Least developed countries: UN classification: Carbon intensity of GDP (kg CO2e per constant 2021 US$ of GDP)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Least developed countries: UN classification's carbon intensity of GDP (kg CO2e per constant 2021 US$ of GDP) fell US$0.00594 on 2023 (from US$0.35 to US$0.35).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +US$0.00363 and a typical year strayed about US$0.00868 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.1 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was US$0.06 in 1980 and the biggest yearly fall was US$0.01 in 1981. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 9% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

See how every economy compares in the full ranking.

What this measures

Annual emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), one of the six Kyoto greenhouse gases (GHG), from the agriculture, energy, waste, and industrial sectors, excluding LULUCF divided by the GDP in constant 2021 US$.

Limitations: Global GHG emissions are currently not directly measurable, but approaches for their estimation exist, and numerous sources exist to supply data for this indicator. Reputable scientific organizations produce these data for use for research, policy analysis, climate negotiations, and broader public communications. The estimated accuracy from fossil fuel combustion and industrial processes are quite high, as quantities of fossil fuels and other emissive materials (such as cement and steel) produced are well known. For these sectors, emissions estimates are roughly accurate to within 10% when aggregated to the global level and between 4% and 35% at the country level (Crippa et al., 2023).

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average using gdp as weights.

All 55 values

Carbon intensity of GDP (kg CO2e per constant 2021 US$ of GDP) in nearby economies

• Afghanistan — US$0.76 (2024)
• Algeria — US$0.84 (2024)
• Bahrain — US$0.92 (2024)
• Djibouti — US$0.23 (2024)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — US$0.6 (2024)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — US$1.55 (2024)
• Iraq — US$1.24 (2024)
• Israel — US$0.14 (2024)
• Jordan — US$0.47 (2024)

More environment data for Least developed countries: UN classification

• Population in the largest city (% of urban population) — 32.86% (2025)
• Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million (% of total population) — 13.73% (2025)
• Rural population — 769.36 million (2025)
• Rural population (% of total population) — 63.36% (2025)
• Urban population — 444.81 million (2025)
• Urban population (% of total population) — 36.64% (2025)
• Aquaculture production (metric tons) — 5.26 million (2024)
• Capture fisheries production (metric tons)

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Questions people ask

What is Least developed countries: UN classification's carbon intensity of GDP (kg CO2e per constant 2021 US$ of GDP)?

US$0.35 in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1970?

It is up 78.23% from US$0.2 in 1970 (1.08% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was US$0.38 in 2021 and the lowest US$0.19 in 1971.

Is the latest change in carbon intensity of GDP (kg CO2e per constant 2021 US$ of GDP) unusual for Least developed countries: UN classification?

In 2024, Least developed countries: UN classification's carbon intensity of GDP (kg CO2e per constant 2021 US$ of GDP) fell US$0.00594 on 2023 (from US$0.35 to US$0.35). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +US$0.00363 and a typical year strayed about US$0.00868 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.1 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator EN.GHG.CO2.RT.GDP.KD, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: EDGAR (Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research) Community GHG Database, Joint Research Centre (JRC) - European Commission, uri: https://edgar.jrc.ec.europa.eu/dataset_ghg2024, publisher: JRC European Commission, date published: 2024; International Energy Agency (IEA), uri: https://edgar.j… Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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