Greenhouse gas emissions in Lesotho
Lesotho: Greenhouse gas emissions was 6.17 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
6.17 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
Change on year
down 1.3%
World rank
158th
of 199 countries
All-time high
9.04 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 2016
All-time low
157,865 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 1850
Years of data
175
1850–2024
Greenhouse gas emissions 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 greenhouse gas emissions in Lesotho is 6.17 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of down 1.3% on the previous year and up 61.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, greenhouse gas emissions in Lesotho peaked at 9.04 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2016 and was at its lowest, 157,865 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents, in 1850.
Lesotho ranks 158th of 199 countries on this measure, 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 | 189,417 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 157,865 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 209,933 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1860s | 236,465 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 214,970 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 256,162 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1870s | 316,311 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 267,507 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 360,771 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1880s | 384,942 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 365,364 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 401,032 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1890s | 453,687 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 413,185 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 491,323 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1900s | 637,996 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 527,788 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 762,942 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1910s | 849,715 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 748,377 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 934,880 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1920s | 1.25 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.02 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.47 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1930s | 2.30 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.69 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.73 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1940s | 2.35 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.25 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.48 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1950s | 2.78 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.56 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.11 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1960s | 2.15 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.72 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.07 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1970s | 2.15 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.47 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.89 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.38 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.72 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.39 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.17 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.89 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 4.76 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.49 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 4.09 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 6.79 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.16 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.83 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 9.04 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.45 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 6.05 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 7.23 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 155 Bhutan 7.39 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 156 Albania 6.71 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 157 Moldova 6.70 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 159 Suriname 5.64 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 160 Mauritius 5.44 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 161 Iceland 5.06 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 greenhouse gas emissions in Lesotho?
- Greenhouse gas emissions in Lesotho was 6.17 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 Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 9.04 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2016.
- What is the lowest greenhouse gas emissions recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 157,865 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 1850.
- How does Lesotho rank for greenhouse gas emissions?
- Lesotho ranks 158th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is greenhouse gas emissions rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 61.3%. 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 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.