Norway vs South Africa: CO₂ emissions per capita
Norway
6.67 tonnes per person
in 2024
South Africa
6.87 tonnes per person
in 2024
Norway rank
44th
South Africa rank
42nd
CO₂ emissions per capita over time
- Norway
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 6.87 tonnes per person against 6.67 tonnes per person in Norway, a difference of 0.2 tonnes per person.
The two have swapped places 21 times across 141 shared years of data; in 1884 it was Norway ahead.
Norway ranks 44th and South Africa ranks 42nd of 213 countries.
Across the 15 decades both report, Norway averaged higher in 9 and South Africa in 6.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Norway | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 0.9222 tonnes per person | 0.0136 tonnes per person | 0.9086 tonnes per person | Norway |
| 1890s | 1.38 tonnes per person | 0.5903 tonnes per person | 0.7945 tonnes per person | Norway |
| 1900s | 1.96 tonnes per person | 1.6 tonnes per person | 0.3594 tonnes per person | Norway |
| 1910s | 2.52 tonnes per person | 2.99 tonnes per person | 0.4696 tonnes per person | South Africa |
| 1920s | 2.57 tonnes per person | 3.51 tonnes per person | 0.9401 tonnes per person | South Africa |
| 1930s | 3.42 tonnes per person | 3.25 tonnes per person | 0.1681 tonnes per person | Norway |
| 1940s | 2.21 tonnes per person | 4.45 tonnes per person | 2.24 tonnes per person | South Africa |
| 1950s | 3.07 tonnes per person | 5.46 tonnes per person | 2.39 tonnes per person | South Africa |
| 1960s | 4.57 tonnes per person | 6.36 tonnes per person | 1.8 tonnes per person | South Africa |
| 1970s | 7.7 tonnes per person | 7.23 tonnes per person | 0.4717 tonnes per person | Norway |
| 1980s | 7.95 tonnes per person | 8.79 tonnes per person | 0.839 tonnes per person | South Africa |
| 1990s | 8.8 tonnes per person | 7.85 tonnes per person | 0.9456 tonnes per person | Norway |
| 2000s | 9.44 tonnes per person | 8.62 tonnes per person | 0.8252 tonnes per person | Norway |
| 2010s | 8.68 tonnes per person | 8.28 tonnes per person | 0.4007 tonnes per person | Norway |
| 2020s | 7.29 tonnes per person | 7 tonnes per person | 0.2945 tonnes per person | Norway |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher co₂ emissions per capita, Norway or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 6.87 tonnes per person against 6.67 tonnes per person in Norway as of 2024.
- What is the difference in co₂ emissions per capita between Norway and South Africa?
- 0.2 tonnes per person, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Norway and South Africa?
- 141 years are reported by both, from 1884 to 2024.
- How do Norway and South Africa rank globally for co₂ emissions per capita?
- Norway ranks 44th and South Africa ranks 42nd of 213 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Global Carbon Budget (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as CO₂ emissions per capita. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from burning fossil fuels and industrial processes. This includes emissions from transport, electricity generation, and heating, but not land-use change.