Libya vs South Africa: Carbon intensity: CO₂ emissions per dollar of GDP

Libya
0.6449 kilograms per international-$
in 2022
South Africa
0.5926 kilograms per international-$
in 2022
Libya rank
6th
South Africa rank
9th

Carbon intensity: CO₂ emissions per dollar of GDP over time

  • Libya
  • South Africa
0123195019862022

How they compare

Libya currently reports 0.6449 kilograms per international-$ against 0.5926 kilograms per international-$ in South Africa, a difference of 0.0523 kilograms per international-$.

That makes Libya's figure about 1.1 times South Africa's.

The two have swapped places 13 times across 73 shared years of data; in 1950 it was South Africa ahead.

Libya ranks 6th and South Africa ranks 9th of 164 countries.

Across the 8 decades both report, Libya averaged higher in 3 and South Africa in 5.

Head to head by decade

Decade Libya South Africa Difference Ahead
1950s 0.3126 kilograms per international-$ 1.17 kilograms per international-$ 0.8536 kilograms per international-$ South Africa
1960s 1.02 kilograms per international-$ 1.1 kilograms per international-$ 0.0811 kilograms per international-$ South Africa
1970s 1.11 kilograms per international-$ 1.08 kilograms per international-$ 0.0319 kilograms per international-$ Libya
1980s 1.53 kilograms per international-$ 1.38 kilograms per international-$ 0.1519 kilograms per international-$ Libya
1990s 1.48 kilograms per international-$ 1.26 kilograms per international-$ 0.2231 kilograms per international-$ Libya
2000s 0.6516 kilograms per international-$ 0.927 kilograms per international-$ 0.2755 kilograms per international-$ South Africa
2010s 0.5521 kilograms per international-$ 0.6791 kilograms per international-$ 0.127 kilograms per international-$ South Africa
2020s 0.5412 kilograms per international-$ 0.6188 kilograms per international-$ 0.0776 kilograms per international-$ South Africa

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher carbon intensity: co₂ emissions per dollar of gdp, Libya or South Africa?
Libya, at 0.6449 kilograms per international-$ against 0.5926 kilograms per international-$ in South Africa as of 2022.
What is the difference in carbon intensity: co₂ emissions per dollar of gdp between Libya and South Africa?
0.0523 kilograms per international-$, with Libya ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Libya and South Africa?
73 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2022.
How do Libya and South Africa rank globally for carbon intensity: co₂ emissions per dollar of gdp?
Libya ranks 6th and South Africa ranks 9th of 164 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Global Carbon Budget (2025); Bolt and van Zanden – Maddison Project Database 2023 – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Carbon intensity: CO₂ emissions per dollar of GDP. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Libya vs South Africa: Carbon intensity: CO₂ emissions per dollar of GDP. Statizoid, drawing on Global Carbon Budget (2025); Bolt and van Zanden – Maddison Project Database 2023 – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 24 September 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/compare/co2-intensity/libya/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Carbon intensity: CO₂ emissions per dollar of GDP
Unit
kilograms per international-$
Source
Global Carbon Budget (2025); Bolt and van Zanden – Maddison Project Database 2023 – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
164 places, 14,672 data points, 1820–2022
Last refreshed

Annual total emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂), excluding land-use change, measured in kilograms per dollar of GDP (2011 international-$).