO₂ emissions by fuel type was 0.0676 tonnes per person in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
0.0676 tonnes per person
Change on year
down 0.8%
World rank
211th
of 213 countries
All-time high
0.0822 tonnes per person
in 1979
All-time low
0.0151 tonnes per person
in 1950
Years of data
75
1950–2024
Per capita CO₂ emissions by fuel type in Malawi, 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
Malawi recorded 0.0676 tonnes per person for per capita co₂ emissions by fuel type in 2024.
That represents a change of down 0.8% on the previous year and up 57.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, per capita co₂ emissions by fuel type in Malawi peaked at 0.0822 tonnes per person in 1979 and was at its lowest, 0.0151 tonnes per person, in 1950.
That places Malawi 211th out of 213 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 75 years of available data.
Per capita CO₂ emissions by fuel type in Malawi, year by year
| Year | tonnes per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 0.0151 tonnes per person | — |
| 1951 | 0.0216 tonnes per person | +43.6% |
| 1952 | 0.0241 tonnes per person | +11.2% |
| 1953 | 0.0266 tonnes per person | +10.5% |
| 1954 | 0.0288 tonnes per person | +8.2% |
| 1955 | 0.0322 tonnes per person | +11.9% |
| 1956 | 0.0385 tonnes per person | +19.6% |
| 1957 | 0.0386 tonnes per person | +0.3% |
| 1958 | 0.0401 tonnes per person | +4.0% |
| 1959 | 0.04 tonnes per person | -0.4% |
| 1960 | 0.0395 tonnes per person | -1.2% |
| 1961 | 0.038 tonnes per person | -3.9% |
| 1962 | 0.0383 tonnes per person | +0.9% |
| 1963 | 0.0373 tonnes per person | -2.7% |
| 1964 | 0.0376 tonnes per person | +0.8% |
| 1965 | 0.0376 tonnes per person | -0.0% |
| 1966 | 0.0471 tonnes per person | +25.5% |
| 1967 | 0.0468 tonnes per person | -0.6% |
| 1968 | 0.0527 tonnes per person | +12.5% |
| 1969 | 0.0573 tonnes per person | +8.8% |
| 1970 | 0.0656 tonnes per person | +14.6% |
| 1971 | 0.0733 tonnes per person | +11.6% |
| 1972 | 0.0757 tonnes per person | +3.3% |
| 1973 | 0.0757 tonnes per person | -0.0% |
| 1974 | 0.0713 tonnes per person | -5.8% |
| 1975 | 0.0644 tonnes per person | -9.6% |
| 1976 | 0.0687 tonnes per person | +6.5% |
| 1977 | 0.0783 tonnes per person | +14.1% |
| 1978 | 0.0812 tonnes per person | +3.7% |
| 1979 | 0.0822 tonnes per person | +1.3% |
| 1980 | 0.0789 tonnes per person | -3.9% |
| 1981 | 0.0671 tonnes per person | -15.0% |
| 1982 | 0.06 tonnes per person | -10.5% |
| 1983 | 0.0598 tonnes per person | -0.4% |
| 1984 | 0.056 tonnes per person | -6.3% |
| 1985 | 0.0578 tonnes per person | +3.3% |
| 1986 | 0.0561 tonnes per person | -3.0% |
| 1987 | 0.0526 tonnes per person | -6.2% |
| 1988 | 0.0532 tonnes per person | +1.1% |
| 1989 | 0.0543 tonnes per person | +2.2% |
| 1990 | 0.0541 tonnes per person | -0.3% |
| 1991 | 0.0581 tonnes per person | +7.3% |
| 1992 | 0.0564 tonnes per person | -2.9% |
| 1993 | 0.0631 tonnes per person | +11.8% |
| 1994 | 0.066 tonnes per person | +4.6% |
| 1995 | 0.0664 tonnes per person | +0.7% |
| 1996 | 0.0658 tonnes per person | -0.9% |
| 1997 | 0.0649 tonnes per person | -1.5% |
| 1998 | 0.0635 tonnes per person | -2.1% |
| 1999 | 0.0633 tonnes per person | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 0.056 tonnes per person | -11.6% |
| 2001 | 0.0515 tonnes per person | -8.0% |
| 2002 | 0.0524 tonnes per person | +1.8% |
| 2003 | 0.0547 tonnes per person | +4.4% |
| 2004 | 0.0563 tonnes per person | +2.8% |
| 2005 | 0.0528 tonnes per person | -6.2% |
| 2006 | 0.0522 tonnes per person | -1.1% |
| 2007 | 0.0545 tonnes per person | +4.3% |
| 2008 | 0.0606 tonnes per person | +11.2% |
| 2009 | 0.0601 tonnes per person | -0.7% |
| 2010 | 0.0531 tonnes per person | -11.6% |
| 2011 | 0.0528 tonnes per person | -0.6% |
| 2012 | 0.0525 tonnes per person | -0.6% |
| 2013 | 0.0528 tonnes per person | +0.7% |
