Mexico vs South Africa: Cumulative CO₂ emissions by world region
Mexico
22.02 billion tonnes
in 2024
South Africa
22.83 billion tonnes
in 2024
Mexico rank
14th
South Africa rank
13th
Cumulative CO₂ emissions by world region over time
- Mexico
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 22.83 billion tonnes against 22.02 billion tonnes in Mexico, a difference of 811.10 million tonnes.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 141 shared years of data; in 1884 it was Mexico ahead.
Mexico ranks 14th and South Africa ranks 13th of 215 countries.
Across the 15 decades both report, Mexico averaged higher in 3 and South Africa in 12.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Mexico | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 1.29 million tonnes | 156,941 tonnes | 1.13 million tonnes | Mexico |
| 1890s | 9.45 million tonnes | 10.60 million tonnes | 1.15 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 1900s | 47.44 million tonnes | 68.32 million tonnes | 20.88 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 1910s | 153.80 million tonnes | 221.99 million tonnes | 68.18 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 1920s | 653.79 million tonnes | 463.09 million tonnes | 190.69 million tonnes | Mexico |
| 1930s | 955.68 million tonnes | 752.38 million tonnes | 203.30 million tonnes | Mexico |
| 1940s | 1.18 billion tonnes | 1.18 billion tonnes | 910,400 tonnes | South Africa |
| 1950s | 1.50 billion tonnes | 1.83 billion tonnes | 329.47 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 1960s | 2.11 billion tonnes | 2.84 billion tonnes | 738.48 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 1970s | 3.30 billion tonnes | 4.39 billion tonnes | 1.09 billion tonnes | South Africa |
| 1980s | 5.74 billion tonnes | 6.84 billion tonnes | 1.10 billion tonnes | South Africa |
| 1990s | 8.94 billion tonnes | 10.14 billion tonnes | 1.20 billion tonnes | South Africa |
| 2000s | 12.92 billion tonnes | 13.99 billion tonnes | 1.08 billion tonnes | South Africa |
| 2010s | 17.63 billion tonnes | 18.58 billion tonnes | 952.19 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 2020s | 21.10 billion tonnes | 21.95 billion tonnes | 852.50 million tonnes | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher cumulative co₂ emissions by world region, Mexico or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 22.83 billion tonnes against 22.02 billion tonnes in Mexico as of 2024.
- What is the difference in cumulative co₂ emissions by world region between Mexico and South Africa?
- 811.10 million tonnes, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Mexico and South Africa?
- 141 years are reported by both, from 1884 to 2024.
- How do Mexico and South Africa rank globally for cumulative co₂ emissions by world region?
- Mexico ranks 14th 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.