Australia vs South Africa: Annual CO₂ emissions by world region
Australia
386.73 million tonnes
in 2024
South Africa
439.83 million tonnes
in 2024
Australia rank
16th
South Africa rank
15th
Annual CO₂ emissions by world region over time
- Australia
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 439.83 million tonnes against 386.73 million tonnes in Australia, a difference of 53.10 million tonnes.
That makes South Africa's figure about 1.1 times Australia's.
The two have swapped places 15 times across 141 shared years of data; in 1884 it was Australia ahead.
Australia ranks 16th and South Africa ranks 15th of 215 countries.
Across the 15 decades both report, Australia averaged higher in 4 and South Africa in 11.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Australia | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 5.19 million tonnes | 61,067 tonnes | 5.12 million tonnes | Australia |
| 1890s | 7.01 million tonnes | 2.92 million tonnes | 4.09 million tonnes | Australia |
| 1900s | 12.90 million tonnes | 9.07 million tonnes | 3.83 million tonnes | Australia |
| 1910s | 21.52 million tonnes | 19.71 million tonnes | 1.81 million tonnes | Australia |
| 1920s | 27.53 million tonnes | 27.64 million tonnes | 112,070 tonnes | South Africa |
| 1930s | 28.84 million tonnes | 31.50 million tonnes | 2.66 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 1940s | 42.07 million tonnes | 52.30 million tonnes | 10.23 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 1950s | 69.39 million tonnes | 79.22 million tonnes | 9.83 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 1960s | 108.17 million tonnes | 120.61 million tonnes | 12.44 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 1970s | 169.71 million tonnes | 183.77 million tonnes | 14.06 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 1980s | 224.21 million tonnes | 303.96 million tonnes | 79.75 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 1990s | 303.93 million tonnes | 346.21 million tonnes | 42.29 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 2000s | 380.94 million tonnes | 425.73 million tonnes | 44.79 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 2010s | 405.77 million tonnes | 461.99 million tonnes | 56.22 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 2020s | 388.43 million tonnes | 436.00 million tonnes | 47.57 million tonnes | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher annual co₂ emissions by world region, Australia or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 439.83 million tonnes against 386.73 million tonnes in Australia as of 2024.
- What is the difference in annual co₂ emissions by world region between Australia and South Africa?
- 53.10 million tonnes, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and South Africa?
- 141 years are reported by both, from 1884 to 2024.
- How do Australia and South Africa rank globally for annual co₂ emissions by world region?
- Australia ranks 16th and South Africa ranks 15th of 215 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Annual CO₂ emissions by world region. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Annual total emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂), excluding land-use change, measured in tonnes.