Top ten African countries' contribution to CO2 emission from fossil fuel (2023)

Key takeaways:

  • Economic development in Africa often relies heavily on carbon-intensive energy sources.
  • Emissions by South Africa were more than twice Algeria's.
  • The top four countries have been the highest contributors to carbon emissions in the past four years.
  • Sixty-nine percent of carbon emissions in Africa in 2023 were from the top four African countries.

A few countries contribute the most to CO2 emissions in Africa. In 2023, South Africa ranked the first and largest emitter of CO2 emissions, contributing over 400 million metric tonnes. Egypt follows closely with 269 million metric tonnes, while Algeria contributes 178 million metric tonnes. Nigeria was the fourth highest contributor, with 128 million metric tonnes. These top four nations contribute the largest portion of Africa’s carbon emissions. Countries such as Morocco, Libya, and Tunisia also contribute substantially to global emissions. These contributions reflect the continent's heavy reliance on fossil fuels for energy.

Source:

Global Carbon Budget (2024) - with major processing by Our World in Data

Period:

2023
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