Per capita CO₂ emissions by sector in Lesotho
Lesotho: Per capita CO₂ emissions by sector was 60.57 kilograms per person in 2023. ▲ Rising
Per capita CO₂ emissions by sector in Lesotho, 1990–2023
Source: Climate Watch (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in kilograms per person.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 60.57 kilograms per person for per capita co₂ emissions by sector in 2023.
The figure is down 59.3% on the previous year and up 13.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, per capita co₂ emissions by sector in Lesotho peaked at 148.72 kilograms per person in 2022 and was at its lowest, 45.77 kilograms per person, in 2008.
That places Lesotho 133rd out of 187 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Per capita CO₂ emissions by sector in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | kilograms per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 49.73 kilograms per person | — |
| 1991 | 48.85 kilograms per person | -1.8% |
| 1992 | 48.04 kilograms per person | -1.6% |
| 1993 | 52.58 kilograms per person | +9.4% |
| 1994 | 51.88 kilograms per person | -1.3% |
| 1995 | 51.24 kilograms per person | -1.2% |
| 1996 | 50.7 kilograms per person | -1.1% |
| 1997 | 55.33 kilograms per person | +9.1% |
| 1998 | 55.05 kilograms per person | -0.5% |
| 1999 | 54.91 kilograms per person | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 54.89 kilograms per person | -0.0% |
| 2001 | 54.98 kilograms per person | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 60.16 kilograms per person | +9.4% |
| 2003 | 60.45 kilograms per person | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 65.95 kilograms per person | +9.1% |
| 2005 | 51.2 kilograms per person | -22.4% |
| 2006 | 56.55 kilograms per person | +10.5% |
| 2007 | 56.32 kilograms per person | -0.4% |
| 2008 | 45.77 kilograms per person | -18.7% |
| 2009 | 65.63 kilograms per person | +43.4% |
| 2010 | 60.11 kilograms per person | -8.4% |
| 2011 | 59.58 kilograms per person | -0.9% |
| 2012 | 54.07 kilograms per person | -9.3% |
| 2013 | 53.49 kilograms per person | -1.1% |
| 2014 | 48.07 kilograms per person | -10.1% |
| 2015 | 47.51 kilograms per person | -1.2% |
| 2016 | 51.63 kilograms per person | +8.7% |
| 2017 | 55.63 kilograms per person | +7.7% |
| 2018 | 54.95 kilograms per person | -1.2% |
| 2019 | 54.31 kilograms per person | -1.2% |
| 2020 | 71.57 kilograms per person | +31.8% |
| 2021 | 66.33 kilograms per person | -7.3% |
| 2022 | 148.72 kilograms per person | +124.2% |
| 2023 | 60.57 kilograms per person | -59.3% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 60.57 kilograms per person is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 53.95 kilograms per person, 1.1× the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 60.57 kilograms per person is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 18.63 kilograms per person, 3.3× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Per capita CO₂ emissions by sector 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | +124.2% | 66.33 kilograms per person | 148.72 kilograms per person |
| 2023 | -59.3% | 148.72 kilograms per person | 60.57 kilograms per person |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 51.83 kilograms per person | 48.04 kilograms per person | 55.33 kilograms per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 57.19 kilograms per person | 45.77 kilograms per person | 65.95 kilograms per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 53.94 kilograms per person | 47.51 kilograms per person | 60.11 kilograms per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 86.8 kilograms per person | 60.57 kilograms per person | 148.72 kilograms per person | 4 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
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 sector in Lesotho?
- Per capita co₂ emissions by sector in Lesotho was 60.57 kilograms per person in 2023, according to Climate Watch (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest per capita co₂ emissions by sector recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 148.72 kilograms per person in 2022.
- What is the lowest per capita co₂ emissions by sector recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 45.77 kilograms per person in 2008.
- How does Lesotho rank for per capita co₂ emissions by sector?
- Lesotho ranks 133rd out of 187 countries with data for 2023.
- Is per capita co₂ emissions by sector rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from Climate Watch (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Per capita CO₂ emissions by sector. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Emissions are measured in kilograms per person.