CO2 emissions from fossil-fuels, total in Africa

Africa: CO2 emissions from fossil-fuels, total was 1.22 million thousand metric tons in 2009. ▲ Rising

Latest (2009)
1.22 million thousand metric tons
Change on year
up 2.7%
Rank
1st
of 6 groups
All-time high
1.22 million thousand metric tons
in 2009
All-time low
154,981 thousand metric tons
in 1960
Years of data
50
1960–2009

CO2 emissions from fossil-fuels, total in Africa, 1960–2009

250.0k500.0k750.0k1.0M1.2M196019842009

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site. Measured in thousand metric tons.

Analysis

Africa recorded 1.22 million thousand metric tons for co2 emissions from fossil-fuels, total in 2009. That is the highest value across all 50 years on record.

That represents a change of up 2.7% on the previous year and up 44.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, co2 emissions from fossil-fuels, total in Africa peaked at 1.22 million thousand metric tons in 2009 and was at its lowest, 154,981 thousand metric tons, in 1960.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 50 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 208,993 thousand metric tons 154,981 thousand metric tons 283,178 thousand metric tons 10
1970s 402,572 thousand metric tons 308,339 thousand metric tons 507,692 thousand metric tons 10
1980s 646,334 thousand metric tons 543,653 thousand metric tons 739,422 thousand metric tons 10
1990s 776,173 thousand metric tons 700,726 thousand metric tons 846,697 thousand metric tons 10
2000s 1.04 million thousand metric tons 883,507 thousand metric tons 1.22 million thousand metric tons 10

Countries ranked near Africa

  1. 1 South Africa 499,016 thousand metric tons compare
  2. 2 Egypt 216,137 thousand metric tons compare
  3. 3 Algeria 121,312 thousand metric tons compare
  4. 4 Nigeria 70,234 thousand metric tons compare

See the full ranking of 57 places →

More environment data for Africa

All data for Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is co2 emissions from fossil-fuels, total in Africa?
Co2 emissions from fossil-fuels, total in Africa was 1.22 million thousand metric tons in 2009, according to Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site.
What is the highest co2 emissions from fossil-fuels, total recorded in Africa?
The highest recorded value was 1.22 million thousand metric tons in 2009.
What is the lowest co2 emissions from fossil-fuels, total recorded in Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 154,981 thousand metric tons in 1960.
How does Africa rank for co2 emissions from fossil-fuels, total?
Africa ranks 1st out of 6 groups with data for 2009.
Is co2 emissions from fossil-fuels, total rising or falling in Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 44.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Africa data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site, published as part of CO2 emissions from fossil-fuels, total (thousand metric tons). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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CO2 emissions from fossil-fuels, total in Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site. Retrieved 22 August 2026, from https://environment.statizoid.com/stat/co2-emissions-from-fossil-fuels-total-thousand-metric-tons/africa/

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About this data

Indicator
CO2 emissions from fossil-fuels, total (thousand metric tons)
Unit
thousand metric tons
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
57 places, 2,749 data points, 1960–2009
Last refreshed

Fossil fuel is any hydrocarbon deposit that can be burned for heat or power, such as petroleum, coal, and natural gas. This is the sum total of all fossil fuel emissions (solid fuel consumption, liquid fuel consumption, gas fuel consumption, cement production and gas flaring). The U.S. Department of Energy’s carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center (CDIAC) calculates annual anthropogenic emissions from data on fossil fuel consumption (from the United Nations Statistics Division’s World Energy Data Set) and world cement manufacturing (from the U.S. Bureau of Mine’s Cement Manufacturing Data Set). Carbon dioxide emissions, often calculated and reported as elemental carbon, were converted to actual carbon dioxide mass by multiplying them by 3.664 (the ratio of the mass of carbon to that of carbon dioxide). Although estimates of global carbon dioxide emissions are probably accurate within 10 percent (as calculated from global average file chemistry and use), country estimates may have larger error bounds. Trends estimated from a consistent time series tend to be more accurate than individual values. Each year the CDIAC recalculates the entire time series since 1949, incorporating recent findings and corrections. Estimates exclude fuels supplied to ships and aircraft in international transport because of the difficulty of apportioning he fuels among benefitting countries. The ratio of carbon dioxide per unit of energy shows carbon intensity, which is the amount of carbon dioxide emitted as a result of using one unit of energy in the process of production.