Greenhouse gas emissions in Rwanda
Rwanda: Greenhouse gas emissions was 9.72 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
9.72 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
Change on year
down 0.1%
World rank
147th
of 199 countries
All-time high
13.52 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 1978
All-time low
805,837 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 1909
Years of data
175
1850–2024
Greenhouse gas emissions in Rwanda, 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 Rwanda stood at 9.72 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.1% on the previous year and up 15.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, greenhouse gas emissions in Rwanda peaked at 13.52 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 1978 and was at its lowest, 805,837 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents, in 1909.
That places Rwanda 147th out of 199 countries with data for 2024, putting it 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 | 1.29 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.23 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.45 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1860s | 1.24 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.23 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.25 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1870s | 1.31 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.26 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.37 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1880s | 1.50 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.42 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.63 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1890s | 1.19 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.03 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.43 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1900s | 890,709 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 805,837 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.00 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1910s | 914,145 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 821,655 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.01 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1920s | 2.09 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.36 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.66 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1930s | 3.18 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.81 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.51 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1940s | 4.45 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.74 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5.05 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1950s | 6.98 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5.64 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 8.06 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1960s | 8.01 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 7.21 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 8.97 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1970s | 12.48 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10.77 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 13.52 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1980s | 10.28 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 6.53 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 13.48 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1990s | 6.69 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 4.79 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10.20 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2000s | 7.66 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 6.70 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 9.68 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.58 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 8.02 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 9.24 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.95 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 9.72 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10.45 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5 |
Countries ranked near Rwanda
- 144 Eritrea 10.42 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 145 Armenia 10.31 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 146 El Salvador 9.87 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 148 Burundi 9.70 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 149 Cyprus 9.49 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 150 Jamaica 9.09 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
More climate change data for Rwanda
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.3% (2100)
- Population growth 2.2% (2025)
- Population, total 14.57 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 5.6% (2025)
- Urban population 4.50 million (2025)
- Urban population 30.9% (2025)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 0.1426 tonnes per person (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions 37.32 million tonnes (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita 0.1426 tonnes per person (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 0.1426 tonnes per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is greenhouse gas emissions in Rwanda?
- Greenhouse gas emissions in Rwanda was 9.72 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 Rwanda?
- The highest recorded value was 13.52 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 1978.
- What is the lowest greenhouse gas emissions recorded in Rwanda?
- The lowest recorded value was 805,837 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 1909.
- How does Rwanda rank for greenhouse gas emissions?
- Rwanda ranks 147th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is greenhouse gas emissions rising or falling in Rwanda?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Rwanda 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.