| 2014 | 0.043 tonnes per person | -18.6% |
| 2015 | 0.0457 tonnes per person | +6.3% |
| 2016 | 0.0525 tonnes per person | +15.0% |
| 2017 | 0.0512 tonnes per person | -2.6% |
| 2018 | 0.0744 tonnes per person | +45.3% |
| 2019 | 0.0721 tonnes per person | -3.1% |
| 2020 | 0.0732 tonnes per person | +1.5% |
| 2021 | 0.0656 tonnes per person | -10.4% |
| 2022 | 0.0686 tonnes per person | +4.6% |
| 2023 | 0.0682 tonnes per person | -0.6% |
| 2024 | 0.0676 tonnes per person | -0.8% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 0.0676 tonnes per person is below the median for low income countries, which is 0.1204 tonnes per person, 56% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 0.0676 tonnes per person is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.2671 tonnes per person, 25% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Per capita CO₂ emissions by fuel type in Malawi 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | +45.3% | 0.0512 tonnes per person | 0.0744 tonnes per person |
| 1951 | +43.6% | 0.0151 tonnes per person | 0.0216 tonnes per person |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 0.0306 tonnes per person | 0.0151 tonnes per person | 0.0401 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.0432 tonnes per person | 0.0373 tonnes per person | 0.0573 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.0736 tonnes per person | 0.0644 tonnes per person | 0.0822 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.0596 tonnes per person | 0.0526 tonnes per person | 0.0789 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.0622 tonnes per person | 0.0541 tonnes per person | 0.0664 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.0551 tonnes per person | 0.0515 tonnes per person | 0.0606 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.055 tonnes per person | 0.043 tonnes per person | 0.0744 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.0686 tonnes per person | 0.0656 tonnes per person | 0.0732 tonnes per person | 5 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 208 Ethiopia 0.0908 tonnes per person compare
- 209 Central African Republic 0.074 tonnes per person compare
- 210 Somalia 0.0694 tonnes per person compare
- 212 Burundi 0.0614 tonnes per person compare
- 213 Democratic Republic of Congo 0.0443 tonnes per person compare
More climate change data for Malawi
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 415.04 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 4,106 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 1,605 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 2,501 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 6.06 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 89.31 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 3,185 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 2,819 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 366.56 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 10.64 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is per capita co₂ emissions by fuel type in Malawi?
- Per capita co₂ emissions by fuel type in Malawi was 0.0676 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 fuel type recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 0.0822 tonnes per person in 1979.
- What is the lowest per capita co₂ emissions by fuel type recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0151 tonnes per person in 1950.
- How does Malawi rank for per capita co₂ emissions by fuel type?
- Malawi ranks 211th out of 213 countries with data for 2024.
- Is per capita co₂ emissions by fuel type rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 57.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malawi 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 fuel type. 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 oil, measured in tonnes per person.