Brazil vs South Africa: Annual CO₂ emissions by world region
Brazil
483.01 million tonnes
in 2024
South Africa
439.83 million tonnes
in 2024
Brazil rank
13th
South Africa rank
15th
Annual CO₂ emissions by world region over time
- Brazil
- South Africa
How they compare
Brazil currently reports 483.01 million tonnes against 439.83 million tonnes in South Africa, a difference of 43.18 million tonnes.
That makes Brazil's figure about 1.1 times South Africa's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 141 shared years of data; in 1884 it was Brazil ahead.
Brazil ranks 13th and South Africa ranks 15th of 215 countries.
Across the 15 decades both report, Brazil averaged higher in 3 and South Africa in 12.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Brazil | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 1.37 million tonnes | 61,067 tonnes | 1.30 million tonnes | Brazil |
| 1890s | 2.30 million tonnes | 2.92 million tonnes | 620,467 tonnes | South Africa |
| 1900s | 2.96 million tonnes | 9.07 million tonnes | 6.11 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 1910s | 4.06 million tonnes | 19.71 million tonnes | 15.65 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 1920s | 5.03 million tonnes | 27.64 million tonnes | 22.62 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 1930s | 5.62 million tonnes | 31.50 million tonnes | 25.88 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 1940s | 6.86 million tonnes | 52.30 million tonnes | 45.44 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 1950s | 30.58 million tonnes | 79.22 million tonnes | 48.64 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 1960s | 60.95 million tonnes | 120.61 million tonnes | 59.67 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 1970s | 141.67 million tonnes | 183.77 million tonnes | 42.10 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 1980s | 186.50 million tonnes | 303.96 million tonnes | 117.46 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 1990s | 268.95 million tonnes | 346.21 million tonnes | 77.26 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 2000s | 366.64 million tonnes | 425.73 million tonnes | 59.09 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 2010s | 495.82 million tonnes | 461.99 million tonnes | 33.83 million tonnes | Brazil |
| 2020s | 478.32 million tonnes | 436.00 million tonnes | 42.33 million tonnes | Brazil |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher annual co₂ emissions by world region, Brazil or South Africa?
- Brazil, at 483.01 million tonnes against 439.83 million tonnes in South Africa as of 2024.
- What is the difference in annual co₂ emissions by world region between Brazil and South Africa?
- 43.18 million tonnes, with Brazil ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Brazil and South Africa?
- 141 years are reported by both, from 1884 to 2024.
- How do Brazil and South Africa rank globally for annual co₂ emissions by world region?
- Brazil ranks 13th 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.