In this article, we will look into the 25 countries with the lowest per-capita carbon emissions. If you want to skip our detailed analysis, you can go directly to the 5Countries with the Lowest Per-Capita Carbon Emissions.
A Slowdown in Carbon Emissions
According to a recent report by IEA, the growth of carbon dioxide emissions slowed down in 2023. It witnessed a slight increase of 1.1% in 2023, up by 410 million tonnes from 2022 levels. The total CO2 emissions reached 37.4 billion tonnes in 2023. In 2022, the gain was 490 million tonnes from the previous year. Clean energy technologies such as solar panels, wind turbines, nuclear power, and electric vehicles have a huge role in the slowdown of emissions. The IEA estimated that green technologies prevented a massive surge in carbon dioxide emissions. Without clean technologies, the emissions would have been 3 times higher than they were in the past five years. More than 40% of the carbon emissions from energy were a result of droughts in China, India, the US, and countries and territories that cut hydroelectric output and used conventional energy sources for utilities. Energy-related carbon emissions increased in China and India in 2023. However, advanced economies witnessed a record decline as their economies grew. The emissions in these economies declined to a 50-year low. This decline was driven by the drop in coal demand to levels not witnessed since the early 1900s. Energy carbon emissions declined by 4.1% in the US, driven by the bulk reduction of emissions from the electricity sector. You can also take a look at some of the top countries with the most carbon dioxide emissions per capita.
Clean Energy: A Step Towards Carbon Neutrality
On December 2, Reuters reported that many governments launched new initiatives to strengthen clean energy and cut down GHG emissions at the 28th Conference of Parties on Climate Change (COP 28). 118 governments committed to triple the global renewable energy capacity by 2030 at the conference, as a step toward cutting down fossil fuel share in global energy production to cut down emissions.
Some of the major companies working on clean energy systems include NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE), Iberdrola, S.A. (OTC:IBDRY), and Vestas Wind Systems A/S (OTC:VWDRY). Let's discuss them in detail below.
NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE) is a leading clean energy company, specializing in solar and wind energy. The company has a net capacity of nearly 59,500 MW. Its carbon dioxide emissions rate is 53% below the national level. The Fortune 200 company has business in the US and Canada. It bolsters clean energy transition through innovation and infrastructure investments. On February 8, the power utility subsidiary of NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE), Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) announced that it had completed its first-ever clean hydrogen pilot project called the Cavendish NextGen Hydrogen Hub in Florida. The new project will produce clean hydrogen by utilizing solar power. The produced clean hydrogen will be blended with natural gas to investigate its potential application, as an affordable and clean energy source. This signifies the company's efforts to provide innovative clean energy solutions to support carbon neutrality.
Another major clean energy company providing sustainable solutions is Europe's leading renewable energy company, Iberdrola, S.A. (OTC:IBDRY). It is one of the biggest wind energy companies in the world. On March 14, the company announced that it had partnered with FCC Ámbito to establish large-scale recycling of photovoltaic panels. The company aims to reach 100% recyclability and potentially reutilize materials in the production of new panels, promoting circularity. This partnership signifies Iberdrola, S.A.'s (OTC:IBDRY) commitment to sustainable energy and circular economy.
Vestas Wind Systems A/S (OTC:VWDRY) is a major renewable energy company, specializing in wind power solutions. The company has over 177 GW of wind turbines in 88 countries. On March 8, the company announced that it would install a 15 MW wind turbine for a project in Denmark. The turbine will be installed at the port of Thyboron in Denmark. The agreement includes delivery, installation, and maintenance of the turbine for 20 years.
With this context, let's have a look at the 25 countries with the lowest per-capita carbon emissions.
25 Countries with the Lowest Per-Capita Carbon Dioxide Emissions
A large factory working to refine carbon and transform waste carbon into sustainable fuels.
Methodology
To compile our list of the 25 countries with the lowest per-capita carbon emissions, we utilized the global GHG emissions dataset from Climate Watch Data. We ranked the countries in ascending order of their per-capita carbon emissions. We have also mentioned their global emission share and total carbon equivalent emissions, as of 2020.
25 Countries with the Lowest Per-Capita Carbon Emissions
25. Sierra Leone
Carbon Dioxide Emissions Per Capita (2020): 0.55 tonnes CO2e per capita
Sierra Leone is ranked among the 25 countries with the lowest per capita carbon emissions. In 2020, the country emitted 0.55 tonnes of CO2e per capita. The total emissions of the country were 9.31 million tonnes of CO2e.
24. Tuvalu
Carbon Dioxide Emissions Per Capita (2020): 0.54 tonnes CO2e per capita
Tuvalu ranks 24th on our list. The per capita emissions of the country were 0.54 tonnes CO2e. The total emissions of the country were 20,000 tonnes in 2020.
23. Malawi
Carbon Dioxide Emissions Per Capita (2020): 0.50 tonnes CO2e per capita
Malawi emitted 0.50 tonnes of CO2e per capita in 2020. The total emissions of the country were 20.31 million tonnes of CO2e, accounting for 0.04% of the global emissions. It is ranked 23rd on our list.
22. Kiribati
Carbon Dioxide Emissions Per Capita (2020): 0.48 tonnes CO2e per capita
Kiribati is ranked among the countries with the lowest per capita carbon emissions. The country emitted 0.48 tonnes of CO2e per capita in 2020. The total emissions of the country were 90,000 tonnes in 2020.
