Japan vs South Africa: Annual CO₂ emissions from coal
Japan
380.97 million tonnes
in 2024
South Africa
371.36 million tonnes
in 2024
Japan rank
5th
South Africa rank
7th
Annual CO₂ emissions from coal over time
- Japan
- South Africa
How they compare
Japan currently reports 380.97 million tonnes against 371.36 million tonnes in South Africa, a difference of 9.61 million tonnes.
The two have swapped places 6 times across 141 shared years of data; in 1884 it was Japan ahead.
Japan ranks 5th and South Africa ranks 7th of 179 countries.
Across the 15 decades both report, Japan averaged higher in 14 and South Africa in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Japan | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 4.05 million tonnes | 61,067 tonnes | 3.99 million tonnes | Japan |
| 1890s | 11.03 million tonnes | 2.92 million tonnes | 8.10 million tonnes | Japan |
| 1900s | 28.40 million tonnes | 9.07 million tonnes | 19.33 million tonnes | Japan |
| 1910s | 56.46 million tonnes | 19.71 million tonnes | 36.75 million tonnes | Japan |
| 1920s | 79.63 million tonnes | 27.62 million tonnes | 52.01 million tonnes | Japan |
| 1930s | 100.85 million tonnes | 31.26 million tonnes | 69.59 million tonnes | Japan |
| 1940s | 110.86 million tonnes | 51.77 million tonnes | 59.09 million tonnes | Japan |
| 1950s | 117.13 million tonnes | 70.95 million tonnes | 46.18 million tonnes | Japan |
| 1960s | 170.87 million tonnes | 104.26 million tonnes | 66.61 million tonnes | Japan |
| 1970s | 207.15 million tonnes | 146.91 million tonnes | 60.23 million tonnes | Japan |
| 1980s | 253.95 million tonnes | 256.30 million tonnes | 2.36 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 1990s | 322.96 million tonnes | 303.09 million tonnes | 19.86 million tonnes | Japan |
| 2000s | 406.21 million tonnes | 370.24 million tonnes | 35.97 million tonnes | Japan |
| 2010s | 448.10 million tonnes | 394.23 million tonnes | 53.88 million tonnes | Japan |
| 2020s | 397.59 million tonnes | 366.50 million tonnes | 31.09 million tonnes | Japan |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher annual co₂ emissions from coal, Japan or South Africa?
- Japan, at 380.97 million tonnes against 371.36 million tonnes in South Africa as of 2024.
- What is the difference in annual co₂ emissions from coal between Japan and South Africa?
- 9.61 million tonnes, with Japan ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and South Africa?
- 141 years are reported by both, from 1884 to 2024.
- How do Japan and South Africa rank globally for annual co₂ emissions from coal?
- Japan ranks 5th and South Africa ranks 7th of 179 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Annual CO₂ emissions from coal. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Annual emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from coal, measured in tonnes.