Per capita greenhouse gas emissions in Malawi
Malawi: Per capita greenhouse gas emissions was 1.15 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
1.15 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person
Change on year
down 5.3%
World rank
191st
of 199 countries
All-time high
6.45 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person
in 1964
All-time low
-0.5643 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person
in 1912
Years of data
175
1850–2024
Per capita greenhouse gas emissions in Malawi, 1850–2024
Source: Jones et al. (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 1.15 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person for per capita greenhouse gas emissions in 2024.
That represents a change of down 5.3% on the previous year and down 16.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, per capita greenhouse gas emissions in Malawi peaked at 6.45 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 1964 and was at its lowest, -0.5643 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person, in 1912.
That places Malawi 191st out of 199 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.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850s | 0.6743 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.4225 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.12 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1860s | 0.2727 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.1874 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.3854 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1870s | 0.1395 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.1268 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.1704 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1880s | 0.2087 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.1633 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.2292 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1890s | 0.0335 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.0806 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.198 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1900s | -0.2774 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.5427 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.1022 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1910s | -0.4322 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.5643 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.2861 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1920s | 1.17 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.1869 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.78 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1930s | 2.13 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.83 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 2.32 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1940s | 2.82 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 2.48 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 3.04 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1950s | 4.01 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 3.38 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 5.52 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1960s | 4.73 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 3.41 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 6.45 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1970s | 2.79 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.25 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 4.5 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.56 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.27 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 2.1 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.69 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.7093 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 2.29 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.9 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.47 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 2.19 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.31 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.23 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.39 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.22 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.15 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.34 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 5 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 188 Sao Tome and Principe 1.29 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 189 Uganda 1.28 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 190 Comoros 1.19 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 192 Gambia 1.06 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 193 Haiti 1.01 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 194 Afghanistan 0.9352 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
More climate change data for Malawi
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.6% (2100)
- Population growth 2.6% (2025)
- Population, total 22.22 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 4.4% (2025)
- Urban population 3.91 million (2025)
- Urban population 17.6% (2025)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 0.0869 tonnes per person (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions 57.56 million tonnes (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita 0.0869 tonnes per person (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 0.0869 tonnes per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is per capita greenhouse gas emissions in Malawi?
- Per capita greenhouse gas emissions in Malawi was 1.15 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 2024, according to Jones et al. (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest per capita greenhouse gas emissions recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 6.45 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 1964.
- What is the lowest per capita greenhouse gas emissions recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was -0.5643 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 1912.
- How does Malawi rank for per capita greenhouse gas emissions?
- Malawi ranks 191st out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is per capita greenhouse gas emissions rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from Jones et al. (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Per capita greenhouse gas emissions. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 175 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Greenhouse gas emissions are measured in tonnes per person of carbon dioxide-equivalents over a 100-year timescale.