Australia vs South Africa: CO₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change
Australia
386.73 million tonnes
in 2024
South Africa
439.83 million tonnes
in 2024
Australia rank
16th
South Africa rank
15th
CO₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change over time
- Australia
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 439.83 million tonnes against 386.73 million tonnes in Australia, a difference of 53.10 million tonnes.
That makes South Africa's figure about 1.1 times Australia's.
The two have swapped places 15 times across 141 shared years of data; in 1884 it was Australia ahead.
Australia ranks 16th and South Africa ranks 15th of 215 countries.
Across the 15 decades both report, Australia averaged higher in 4 and South Africa in 11.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Australia | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 5.19 million tonnes | 61,067 tonnes | 5.12 million tonnes | Australia |
| 1890s | 7.01 million tonnes | 2.92 million tonnes | 4.09 million tonnes | Australia |
| 1900s | 12.90 million tonnes | 9.07 million tonnes | 3.83 million tonnes | Australia |
| 1910s | 21.52 million tonnes | 19.71 million tonnes | 1.81 million tonnes | Australia |
| 1920s | 27.53 million tonnes | 27.64 million tonnes | 112,070 tonnes | South Africa |
| 1930s | 28.84 million tonnes | 31.50 million tonnes | 2.66 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 1940s | 42.07 million tonnes | 52.30 million tonnes | 10.23 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 1950s | 69.39 million tonnes | 79.22 million tonnes | 9.83 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 1960s | 108.17 million tonnes | 120.61 million tonnes | 12.44 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 1970s | 169.71 million tonnes | 183.77 million tonnes | 14.06 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 1980s | 224.21 million tonnes | 303.96 million tonnes | 79.75 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 1990s | 303.93 million tonnes | 346.21 million tonnes | 42.29 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 2000s | 380.94 million tonnes | 425.73 million tonnes | 44.79 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 2010s | 405.77 million tonnes | 461.99 million tonnes | 56.22 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 2020s | 388.43 million tonnes | 436.00 million tonnes | 47.57 million tonnes | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher co₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change, Australia or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 439.83 million tonnes against 386.73 million tonnes in Australia as of 2024.
- What is the difference in co₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change between Australia and South Africa?
- 53.10 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 co₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change?
- Australia ranks 16th 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 CO₂ emissions from fossil fuels and 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), excluding land-use change, measured in tonnes.