Contents
- Charcoal consumption statistics in Nigeria: household use and quantities
- Charcoal consumption statistics in Nigeria by state
- Charcoal consumption statistics in Nigeria by purpose
- Charcoal consumption statistics in Tanzania: city estimates
- Charcoal consumption statistics in Tanzania: national context
- Sources
Charcoal consumption statistics in Nigeria: household use and quantities
Nigeria’s 2024 Residential Energy Demand-Side Survey offers both a household-use share and quantity measures for charcoal. It covered 8,100 sampled households in 9 states. Across those states, 22.0% of households reported charcoal use during the preceding 30 days for domestic, agricultural, commercial, cultural or religious purposes. This is a share of households reporting any of those uses; it is not a measure of charcoal’s share of all energy consumed. Source: Nigeria Residential Energy Demand-Side Survey Report 2024, p. 15
The report’s overall charcoal-use row records an average of 19 days of use in the preceding 30 days. It lists an average daily charcoal amount of 6.27 kg and an average monthly total of 116.95 kg. These are the report’s separate daily and monthly measures for overall charcoal users; the table does not define them as population-wide totals. Source: Nigeria Residential Energy Demand-Side Survey Report 2024, p. 49, “CHARCOAL USED” table
The monthly quantity varies across the table’s purpose categories. The reported average is 122.0 kg for cooking, 33.3 kg for space heating, and 86.6 kg for other domestic uses. The corresponding purpose rows report 14.2 kg for agricultural uses, 283.0 kg for commercial uses, and 37.8 kg for cultural or religious uses. Each figure is the average monthly total in its named category, as labeled by the report. Source: Nigeria Residential Energy Demand-Side Survey Report 2024, p. 49, “CHARCOAL USED” table
| Nigeria survey measure | Reported value |
|---|---|
| Households reporting any listed charcoal use across 9 states | 22.0% |
| Average days of charcoal use in the preceding 30 days, overall | 19 days |
| Average daily charcoal amount used, overall | 6.27 kg |
| Average monthly total charcoal used, overall | 116.95 kg |
Source: Nigeria Residential Energy Demand-Side Survey Report 2024, pp. 15 and 49
The 22.0% figure describes how many surveyed households reported use, while the kilogram figures describe quantities among relevant charcoal-use categories. Keeping those denominators and measures distinct matters: a household-use share cannot be read as a quantity, and the monthly total should not be treated as a national consumption estimate. The report also includes several purposes, so charcoal use here extends beyond cooking alone. Source: Nigeria Residential Energy Demand-Side Survey Report 2024, pp. 15 and 49
Charcoal consumption statistics in Nigeria by state
The survey’s state chart measures the proportion of households reporting any listed charcoal use during the reference period. Kwara recorded 47.4%, followed by Oyo at 40.9%, Ekiti at 37.6%, and Kano at 27.7%. The other surveyed-state shares were Plateau at 14.2%, Sokoto at 13.4%, Bauchi at 6.1%, Enugu at 6.0%, and Akwa Ibom at 1.8%. These are household shares, not state charcoal tonnages. Source: Nigeria Residential Energy Demand-Side Survey Report 2024, p. 15, household charcoal-use chart
| State | Households reporting charcoal use |
|---|---|
| Kwara | 47.4% |
| Oyo | 40.9% |
| Ekiti | 37.6% |
| Kano | 27.7% |
| Plateau | 14.2% |
| Sokoto | 13.4% |
| Bauchi | 6.1% |
| Enugu | 6.0% |
| Akwa Ibom | 1.8% |
A different state measure appears in the quantity table: average monthly total kilograms for charcoal-use respondents in each state subgroup. Sokoto’s reported average was 315.41 kg, while Bauchi’s was 56.03 kg. The report’s page 15 narrative describes Sokoto as the highest and Bauchi as the lowest for this measure. These quantities cannot be substituted for the household-use percentages above: one describes average kilograms in a subgroup, the other the share of households reporting use. Source: Nigeria Residential Energy Demand-Side Survey Report 2024, pp. 15 and 49
The acquisition and sales findings provide further context about household charcoal activity. In the 30 days before interview, 21.6% of households purchased charcoal, 0.3% reported producing it themselves, and 0.6% acquired it through other means. The report says less than 1.0% of households reported charcoal sales over that period. By state, Kwara had the highest reported household sales share at 1.8%; Plateau’s was 0.1%. These acquisition and sales measures refer to the stated recall period, not an annual flow. Source: Nigeria Residential Energy Demand-Side Survey Report 2024, pp. 14–15
Together, the chart and table show why state comparisons need a clearly named measure. Kwara leads the reported household-use shares, while Sokoto has the highest average monthly quantity in the quantity analysis. The survey does not make those metrics interchangeable, and the figures should remain attached to their respective household-share and subgroup-quantity definitions. Source: Nigeria Residential Energy Demand-Side Survey Report 2024, pp. 15 and 49
Charcoal consumption statistics in Nigeria by purpose
The report’s purpose categories can also be compared by urban and rural setting. The overall average monthly total was 123.5 kg for urban charcoal-using households and 101.79 kg for rural charcoal-using households. Within the cooking category, the urban average was 129.1 kg and the rural average was 107.2 kg. Each comparison refers to the report’s average monthly total kilograms for the specified setting and use category. Source: Nigeria Residential Energy Demand-Side Survey Report 2024, p. 49, “CHARCOAL USED” table
| Setting and use category | Average monthly total charcoal used |
|---|---|
| Urban, all uses | 123.5 kg |
| Rural, all uses | 101.79 kg |
| Urban, cooking | 129.1 kg |
| Rural, cooking | 107.2 kg |
Source: Nigeria Residential Energy Demand-Side Survey Report 2024, p. 49, “CHARCOAL USED” table
