Per capita CO₂ emissions including land-use change in Malawi
Malawi: Per capita CO₂ emissions including land-use change was 0.5143 tonnes per person in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
0.5143 tonnes per person
Change on year
down 3.0%
World rank
182nd
of 194 countries
All-time high
9.3 tonnes per person
in 1964
All-time low
0.0641 tonnes per person
in 1993
Years of data
75
1950–2024
Per capita CO₂ emissions including land-use change 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 0.5143 tonnes per person for per capita co₂ emissions including land-use change in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.0% on the previous year and down 40.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, per capita co₂ emissions including land-use change in Malawi peaked at 9.3 tonnes per person in 1964 and was at its lowest, 0.0641 tonnes per person, in 1993.
That places Malawi 182nd out of 194 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Per capita CO₂ emissions including land-use change in Malawi, year by year
| Year | tonnes per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 6.53 tonnes per person | — |
| 1951 | 5.12 tonnes per person | -21.5% |
| 1952 | 4.45 tonnes per person | -13.2% |
| 1953 | 4 tonnes per person | -10.1% |
| 1954 | 3.67 tonnes per person | -8.1% |
| 1955 | 3.67 tonnes per person | -0.2% |
| 1956 | 3.51 tonnes per person | -4.3% |
| 1957 | 3.43 tonnes per person | -2.3% |
| 1958 | 3.83 tonnes per person | +11.7% |
| 1959 | 4.01 tonnes per person | +4.6% |
| 1960 | 5.39 tonnes per person | +34.6% |
| 1961 | 6.64 tonnes per person | +23.2% |
| 1962 | 6.58 tonnes per person | -0.9% |
| 1963 | 6.13 tonnes per person | -6.9% |
| 1964 | 9.3 tonnes per person | +51.8% |
| 1965 | 8.36 tonnes per person | -10.1% |
| 1966 | 5.51 tonnes per person | -34.1% |
| 1967 | 5.92 tonnes per person | +7.5% |
| 1968 | 5.62 tonnes per person | -5.2% |
| 1969 | 3.97 tonnes per person | -29.3% |
| 1970 | 5.67 tonnes per person | +42.8% |
| 1971 | 5.3 tonnes per person | -6.5% |
| 1972 | 4.81 tonnes per person | -9.2% |
| 1973 | 3.5 tonnes per person | -27.2% |
| 1974 | 2.44 tonnes per person | -30.3% |
| 1975 | 2.08 tonnes per person | -14.7% |
| 1976 | 1.82 tonnes per person | -12.6% |
| 1977 | 2.07 tonnes per person | +13.8% |
| 1978 | 1.6 tonnes per person | -22.6% |
| 1979 | 0.6964 tonnes per person | -56.6% |
| 1980 | 1.6 tonnes per person | +129.6% |
| 1981 | 2.05 tonnes per person | +28.3% |
| 1982 | 0.9665 tonnes per person | -52.9% |
| 1983 | 1.11 tonnes per person | +14.9% |
| 1984 | 0.9428 tonnes per person | -15.1% |
| 1985 | 1.61 tonnes per person | +71.2% |
| 1986 | 1.09 tonnes per person | -32.4% |
| 1987 | 0.8554 tonnes per person | -21.6% |
| 1988 | 1.06 tonnes per person | +23.4% |
| 1989 | 1.2 tonnes per person | +13.5% |
| 1990 | 1.6 tonnes per person | +33.1% |
| 1991 | 0.9884 tonnes per person | -38.0% |
| 1992 | 0.6687 tonnes per person | -32.3% |
| 1993 | 0.0641 tonnes per person | -90.4% |
| 1994 | 1.5 tonnes per person | +2231.9% |
| 1995 | 1.73 tonnes per person | +15.4% |
| 1996 | 1.57 tonnes per person | -9.1% |
| 1997 | 2.03 tonnes per person | +29.8% |
| 1998 | 2.2 tonnes per person | +8.2% |
| 1999 | 1.95 tonnes per person | -11.3% |
| 2000 | 1.92 tonnes per person | -1.8% |
| 2001 | 1.49 tonnes per person | -22.4% |
| 2002 | 1.85 tonnes per person | +24.1% |
| 2003 | 1.56 tonnes per person | -15.2% |
| 2004 | 2.05 tonnes per person | +31.2% |
| 2005 | 1.99 tonnes per person | -2.9% |
| 2006 | 1.56 tonnes per person | -21.7% |
| 2007 | 1.74 tonnes per person | +11.3% |
| 2008 | 1.58 tonnes per person | -9.1% |
| 2009 | 1.03 tonnes per person | -34.6% |
| 2010 | 0.8735 tonnes per person | -15.5% |
| 2011 | 0.7506 tonnes per person | -14.1% |
| 2012 | 0.7791 tonnes per person | +3.8% |
| 2013 | 0.9074 tonnes per person | +16.5% |
| 2014 | 0.8651 tonnes per person | -4.7% |
| 2015 | 0.8064 tonnes per person | -6.8% |
| 2016 | 0.7676 tonnes per person | -4.8% |
| 2017 | 0.7453 tonnes per person | -2.9% |
| 2018 | 0.7278 tonnes per person | -2.3% |
| 2019 | 0.695 tonnes per person | -4.5% |
| 2020 | 0.6921 tonnes per person | -0.4% |
| 2021 | 0.5377 tonnes per person | -22.3% |
| 2022 | 0.5405 tonnes per person | +0.5% |
| 2023 | 0.5304 tonnes per person | -1.9% |
| 2024 | 0.5143 tonnes per person | -3.0% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 0.5143 tonnes per person is below the median for low income countries, which is 1.11 tonnes per person, 46% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 0.5143 tonnes per person is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.42 tonnes per person, 36% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Per capita CO₂ emissions including land-use change 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | +2231.9% | 0.0641 tonnes per person | 1.5 tonnes per person |
| 1980 | +129.6% | 0.6964 tonnes per person | 1.6 tonnes per person |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 4.22 tonnes per person | 3.43 tonnes per person | 6.53 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 1960s | 6.34 tonnes per person | 3.97 tonnes per person | 9.3 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 1970s | 3 tonnes per person | 0.6964 tonnes per person | 5.67 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.25 tonnes per person | 0.8554 tonnes per person | 2.05 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.43 tonnes per person | 0.0641 tonnes per person | 2.2 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.68 tonnes per person | 1.03 tonnes per person | 2.05 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.7918 tonnes per person | 0.695 tonnes per person | 0.9074 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.563 tonnes per person | 0.5143 tonnes per person | 0.6921 tonnes per person | 5 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
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 including land-use change in Malawi?
- Per capita co₂ emissions including land-use change in Malawi was 0.5143 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 including land-use change recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 9.3 tonnes per person in 1964.
- What is the lowest per capita co₂ emissions including land-use change recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0641 tonnes per person in 1993.
- How does Malawi rank for per capita co₂ emissions including land-use change?
- Malawi ranks 182nd out of 194 countries with data for 2024.
- Is per capita co₂ emissions including land-use change rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 40.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- 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 including land-use change. 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), including land-use change, measured in tonnes per person.