Sub-Saharan Africa · Lower middle income · 2023

Nigeria: mid-book EDGAR inventory · 0.8 t per $1K GDP

In 2023, Nigeria emitted 383 MtCO₂e (1.72 t per person, 0.80 t per $1K GDP) - agriculture led at 24% and methane dominated the gas mix at 53%. EU EDGAR v8.0, excludes land use.

Corpus placement

Nigeria ranks #16 / 51 by GDP intensity in 2023 but only #50 of 51 by per-capita emissions — a carbon-intensive economy that hasn't yet translated into a high per-person total.

#21 / 51
Absolute Mt rank
#50 / 51
Per-capita rank
#16 / 51
GDP intensity rank

According to EU EDGAR v8.0 totals, World Bank population, and GDP denominators at 2023. Excludes LULUCF.

C-
Emissions Performance Score
51/100
Nigeria · 2023 EDGAR data

Based on per-capita emissions, GDP intensity, methane share, and the multi-year emissions trend, benchmarked against the 51-country EDGAR corpus, not a judgment of policy effort, development stage, or overall climate risk. See the benchmark table and methodology.

Per-capita emissions A+
1.72 t/person
EDGAR latest-year total ÷ population, vs. the 51-country corpus spread
GDP intensity F
0.80 t/$1K GDP
EDGAR latest-year total ÷ GDP, vs. the 51-country corpus spread
Methane share F
53%
Share of the gas mix that is CH4 (AR6 GWP100 ≈ 27.9× CO2, short-lived but potent)
Emissions trend C-
+119%
Change from the first to the latest EDGAR-tracked year for this country

EDGAR inventory roll

Roll NGA · 2023 383 Mt · 1.72 t per person

Nigeria sits mid-pack by absolute Mt among 51 tracked EDGAR economies (383 Mt in 2023) - absolute, per-capita, and GDP-intensity ranks on one roll.

  • ABS 383 Mt
  • PC 1.72 t
  • INT 0.80
  • RANK-A #21 / 51
  • RANK-P #50 / 51
  • RANK-I #16 / 51
  • SECTOR 24% Agriculture
  • GAS 53% Methane
  • PHOTO United Kingdom
  • BOOK 51 econ

Photo-finish absolute-Mt peer: United Kingdom (381 Mt · Δ 1 Mt vs Nigeria)

Absolute-Mt neighbourhood

2023 EDGAR totals · nearest inventories to Nigeria

1. France3872. Nigeria3833. United Kingdom3814. Italy3775. Argentina369

Year-to-year inventory change

What changed between 2022 and 2023

2022 → 2023
  • Nigeria's methane total rose from 196.3 MtCO₂e in 2022 to 201.4 MtCO₂e in 2023 in the EU EDGAR v8.0 (2024) extract, a change of +5.09 MtCO₂e (+2.6%).
  • Nigeria's EDGAR greenhouse-gas total rose from 377.8 MtCO₂e in 2022 to 382.6 MtCO₂e in 2023 in the EU EDGAR v8.0 (2024) extract, a change of +4.86 MtCO₂e (+1.3%).
  • Nigeria's agriculture total rose from 88.4 MtCO₂e in 2022 to 90.1 MtCO₂e in 2023 in the EU EDGAR v8.0 (2024) extract, a change of +1.69 MtCO₂e (+1.9%).

Arithmetic differences between two inventory years in one stored EU EDGAR v8.0 (2024) extract, not a second source release, a forecast, or a policy verdict.

Trends Inventory CSV

Nigeria ranks #16 / 51 by GDP intensity in 2023 but only #50 of 51 by per-capita emissions — a carbon-intensive economy that hasn't yet translated into a high per-person total. How we place countries.

Nigeria vs all tracked economies by EDGAR greenhouse-gas total

Where Nigeria's 2023 EDGAR MtCO₂e sits among every tracked economy with live rows (inventory mass, not per-capita responsibility)

383 Top 41% more MtCO₂e than 59% of 51 economies

Tracked economies, banded by EDGAR MtCO₂e (AR6 GWP100)

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more economies. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source EU EDGAR v8.0 · 2023

Nigeria 2023 emissions by IPCC sector

EU EDGAR v8.0 · MtCO₂e · AR6 GWP100

1. Agriculture902. Fugitive emissions853. Transport594. Buildings485. Industry456. Waste327. Energy23
0%100%24%
Agriculture share of 2023 total

Source: EU EDGAR v8.0 (Joint Research Centre) EDGAR GHG · 2023

Nigeria emissions trend (1970–2023, MtCO₂e)

Annual greenhouse-gas totals, EU EDGAR v8.0

100200300400500 197019771984199119982005201220192023 383
Reported annual emissions for Nigeria, 1970 to 2023 (AR6 GWP100, excludes LULUCF).

Data from EU EDGAR v8.0 (2024 release)

Source: EU EDGAR (Joint Research Centre) As of 1970–2023

Nigeria 2023 gas inventory, methane-weighted

EU EDGAR v8.0 · MtCO₂e · AR6 GWP100

1. Methane201.42. Carbon dioxide127.93. Nitrous oxide37.34. Fluorinated gases16

Methane-heavy profile

GDP-intensity signature

GDP intensity is the standout for Nigeria: 0.8 t per $1K GDP (upper tercile, ≥0.764) alongside 383 Mt absolute.

Nigeria's 2023 total of 383 MtCO₂e carries an unusually high methane share (53% of CO₂e). That pattern usually marks agriculture- and fuel-system methane alongside CO₂ from energy, not a CO₂-only industrial ledger. Within Sub-Saharan Africa, it ranks #2 of 2 economies on a per-person basis.

Source: EU EDGAR v8.0 (Joint Research Centre) Country totals (AR6 GWP100, excl. LULUCF) Country figures for NGA exclude LULUCF; verify policy-critical totals against the Joint Research Centre EDGAR country table.

Other Sub-Saharan Africa economies in EDGAR

Methodology

Nigeria (NGA) is in the middle third of live EDGAR country mass (383 MtCO₂e in 2023). Rows are aggregated from EU EDGAR v8.0 by IPCC sector and gas for 2023, excluding LULUCF. See the methodology page for GWP100 factors and the full pipeline. Full methodology.

Source: EU EDGAR v8.0 (Joint Research Centre) 2024 Global bottom-up inventory, CC BY 4.0.

FAQ

Why is methane prominent in Nigeria's inventory?

Methane contributes about 53% of Nigeria's 2023 CO₂e total, above the rough one-sixth global average, which usually signals agriculture, waste, or fugitive fuel emissions in the EDGAR breakdown.

How much CO₂-equivalent did Nigeria emit in 2023?

Nigeria's 2023 total is 383 MtCO₂e per EU EDGAR v8.0 (AR6 GWP100, excludes LULUCF).

How do Nigeria's absolute and per-capita ranks compare?

Nigeria ranks #21 of 51 by absolute total and #50 by per-capita emissions in 2023, with GDP intensity at #16.

Data vintage: EU EDGAR v8.0 (2024 release), 2023 data year. Country emissions summed from EDGAR records for the focal year; LULUCF excluded on ranked surfaces.