Total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry was 4.24 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
4.24 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
Change on year
up 1.3%
World rank
151st
of 198 countries
All-time high
4.24 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 2022
All-time low
162,710 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 1850
Years of data
175
1850–2024
Total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry in Sierra Leone, 1850–2024
Source: Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes of CO₂ equivalents.
Analysis
Sierra Leone recorded 4.24 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents for total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.3% on the previous year and up 10.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry in Sierra Leone peaked at 4.24 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2022 and was at its lowest, 162,710 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents, in 1850.
That places Sierra Leone 151st 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 | 164,161 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 162,710 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 165,520 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1860s | 167,683 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 165,780 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 169,582 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1870s | 173,292 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 170,008 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 176,891 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1880s | 179,801 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 177,505 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 182,035 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1890s | 190,576 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 183,370 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 213,351 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1900s | 281,008 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 230,325 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 311,980 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1910s | 342,084 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 318,402 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 371,730 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1920s | 421,996 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 378,760 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 467,946 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1930s | 536,815 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 478,945 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 598,358 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1940s | 654,799 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 606,768 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 711,856 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1950s | 984,074 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 845,160 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.21 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1960s | 1.31 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.15 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.00 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.61 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.46 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.80 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.71 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.59 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.84 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.07 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.89 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.30 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.80 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.46 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.04 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.63 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.08 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.88 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.17 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.98 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 4.24 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
- 148 Rwanda 5.48 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 149 Mauritius 5.31 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 150 Namibia 5.22 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 152 Burundi 4.12 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 153 Iceland 4.12 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 154 Suriname 3.52 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
More climate change data for Sierra Leone
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.2% (2100)
- Population growth 2.0% (2025)
- Population, total 8.82 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 3.3% (2025)
- Urban population 4.05 million (2025)
- Urban population 45.9% (2025)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 0.166 tonnes per person (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions 42.62 million tonnes (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita 0.166 tonnes per person (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 0.166 tonnes per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry in Sierra Leone?
- Total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry in Sierra Leone was 4.24 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 Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 4.24 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2022.
- What is the lowest total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 162,710 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 1850.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry?
- Sierra Leone ranks 151st out of 198 countries with data for 2024.
- Is total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sierra Leone 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.