Is per capita greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry rising or falling in Malawi?

Over the last ten years it is down 0.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.

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, excluding land use and forestry. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Per capita greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry in Malawi

Name: Per capita greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry in Malawi
Creator: Jones et al. (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

Malawi: Per capita greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry was 0.2806 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)

0.2806 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person

Change on year

down 1.6%

World rank

193rd

of 194 countries

All-time high

0.4 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person

in 1956

All-time low

0.0865 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person

in 1852

Years of data

175

1850–2024

Per capita greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry 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 0.2806 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person for per capita greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry in 2024.

The figure is down 1.6% on the previous year and down 0.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, per capita greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry in Malawi peaked at 0.4 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 1956 and was at its lowest, 0.0865 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person, in 1852.

That places Malawi 193rd out of 194 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 175 years of available data.

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1850s	0.0871 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person	0.0865 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person	0.0877 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person	10
1860s	0.0912 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person	0.0881 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person	0.094 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person	10
1870s	0.0984 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person	0.0946 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person	0.1025 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person	10
1880s	0.1056 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person	0.1032 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person	0.1081 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person	10
1890s	0.1142 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person	0.1083 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person	0.1209 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person	10
1900s	0.1409 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person	0.1227 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person	0.1589 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person	10
1910s	0.1853 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person	0.1575 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person	0.2124 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person	10
1920s	0.2223 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person	0.2143 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person	0.2329 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person	10
1930s	0.2513 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person	0.2355 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person	0.2641 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person	10
1940s	0.2738 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person	0.2645 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person	0.2782 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person	10
1950s	0.3818 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person	0.3653 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person	0.4 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person	10
1960s	0.3209 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person	0.293 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person	0.3683 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person	10
1970s	0.3072 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person	0.2899 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person	0.3176 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person	10
1980s	0.2526 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person	0.2316 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person	0.2948 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person	10
1990s	0.3314 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person	0.3233 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person	0.3373 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person	10
2000s	0.3092 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person	0.3007 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person	0.3323 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person	10
2010s	0.2883 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person	0.274 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person	0.2983 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person	10
2020s	0.2879 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person	0.2806 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person	0.3031 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person	5

Countries ranked near Malawi

190 Rwanda 0.3844 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
191 Afghanistan 0.3715 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
192 Burundi 0.2936 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
194 Niger 0.2484 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare

See the full ranking of 198 places →

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)

All data for Malawi →

Frequently asked questions

What is per capita greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry in Malawi?: Per capita greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry in Malawi was 0.2806 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, excluding land use and forestry recorded in Malawi?: The highest recorded value was 0.4 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 1956.
What is the lowest per capita greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry recorded in Malawi?: The lowest recorded value was 0.0865 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 1852.
How does Malawi rank for per capita greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry?: Malawi ranks 193rd out of 194 countries with data for 2024.
Is per capita greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry rising or falling in Malawi?: Over the last ten years it is down 0.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
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, excluding land use and forestry. 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

Indicator: Per capita greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry
Unit: tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person
Source: Jones et al. (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 198 places, 33,742 data points, 1850–2024
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

Greenhouse gas emissions are measured in tonnes per person of carbon dioxide-equivalents over a 100-year timescale.