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