Mexico vs South Africa: Annual CO₂ emissions by world region
Mexico
460.99 million tonnes
in 2024
South Africa
439.83 million tonnes
in 2024
Mexico rank
14th
South Africa rank
15th
Annual CO₂ emissions by world region over time
- Mexico
- South Africa
How they compare
Mexico currently reports 460.99 million tonnes against 439.83 million tonnes in South Africa, a difference of 21.16 million tonnes.
The two have swapped places 16 times across 141 shared years of data; in 1884 it was Mexico ahead.
Mexico ranks 14th and South Africa ranks 15th of 215 countries.
Across the 15 decades both report, Mexico averaged higher in 6 and South Africa in 9.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Mexico | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 154,263 tonnes | 61,067 tonnes | 93,197 tonnes | Mexico |
| 1890s | 1.75 million tonnes | 2.92 million tonnes | 1.17 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 1900s | 5.75 million tonnes | 9.07 million tonnes | 3.32 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 1910s | 19.13 million tonnes | 19.71 million tonnes | 574,472 tonnes | South Africa |
| 1920s | 58.03 million tonnes | 27.64 million tonnes | 30.39 million tonnes | Mexico |
| 1930s | 20.70 million tonnes | 31.50 million tonnes | 10.80 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 1940s | 24.19 million tonnes | 52.30 million tonnes | 28.11 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 1950s | 41.90 million tonnes | 79.22 million tonnes | 37.33 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 1960s | 77.46 million tonnes | 120.61 million tonnes | 43.15 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 1970s | 167.35 million tonnes | 183.77 million tonnes | 16.42 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 1980s | 292.37 million tonnes | 303.96 million tonnes | 11.59 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 1990s | 347.03 million tonnes | 346.21 million tonnes | 819,100 tonnes | Mexico |
| 2000s | 442.86 million tonnes | 425.73 million tonnes | 17.13 million tonnes | Mexico |
| 2010s | 478.00 million tonnes | 461.99 million tonnes | 16.01 million tonnes | Mexico |
| 2020s | 449.76 million tonnes | 436.00 million tonnes | 13.77 million tonnes | Mexico |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher annual co₂ emissions by world region, Mexico or South Africa?
- Mexico, at 460.99 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 Mexico and South Africa?
- 21.16 million tonnes, with Mexico ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Mexico and South Africa?
- 141 years are reported by both, from 1884 to 2024.
- How do Mexico and South Africa rank globally for annual co₂ emissions by world region?
- Mexico ranks 14th 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.