Norway vs South Africa: CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables
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 vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 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 vs. share of electricity generation from renewables, 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 vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 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 vs. share of electricity generation from renewables?
- 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 vs. share of electricity generation from renewables. 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.