Total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry in Lesotho
Lesotho: Total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry was 3.42 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
3.42 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
Change on year
up 2.1%
World rank
157th
of 198 countries
All-time high
3.95 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 2021
All-time low
35,144 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 1850
Years of data
175
1850–2024
Total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry in Lesotho, 1850–2024
Source: Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes of CO₂ equivalents.
Analysis
The most recent figure for total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry in Lesotho is 3.42 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.1% on the previous year and up 9.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry in Lesotho peaked at 3.95 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2021 and was at its lowest, 35,144 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents, in 1850.
That places Lesotho 157th out of 198 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 | 37,416 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 35,144 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 39,661 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1860s | 42,764 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 40,141 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 45,436 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1870s | 50,200 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 46,049 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 54,646 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1880s | 59,475 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 55,504 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 63,469 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1890s | 71,013 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 65,315 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 76,519 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1900s | 89,094 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 77,731 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 101,884 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1910s | 121,454 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 104,852 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 138,706 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1920s | 161,066 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 142,806 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 178,915 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1930s | 209,321 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 183,049 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 239,219 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1940s | 275,616 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 246,710 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 306,652 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1950s | 334,449 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 313,778 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 353,563 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1960s | 378,624 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 356,490 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 403,054 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1970s | 429,565 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 412,709 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 452,526 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1980s | 496,761 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 461,946 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 522,574 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.39 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.15 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.62 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.84 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.66 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.11 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.16 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.89 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.68 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.40 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.86 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.95 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 154 Suriname 3.52 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 155 Liberia 3.48 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 156 Bahamas 3.44 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 158 Central African Republic 3.26 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 159 Montenegro 2.79 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 160 Maldives 2.54 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
More climate change data for Lesotho
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.0% (2100)
- Population growth 1.1% (2025)
- Population, total 2.36 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 3.3% (2025)
- Urban population 1.06 million (2025)
- Urban population 44.7% (2025)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 1.1 tonnes per person (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions 72.33 million tonnes (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita 1.1 tonnes per person (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 1.1 tonnes per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry in Lesotho?
- Total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry in Lesotho was 3.42 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2024, according to Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 3.95 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2021.
- What is the lowest total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 35,144 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 1850.
- How does Lesotho rank for total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry?
- Lesotho ranks 157th out of 198 countries with data for 2024.
- Is total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Total 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
Greenhouse gas emissions are measured in tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalents over a 100-year timescale.