Greenhouse gas emissions in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Greenhouse gas emissions was 680.71 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
680.71 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
Change on year
down 2.6%
World rank
11th
of 199 countries
All-time high
917.24 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 2011
All-time low
-19.73 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 1911
Years of data
175
1850–2024
Greenhouse gas emissions in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1850–2024
Source: Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes of CO₂ equivalents.
Analysis
In 2024, greenhouse gas emissions in Democratic Republic of Congo stood at 680.71 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents.
That represents a change of down 2.6% on the previous year and down 13.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, greenhouse gas emissions in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 917.24 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2011 and was at its lowest, -19.73 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents, in 1911.
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 11th of 199 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
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 | 14.67 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 11.08 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 27.32 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1860s | 40.84 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 21.83 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 51.94 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1870s | 66.92 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 54.41 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 76.53 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1880s | 50.54 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 45.07 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 63.52 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1890s | 10.07 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | -1.02 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 28.75 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1900s | -11.30 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | -18.62 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | -2.72 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1910s | -19.19 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | -19.73 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | -17.67 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1920s | 44.68 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 11.61 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 67.08 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1930s | 82.42 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 71.25 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 92.84 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1940s | 141.85 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 111.54 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 165.06 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1950s | 260.67 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 189.58 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 325.78 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1960s | 206.39 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 138.14 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 450.39 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1970s | 130.60 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 123.26 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 146.00 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1980s | 145.00 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 137.82 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 149.03 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1990s | 200.81 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 157.19 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 252.43 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2000s | 302.25 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 220.43 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 692.65 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2010s | 758.25 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 571.67 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 917.24 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2020s | 700.50 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 603.28 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 771.66 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
- 8 Japan 1.01 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 9 Saudi Arabia 821.84 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 10 Canada 802.73 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 12 Turkey 680.01 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 13 Germany 659.65 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 14 Mexico 635.72 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
More climate change data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 4.2% (2100)
- Population growth 3.2% (2025)
- Population, total 112.83 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 4.0% (2025)
- Urban population 50.90 million (2025)
- Urban population 45.1% (2025)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 0.054 tonnes per person (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions 238.70 million tonnes (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita 0.054 tonnes per person (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 0.054 tonnes per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is greenhouse gas emissions in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Greenhouse gas emissions in Democratic Republic of Congo was 680.71 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 greenhouse gas emissions recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 917.24 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2011.
- What is the lowest greenhouse gas emissions recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was -19.73 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 1911.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for greenhouse gas emissions?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 11th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is greenhouse gas emissions rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo data come from?
- The figures come from Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of 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 of carbon dioxide-equivalents over a 100-year timescale.