Comoros: environment

How many people in the Comoros have electricity?

89.8% of the Comoros population has access to electricity, up from 28.9% at independence in 1975, according to the Central Bank of the Comoros 2025 annual report. The report says electricity supply improved in 2025 with new generators and new solar power stations, and that output of solar electricity increased.

Access means a household connection, not a supply that is always on. The same report notes that thermal power stations still supply much of the electricity distributed. Figures on access usually come from household surveys, so they can differ between sources and years.

Official sources: Central Bank of the Comoros: annual report 2025 (PDF)

What are the Comoros CO2 emissions?

The Comoros emitted 0.51 tonnes of carbon dioxide per person in 2024, excluding land use and forestry, according to World Bank data updated on 8 October 2026. Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding land use were 0.95 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent, according to the same source.

These are international estimates rather than national inventory figures. Most CO2 in the Comoros comes from imported fuel burned for electricity and transport. No national emissions table was found on a Comoros government site that could be read on 15 October 2026.

Official sources: World Bank: CO2 per capita, Comoros · World Bank: total greenhouse gas emissions, Comoros

How much forest does the Comoros have?

Forest covered 17.8% of land in the Comoros in 2024, down from 25.3% in 1990 and 20.0% in 2010, according to FAO data published by the World Bank.

The figures come from the FAO Global Forest Resources Assessment, which relies on national reporting and remote sensing. The share has been close to stable since 2020, when it was 17.7%. INSEED's agricultural census counted 89,282 hectares of farmland, and found that 85% of farms work less than one hectare.

Official sources: World Bank: forest area, Comoros · INSEED: RGA-2 agricultural census, core module results

Do people in the Comoros have safe drinking water?

85.1% of people in the Comoros used at least basic drinking water services in 2024, according to WHO and UNICEF estimates published by the World Bank.

Basic service means water from an improved source, such as a piped supply, borehole or protected well, that takes no more than 30 minutes to collect including queuing. It does not mean the water is tested free from contamination or available all day.

Official sources: World Bank: basic drinking water services, Comoros

How polluted is the air in the Comoros?

People in the Comoros were exposed to an average of 10.2 micrograms of fine particles (PM2.5) per cubic metre of air in 2023, according to estimates published by the World Bank.

The figure is a modelled national average from satellite data and models, not readings from monitoring stations. The WHO guideline for yearly average PM2.5 is 5 micrograms per cubic metre.

Official sources: World Bank: PM2.5 exposure, Comoros

Is the Comoros building solar power?

The Comoros is adding solar power plants, including the Mitsamiouli plant brought into service at the end of 2024 under the World Bank-funded Comoros Solar Energy Access Project (PAESC), according to the Central Bank of the Comoros 2025 annual report. The report says solar electricity production and distribution rose in 2025.

The report also notes that the national utility SONELEC bought new generators, so thermal plants still supply much of the electricity. No national figure for the solar share of generation was found in the report.

Official sources: Central Bank of the Comoros: Rapport annuel 2025 (PDF)

How much CO2 does the Comoros emit per person?

The latest figure from the European Commission's EDGAR database, for 2024, is 0.5 tonnes. The peak was 0.5 tonnes in 2023 and the low 0.2 tonnes in 2008. It is 20th highest of 47 in Sub-Saharan Africa, where the median is 0.4 tonnes. Worldwide: 150th of 186.

What are the Comoros' emissions?

The latest figure from the European Commission's EDGAR database, for 2024, is 0.9 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent. That is the highest since at least 2005. It is 45th highest of 47 in Sub-Saharan Africa, where the median is 24.6 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent. World rank, highest first: 168th of 186.

How much of the Comoros' energy is renewable?

In 2022, the renewable share of final energy use in the Comoros was 39.3%, according to the IEA, IRENA, the UN Statistics Division, the World Bank and the WHO. It is the bottom of the series, which starts in 2005. It is 18th highest of 23 in Sub-Saharan Africa, where the median is 70.0%. Worldwide: 24th of 53.

How much of the Comoros is forest?

17.8%: that is forest area as a share of land in the Comoros for 2024, according to the FAO. The peak was 21.5% in 2005 and the low 17.7% in 2020. It is 31st highest of 48 in Sub-Saharan Africa, where the median is 22.2%. Worldwide: 126th of 190.

How polluted is the air in the Comoros?

The Global Burden of Disease study puts average exposure to fine particle air pollution (PM2.5) in the Comoros at 10.2 micrograms per cubic metre in 2023. The peak was 12.0 micrograms per cubic metre in 2022 and the low 9.2 micrograms per cubic metre in 2014. Sub-Saharan Africa median: 27.5 micrograms per cubic metre; the Comoros is 47th highest of 48. Of 192 countries with 2023 data, 153rd highest.

What share of the Comoros is protected land?

In 2025, the share of land in protected areas in the Comoros was 33.7%, according to the UN Environment Programme. Its high point since 2013 was 2020, at 33.8%; its low point was 2013, at 10.2%. It is 8th highest of 48 in Sub-Saharan Africa, where the median is 16.9%. Worldwide: 25th of 192.

How much of the Comoros' fresh water is used?

0.8%: that is water stress in the Comoros for 2022, according to the FAO. It has not changed since 2005. Across Sub-Saharan Africa the middle value was 5.1%, and the Comoros placed 39th highest of 47. World rank, highest first: 163rd of 175.