Total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry in Zambia
Zambia: Total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry was 21.60 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
21.60 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
Change on year
up 2.2%
World rank
101st
of 198 countries
All-time high
21.60 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 2024
All-time low
205,624 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 1850
Years of data
175
1850–2024
Total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry in Zambia, 1850–2024
Source: Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes of CO₂ equivalents.
Analysis
In 2024, total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry in Zambia stood at 21.60 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents. That is the highest value across all 175 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.2% on the previous year and up 69.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry in Zambia peaked at 21.60 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2024 and was at its lowest, 205,624 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents, in 1850.
Zambia ranks 101st of 198 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
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 | 208,802 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 205,624 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 211,813 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1860s | 217,469 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 212,406 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 223,810 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1870s | 235,240 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 225,378 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 245,977 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1880s | 257,525 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 248,126 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 267,253 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1890s | 283,068 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 270,514 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 296,476 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1900s | 329,968 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 299,728 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 363,334 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1910s | 425,042 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 371,558 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 482,748 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1920s | 572,170 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 497,059 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 653,793 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1930s | 854,113 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 674,152 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.08 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1940s | 1.37 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.13 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.59 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1950s | 5.45 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.96 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 6.61 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1960s | 6.45 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5.68 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 7.55 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1970s | 7.19 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 6.66 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 7.76 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1980s | 7.17 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 6.88 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 7.57 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1990s | 7.09 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 6.85 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 7.49 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2000s | 8.11 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 7.15 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 9.46 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2010s | 13.33 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 9.88 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 17.45 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2020s | 19.97 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 18.12 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 21.60 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
- 98 Bosnia and Herzegovina 24.59 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 99 Cameroon 23.76 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 100 Congo 22.75 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 102 Croatia 21.44 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 103 Zimbabwe 20.77 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 104 Lebanon 19.83 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
More climate change data for Zambia
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.6% (2100)
- Population growth 2.8% (2025)
- Population, total 21.91 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 3.7% (2025)
- Urban population 10.06 million (2025)
- Urban population 45.9% (2025)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 0.565 tonnes per person (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions 300.84 million tonnes (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita 0.565 tonnes per person (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 0.565 tonnes per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry in Zambia?
- Total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry in Zambia was 21.60 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 Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 21.60 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2024.
- What is the lowest total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 205,624 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 1850.
- How does Zambia rank for total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry?
- Zambia ranks 101st out of 198 countries with data for 2024.
- Is total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 69.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Zambia 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.