Australia vs South Africa: Annual CO₂ emissions including land-use change
Australia
428.39 million tonnes
in 2024
South Africa
443.64 million tonnes
in 2024
Australia rank
17th
South Africa rank
16th
Annual CO₂ emissions including land-use change over time
- Australia
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 443.64 million tonnes against 428.39 million tonnes in Australia, a difference of 15.26 million tonnes.
The two have swapped places 17 times across 141 shared years of data; in 1884 it was Australia ahead.
Australia ranks 17th and South Africa ranks 16th of 194 countries.
Across the 15 decades both report, Australia averaged higher in 11 and South Africa in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Australia | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 31.69 million tonnes | 15.07 million tonnes | 16.62 million tonnes | Australia |
| 1890s | 52.06 million tonnes | 26.62 million tonnes | 25.44 million tonnes | Australia |
| 1900s | 61.33 million tonnes | 40.35 million tonnes | 20.98 million tonnes | Australia |
| 1910s | 63.81 million tonnes | 52.25 million tonnes | 11.56 million tonnes | Australia |
| 1920s | 175.75 million tonnes | 66.39 million tonnes | 109.36 million tonnes | Australia |
| 1930s | 104.18 million tonnes | 75.21 million tonnes | 28.97 million tonnes | Australia |
| 1940s | 92.17 million tonnes | 122.70 million tonnes | 30.52 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 1950s | 224.23 million tonnes | 167.98 million tonnes | 56.25 million tonnes | Australia |
| 1960s | 321.21 million tonnes | 195.90 million tonnes | 125.31 million tonnes | Australia |
| 1970s | 222.68 million tonnes | 255.58 million tonnes | 32.90 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 1980s | 293.48 million tonnes | 372.96 million tonnes | 79.48 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 1990s | 395.94 million tonnes | 427.67 million tonnes | 31.73 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 2000s | 519.97 million tonnes | 469.57 million tonnes | 50.41 million tonnes | Australia |
| 2010s | 561.55 million tonnes | 467.60 million tonnes | 93.95 million tonnes | Australia |
| 2020s | 444.85 million tonnes | 439.47 million tonnes | 5.38 million tonnes | Australia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher annual co₂ emissions including land-use change, Australia or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 443.64 million tonnes against 428.39 million tonnes in Australia as of 2024.
- What is the difference in annual co₂ emissions including land-use change between Australia and South Africa?
- 15.26 million tonnes, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and South Africa?
- 141 years are reported by both, from 1884 to 2024.
- How do Australia and South Africa rank globally for annual co₂ emissions including land-use change?
- Australia ranks 17th and South Africa ranks 16th of 194 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Annual CO₂ emissions including land-use change. 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), including land-use change, measured in tonnes.