South Africa vs Turkey: CO₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change
South Africa
443.64 million tonnes
in 2024
Turkey
503.51 million tonnes
in 2024
South Africa rank
16th
Turkey rank
14th
CO₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change over time
- South Africa
- Turkey
How they compare
Turkey currently reports 503.51 million tonnes against 443.64 million tonnes in South Africa, a difference of 59.87 million tonnes.
That makes Turkey's figure about 1.1 times South Africa's.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 141 shared years of data; in 1884 it was South Africa ahead.
South Africa ranks 16th and Turkey ranks 14th of 194 countries.
Across the 15 decades both report, South Africa averaged higher in 13 and Turkey in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | Turkey | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 15.07 million tonnes | 9.02 million tonnes | 6.05 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 1890s | 26.62 million tonnes | 7.84 million tonnes | 18.78 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 1900s | 40.35 million tonnes | 7.71 million tonnes | 32.64 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 1910s | 52.25 million tonnes | 31.88 million tonnes | 20.37 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 1920s | 66.39 million tonnes | 51.48 million tonnes | 14.91 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 1930s | 75.21 million tonnes | 93.45 million tonnes | 18.24 million tonnes | Turkey |
| 1940s | 122.70 million tonnes | 95.18 million tonnes | 27.52 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 1950s | 167.98 million tonnes | 148.37 million tonnes | 19.60 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 1960s | 195.90 million tonnes | 128.06 million tonnes | 67.84 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 1970s | 255.58 million tonnes | 135.21 million tonnes | 120.36 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 1980s | 372.96 million tonnes | 144.96 million tonnes | 228.00 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 1990s | 427.67 million tonnes | 207.84 million tonnes | 219.83 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 2000s | 469.57 million tonnes | 274.42 million tonnes | 195.14 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 2010s | 467.60 million tonnes | 365.23 million tonnes | 102.37 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 2020s | 439.47 million tonnes | 464.33 million tonnes | 24.86 million tonnes | Turkey |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher co₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change, South Africa or Turkey?
- Turkey, at 503.51 million tonnes against 443.64 million tonnes in South Africa as of 2024.
- What is the difference in co₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change between South Africa and Turkey?
- 59.87 million tonnes, with Turkey ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Turkey?
- 141 years are reported by both, from 1884 to 2024.
- How do South Africa and Turkey rank globally for co₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change?
- South Africa ranks 16th and Turkey ranks 14th of 194 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), including land-use change, measured in tonnes.