Brazil vs South Africa: Annual CO₂ emissions
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 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, 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 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?
- 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. 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.