21. Gambia
Carbon Dioxide Emissions Per Capita (2020): 0.47 tonnes CO2e per capita
The Gambia ranks 21st on our list. In 2020, the country emitted 0.47 tonnes of CO2e per capita. The country had a 0.01% share in global emissions in 2020, amounting to a total of 2.98 million tonnes of CO2e.
20. Comoros
Carbon Dioxide Emissions Per Capita (2020): 0.45 tonnes CO2e per capita
Comoros is ranked 20th on our list of the countries with the lowest per-capita carbon emissions. In 2020, the country had 0.45 tonnes of CO2e per capita. The total emissions of the country were 680,000 tonnes.
19. Uganda
Carbon Dioxide Emissions Per Capita (2020): 0.44 tonnes CO2e per capita
Uganda is ranked 19th on our list. The country emitted 0.44 tonnes of CO2e emissions per capita in 2020. The total emissions of the country were 53.61 million tonnes of CO2e, accounting for 0.11% of the global emissions.
18. Djibouti
Carbon Dioxide Emissions Per Capita (2020): 0.43 tonnes CO2e per capita
Djibouti is one of the countries with the lowest per-capita carbon emissions. In 2020, the country emitted 0.43 tonnes of CO2e per capita. The total emissions of the country were 1.39 million tonnes of CO2e.
17. Madagascar
Carbon Dioxide Emissions Per Capita (2020): 0.43 tonnes CO2e per capita
Ranked 17th on our list, Madagascar emitted 40.21 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent in 2020, accounting for 0.08% of the global emissions. The per-capita emissions of the country were 0.43 tonnes of CO2e.
16. Ethiopia
Carbon Dioxide Emissions Per Capita (2020): 0.42 tonnes CO2e per capita
Ethiopia ranks 16th on our list. The country emitted 0.42 tonnes of CO2e per capita in 2020. The country accounted for a share of 0.42% in global emissions, amounting to 199.27 million tonnes of CO2e.
15. Togo
Carbon Dioxide Emissions Per Capita (2020): 0.39 tonnes CO2e per capita
Togo is ranked among the countries with the lowest per capita carbon emissions. In 2020, the country emitted 9.24 million tonnes of CO2e, accounting for 0.02% of global emissions. The per capita emissions of the country were 0.39 tonnes of CO2e.
14. Vanuatu
Carbon Dioxide Emissions Per Capita (2020): 0.39 tonnes CO2e per capita
Vanuatu emitted 590,000 million tonnes of CO2e in 2020. The per capita emissions of the country were 0.39 tonnes of CO2e. It is one of the countries with the lowest per capita carbon emissions in the world.
13. Haiti
Carbon Dioxide Emissions Per Capita (2020): 0.34 tonnes CO2e per capita
Haiti is ranked 13th on our list. The country emitted 0.34 tonnes of CO2e per capita. The total emissions of the country were 10.2 million tonnes of CO2e, accounting for 0.02% of global emissions.
12. Yemen
Carbon Dioxide Emissions Per Capita (2020): 0.33 tonnes CO2e per capita
Yemen ranks 12th on our list. In 2020, the country emitted 24.39 million tonnes of CO2e, accounting for 0.05% of the global emissions share. Its per capita emissions were 0.33 tonnes of CO2e in 2020.
11. Burundi
Carbon Dioxide Emissions Per Capita (2020): 0.31 tonnes CO2e per capita
Burundi is one of the top countries with the lowest per-capita carbon emissions. The country reported per capita carbon dioxide emissions of 0.31 tonnes CO2e in 2020. The total emissions of the country were 7.14 million tonnes, accounting for 0.02% of global emissions.
10. Afghanistan
Carbon Dioxide Emissions Per Capita (2020): 0.23 tonnes CO2e per capita
Afghanistan ranks 10th on our list. The country emitted 0.23 tonnes of CO2e per capita in 2020. The total emissions of the country were 31.27 million tonnes, accounting for 0.07% of global emissions.
9. Kenya
Carbon Dioxide Emissions Per Capita (2020): 0.22 tonnes CO2e per capita
Kenya is ranked 9th on our list of the counties with the lowest per-capita carbon emissions. The total emissions of the country were 72.62 million tonnes of CO2e in 2020. The country emitted 0.22 tonnes CO2e per capita.
8. Rwanda
Carbon Dioxide Emissions Per Capita (2020): 0.20 tonnes CO2e per capita
Rwanda ranks 8th on our list. The country emitted 7.59 million tonnes of carbon emissions in 2020. The per capita emissions of the country were 0.20 tonnes CO2e.
7. Mali
Carbon Dioxide Emissions Per Capita (2020): 0.20 tonnes CO2e per capita
Mali is ranked 7th on our list. The country emitted 0.20 tonnes of CO2e per capita in 2020. The total emissions of the country were 43.49 million tonnes, accounting for 0.09% of the global emissions.
6. Niger
Carbon Dioxide Emissions Per Capita (2020): 0.14 tonnes CO2e per capita
Niger is ranked 6th on our list of the countries with the lowest per-capita carbon emissions. In 2020, the country emitted 0.14 tonnes of CO2e per capita. The total emissions of the country were 46.04 million tonnes.
