Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF was 103.0% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1991–2024
Source: EDGAR (Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research) Community GHG Database, Joint Research Centre (JRC) - European Commission. Measured in % change from 1990.
Analysis
Sub-Saharan Africa recorded 103.0% for nitrous oxide (n2o) emissions (total) excluding lulucf in 2024. That is the highest value across all 34 years on record.
The figure is up 4.8% on the previous year and up 58.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, nitrous oxide (n2o) emissions (total) excluding lulucf in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 103.0% in 2024 and was at its lowest, -0.9%, in 1991.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa 12th out of 45 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | % change from 1990 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | -0.9% | — |
| 1992 | 3.7% | -502.4% |
| 1993 | 5.9% | +60.3% |
| 1994 | 5.6% | -5.3% |
| 1995 | 7.3% | +32.1% |
| 1996 | 12.0% | +63.6% |
| 1997 | 6.7% | -44.3% |
| 1998 | 16.1% | +141.3% |
| 1999 | 17.9% | +11.1% |
| 2000 | 19.5% | +8.9% |
| 2001 | 22.4% | +15.0% |
| 2002 | 21.4% | -4.7% |
| 2003 | 25.5% | +19.1% |
| 2004 | 27.8% | +9.3% |
| 2005 | 32.9% | +18.1% |
| 2006 | 32.8% | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 39.1% | +19.1% |
| 2008 | 43.8% | +12.1% |
| 2009 | 45.5% | +3.8% |
| 2010 | 51.5% | +13.2% |
| 2011 | 54.5% | +5.9% |
| 2012 | 58.6% | +7.5% |
| 2013 | 63.1% | +7.6% |
| 2014 | 65.2% | +3.4% |
| 2015 | 68.2% | +4.6% |
| 2016 | 74.2% | +8.8% |
| 2017 | 76.8% | +3.5% |
| 2018 | 78.8% | +2.6% |
| 2019 | 84.2% | +6.9% |
| 2020 | 89.1% | +5.8% |
| 2021 | 91.8% | +3.0% |
| 2022 | 95.4% | +3.9% |
| 2023 | 98.3% | +3.0% |
| 2024 | 103.0% | +4.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 8.3% | -0.9% | 17.9% | 9 |
| 2000s | 31.1% | 19.5% | 45.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 67.5% | 51.5% | 84.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 95.5% | 89.1% | 103.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
More environment data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -7.11 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -6.36 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.223 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.21 °C (2025)
- Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 305.43 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Capture fisheries production 8.80 million metric tons (2024)
- Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 2.29 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from Transport (Energy) 2.96 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Aquaculture production 904,662 metric tons (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is nitrous oxide (n2o) emissions (total) excluding lulucf in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Nitrous oxide (n2o) emissions (total) excluding lulucf in Sub-Saharan Africa was 103.0% in 2024, according to EDGAR (Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research) Community GHG Database, Joint Research Centre (JRC) - European Commission.
- What is the highest nitrous oxide (n2o) emissions (total) excluding lulucf recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 103.0% in 2024.
- What is the lowest nitrous oxide (n2o) emissions (total) excluding lulucf recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was -0.9% in 1991.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for nitrous oxide (n2o) emissions (total) excluding lulucf?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 12th out of 45 groups with data for 2024.
- Is nitrous oxide (n2o) emissions (total) excluding lulucf rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 58.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa data come from?
- The figures come from EDGAR (Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research) Community GHG Database, Joint Research Centre (JRC) - European Commission, published as part of Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF (% change from 1990). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Change of emissions (as %) of current year with respect to emissions in baseline year 1990 emissions of nitrous oxide (N2O), one of the six Kyoto greenhouse gases (GHG), from the agriculture, energy, waste, and industrial sectors, excluding LULUCF.. The measure is standardized to carbon dioxide equivalent values using the Global Warming Potential (GWP) factors of IPCC's 5th Assessment Report (AR5). Negative values indicate that the emission level for that year is lower than the emissions level in 1990.