Portugal vs South Africa: Consumption-based vs. territorial CO₂ emissions per capita
Portugal
4.55 tonnes per person
in 2023
South Africa
5.15 tonnes per person
in 2023
Portugal rank
58th
South Africa rank
57th
Consumption-based vs. territorial CO₂ emissions per capita over time
- Portugal
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 5.15 tonnes per person against 4.55 tonnes per person in Portugal, a difference of 0.6 tonnes per person.
That makes South Africa's figure about 1.1 times Portugal's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 34 shared years of data; in 1990 it was South Africa ahead.
Portugal ranks 58th and South Africa ranks 57th of 120 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, Portugal averaged higher in 1 and South Africa in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Portugal | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6.38 tonnes per person | 7.85 tonnes per person | 1.47 tonnes per person | South Africa |
| 2000s | 10.26 tonnes per person | 6.23 tonnes per person | 4.03 tonnes per person | Portugal |
| 2010s | 5.69 tonnes per person | 6.35 tonnes per person | 0.6592 tonnes per person | South Africa |
| 2020s | 4.75 tonnes per person | 5.28 tonnes per person | 0.5332 tonnes per person | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher consumption-based vs. territorial co₂ emissions per capita, Portugal or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 5.15 tonnes per person against 4.55 tonnes per person in Portugal as of 2023.
- What is the difference in consumption-based vs. territorial co₂ emissions per capita between Portugal and South Africa?
- 0.6 tonnes per person, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Portugal and South Africa?
- 34 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2023.
- How do Portugal and South Africa rank globally for consumption-based vs. territorial co₂ emissions per capita?
- Portugal ranks 58th and South Africa ranks 57th of 120 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 Consumption-based vs. territorial CO₂ emissions per capita. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Annual consumption-based emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂), measured in tonnes per person.