Nicaragua: Total greenhouse gas emissions including LULUCF (Mt CO2e)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Nicaragua's total greenhouse gas emissions including LULUCF (Mt CO2e) rose 0.8% on 2022 (from 31.43 to 31.68).

Across the 22 yearly changes before that (2001 to 2022), the average change was +1.6% and a typical year strayed about 1.5% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.5 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 4.5% in 2015 and the biggest yearly fall was 1.6% in 2018. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2014 to 2023 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.22 a year. A straight line explains 76% of the movement over 10 observed years.

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

How it compares

In 2023, Nicaragua had the 93rd highest value of the 176 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Nicaragua in the 2023 ranking

• Uruguay — 90th of 176: 33.86
• Jordan — 91st of 176: 33.48
• Slovak Republic — 92nd of 176: 32.49
• Trinidad and Tobago — 94th of 176: 31.48
• Niger — 95th of 176: 31.07
• Yemen, Rep. — 96th of 176: 30.48

What this measures

A measure of annual emissions of the six greenhouse gases (GHG) covered by the Kyoto Protocol (carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), and sulphur hexafluoride (SF6)) from the energy, industry, waste, agriculture, and land use, land use changes, and forestry (LULUCF) sectors, standardized to carbon dioxide equivalent values. The measure is standardized to carbon dioxide equivalent values using the Global Warming Potential (GWP) factors of IPCC's 5th Assessment Report (AR5).

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 sum.

All 24 values

Total greenhouse gas emissions including LULUCF (Mt CO2e) in nearby economies

• Antigua and Barbuda — 0.61 (2023)
• Argentina — 424.71 (2023)
• Bahamas, The — 4.77 (2023)
• Barbados — 0.83 (2023)
• Belize — -7.88 (2023)
• Bolivia — 93.35 (2023)
• Brazil — 2,049 (2023)
• Chile — 59.37 (2023)
• Colombia — 311.49 (2023)

More environment data for Nicaragua

• Population in largest city — 1.12 million (2025)
• Population in the largest city (% of urban population) — 26.91% (2025)
• Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million — 1.12 million (2025)
• Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million (% of total population) — 16% (2025)
• Rural population — 2.84 million (2025)
• Rural population (% of total population) — 40.56% (2025)
• Urban population — 4.17 million (2025)
• Urban population (% of total population) — 59.44% (2025)
• Aquaculture production (metric tons) — 18,005 (2024)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Nicaragua's total greenhouse gas emissions including LULUCF (Mt CO2e)?

31.68 in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2000?

It is up 42.17% from 22.28 in 2000 (1.54% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 31.68 in 2023 and the lowest 22.28 in 2000.

How does Nicaragua rank?

93rd highest of 176 economies with data for 2023.

Is the latest change in total greenhouse gas emissions including LULUCF (Mt CO2e) unusual for Nicaragua?

In 2023, Nicaragua's total greenhouse gas emissions including LULUCF (Mt CO2e) rose 0.8% on 2022 (from 31.43 to 31.68). Across the 22 yearly changes before that (2001 to 2022), the average change was +1.6% and a typical year strayed about 1.5% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.5 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator EN.GHG.ALL.LU.MT.CE.AR5, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: EDGAR (Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research) Community GHG Database, , uri: https://edgar.jrc.ec.europa.eu/dataset_ghg2024, publisher: JRC European Commission, date published: 2024; European Forest Observatory, uri: https://edgar.jrc.ec.europa.eu/dataset_ghg2024, publisher: European Co… 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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