South Korea vs South Africa: Cumulative CO₂ emissions by world region
South Korea
20.71 billion tonnes
in 2024
South Africa
22.83 billion tonnes
in 2024
South Korea rank
16th
South Africa rank
13th
Cumulative CO₂ emissions by world region over time
- South Korea
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 22.83 billion tonnes against 20.71 billion tonnes in South Korea, a difference of 2.12 billion tonnes.
That makes South Africa's figure about 1.1 times South Korea's.
Across all 116 years both countries report, South Africa has been ahead every year.
South Korea ranks 16th and South Africa ranks 13th of 215 countries.
South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 13 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Korea | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 4,917 tonnes | 94.31 million tonnes | 94.30 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 1910s | 101,027 tonnes | 216.42 million tonnes | 216.32 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 1920s | 540,324 tonnes | 463.09 million tonnes | 462.55 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 1930s | 2.15 million tonnes | 752.38 million tonnes | 750.24 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 1940s | 8.57 million tonnes | 1.18 billion tonnes | 1.17 billion tonnes | South Africa |
| 1950s | 39.36 million tonnes | 1.83 billion tonnes | 1.79 billion tonnes | South Africa |
| 1960s | 188.76 million tonnes | 2.84 billion tonnes | 2.66 billion tonnes | South Africa |
| 1970s | 728.53 million tonnes | 4.39 billion tonnes | 3.66 billion tonnes | South Africa |
| 1980s | 2.03 billion tonnes | 6.84 billion tonnes | 4.81 billion tonnes | South Africa |
| 1990s | 4.66 billion tonnes | 10.14 billion tonnes | 5.48 billion tonnes | South Africa |
| 2000s | 9.05 billion tonnes | 13.99 billion tonnes | 4.94 billion tonnes | South Africa |
| 2010s | 14.81 billion tonnes | 18.58 billion tonnes | 3.77 billion tonnes | South Africa |
| 2020s | 19.52 billion tonnes | 21.95 billion tonnes | 2.43 billion tonnes | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher cumulative co₂ emissions by world region, South Korea or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 22.83 billion tonnes against 20.71 billion tonnes in South Korea as of 2024.
- What is the difference in cumulative co₂ emissions by world region between South Korea and South Africa?
- 2.12 billion tonnes, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Korea and South Africa?
- 116 years are reported by both, from 1905 to 2024.
- How do South Korea and South Africa rank globally for cumulative co₂ emissions by world region?
- South Korea ranks 16th and South Africa ranks 13th of 215 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Cumulative CO₂ emissions by world region. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Total cumulative emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂), excluding land-use change, since the first year of available data, measured in tonnes.