For commercial purposes, the urban row reports 346.9 kg per month and the rural row 100.6 kg. For agricultural uses, the figures are 17.5 kg in urban areas and 10.9 kg in rural areas. Cultural or religious uses register 38.9 kg for urban households and 15.4 kg for rural households. These rows preserve the report’s categories and do not imply that every household in either setting uses charcoal for each purpose. Source: Nigeria Residential Energy Demand-Side Survey Report 2024, p. 49, “CHARCOAL USED” table
Other domestic uses average 95.3 kg per month in the urban row and 55.2 kg in the rural row. For space heating, the pattern in the table runs the other way: 24.9 kg for urban households and 43.9 kg for rural households. The figures are category-specific averages, not a breakdown of a single household’s monthly fuel budget. Source: Nigeria Residential Energy Demand-Side Survey Report 2024, p. 49, “CHARCOAL USED” table
| Purpose | Urban average monthly total | Rural average monthly total |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial uses | 346.9 kg | 100.6 kg |
| Agricultural uses | 17.5 kg | 10.9 kg |
| Cultural or religious uses | 38.9 kg | 15.4 kg |
| Other domestic uses | 95.3 kg | 55.2 kg |
| Space heating | 24.9 kg | 43.9 kg |
Source: Nigeria Residential Energy Demand-Side Survey Report 2024, p. 49, “CHARCOAL USED” table
The distinction between setting and purpose helps explain the range of values without implying a cause. Commercial use has the largest listed monthly average in both setting rows, while space heating has a higher rural figure than urban. The table reports these differences but does not identify why they occur. Its measures are averages by survey category, so they should be read alongside the relevant purpose and setting labels. Source: Nigeria Residential Energy Demand-Side Survey Report 2024, p. 49, “CHARCOAL USED” table
Charcoal consumption statistics in Tanzania: city estimates
A 2019 Tanzania charcoal study provides city estimates based on household counts generated from the 2012 population census and field surveys. In its city table, estimated household charcoal use per month was 45 kg in Dar es Salaam, 31.6 kg in Mwanza, 53.2 kg in Mbeya, and 48.4 kg in Dodoma. Mwanza refers specifically to Nyamagana and Ilemela Municipal Councils; Mbeya is the City Council and Dodoma the Municipal Council. These are historical study estimates, not current readings. Source: The Potential and Optimal Strategies for Charcoal Sub-Sector Development in Tanzania, June 2019, p. 69, Table 3
The same table lists estimated household counts of 1,095,095 for Dar es Salaam, 148,788 for Mwanza, 96,319 for Mbeya, and 93,399 for Dodoma. It also reports total monthly household charcoal quantities: 49,279,275 kg for Dar es Salaam, 4,701,701 kg for Mwanza, 5,124,171 kg for Mbeya, and 4,520,512 kg for Dodoma. These are estimated city or council aggregates in the study, paired with the corresponding household-count and per-household rows. Source: The Potential and Optimal Strategies for Charcoal Sub-Sector Development in Tanzania, June 2019, p. 69, Table 3
| City or council area | Households in study estimate | Estimated kg per household per month | Estimated total kg per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dar es Salaam | 1,095,095 | 45 | 49,279,275 |
| Mwanza (Nyamagana and Ilemela) | 148,788 | 31.6 | 4,701,701 |
| Mbeya City Council | 96,319 | 53.2 | 5,124,171 |
| Dodoma Municipal Council | 93,399 | 48.4 | 4,520,512 |
The table’s scales differ: one row gives an estimated household quantity, another the estimated number of households, and a third the total monthly quantity. The city and council labels also define the areas being compared. Because the estimates draw on census household counts and field surveys, their dates and geographic coverage should travel with the numbers; they are not presented as present-day city totals. Source: The Potential and Optimal Strategies for Charcoal Sub-Sector Development in Tanzania, June 2019, p. 69, Table 3
Charcoal consumption statistics in Tanzania: national context
The 2019 study states that more than 2.3 million tonnes of charcoal were consumed nationally in Tanzania in 2012, citing the Ministry of Energy and Minerals (2014). This is a historical national estimate. It is separate from the city-level monthly household estimates, which use kilograms and specified urban areas. Source: The Potential and Optimal Strategies for Charcoal Sub-Sector Development in Tanzania, June 2019, p. 28, §1.1
A scenario discussion gives a distinct household-consumption series: under its Business as Usual (BAU) scenario, household charcoal consumption was just under 2 million tonnes in 2012 and was projected to reach nearly 4 million tonnes per year in 2030. The 2030 value is a projection within that scenario, not an observed outcome. Its scope is household consumption, while the report’s more-than-2.3-million-tonne statement describes national charcoal consumption. Source: The Potential and Optimal Strategies for Charcoal Sub-Sector Development in Tanzania, June 2019, p. 61, §3.4
For Dar es Salaam, the report recounts historical household-use shares of 47% in 2001 and 71% in 2007, citing the World Bank (2009). It also cites 88.2% from NBS (2017) as a more recent figure in the report’s account. Those percentages describe the share of Dar es Salaam households using charcoal; the 88.2% is attributed to the cited 2017 source, not to the year the 2019 report was published or to the present day. Source: The Potential and Optimal Strategies for Charcoal Sub-Sector Development in Tanzania, June 2019, p. 28, §1.1
These national and city-context figures represent different evidence types: a 2012 national consumption estimate, a BAU scenario baseline and projection for household consumption, and cited historical household-use percentages for Dar es Salaam. Their units, populations, dates, and status as estimate, projection, or household share should remain explicit when comparing charcoal consumption statistics across Nigeria and Tanzania.