Madagascar vs South Africa: Cumulative CO₂ emissions from land-use change
Madagascar
6.79 billion tonnes
in 2024
South Africa
7.22 billion tonnes
in 2024
Madagascar rank
27th
South Africa rank
25th
Cumulative CO₂ emissions from land-use change over time
- Madagascar
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 7.22 billion tonnes against 6.79 billion tonnes in Madagascar, a difference of 435.71 million tonnes.
That makes South Africa's figure about 1.1 times Madagascar's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 175 shared years of data; in 1850 it was Madagascar ahead.
Madagascar ranks 27th and South Africa ranks 25th of 197 countries.
Across the 18 decades both report, Madagascar averaged higher in 5 and South Africa in 13.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Madagascar | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850s | 88.99 million tonnes | 16.14 million tonnes | 72.85 million tonnes | Madagascar |
| 1860s | 224.60 million tonnes | 59.14 million tonnes | 165.47 million tonnes | Madagascar |
| 1870s | 371.91 million tonnes | 185.04 million tonnes | 186.87 million tonnes | Madagascar |
| 1880s | 546.54 million tonnes | 378.22 million tonnes | 168.32 million tonnes | Madagascar |
| 1890s | 650.90 million tonnes | 570.60 million tonnes | 80.30 million tonnes | Madagascar |
| 1900s | 633.31 million tonnes | 851.28 million tonnes | 217.96 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 1910s | 600.95 million tonnes | 1.17 billion tonnes | 573.93 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 1920s | 731.81 million tonnes | 1.53 billion tonnes | 798.26 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 1930s | 1.16 billion tonnes | 1.95 billion tonnes | 786.11 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 1940s | 1.82 billion tonnes | 2.52 billion tonnes | 697.03 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 1950s | 2.65 billion tonnes | 3.32 billion tonnes | 672.13 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 1960s | 3.51 billion tonnes | 4.17 billion tonnes | 652.52 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 1970s | 4.03 billion tonnes | 4.90 billion tonnes | 869.35 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 1980s | 4.59 billion tonnes | 5.57 billion tonnes | 983.64 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 1990s | 5.08 billion tonnes | 6.36 billion tonnes | 1.28 billion tonnes | South Africa |
| 2000s | 6.01 billion tonnes | 6.98 billion tonnes | 971.20 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 2010s | 6.48 billion tonnes | 7.20 billion tonnes | 715.78 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 2020s | 6.73 billion tonnes | 7.22 billion tonnes | 489.79 million tonnes | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher cumulative co₂ emissions from land-use change, Madagascar or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 7.22 billion tonnes against 6.79 billion tonnes in Madagascar as of 2024.
- What is the difference in cumulative co₂ emissions from land-use change between Madagascar and South Africa?
- 435.71 million tonnes, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Madagascar and South Africa?
- 175 years are reported by both, from 1850 to 2024.
- How do Madagascar and South Africa rank globally for cumulative co₂ emissions from land-use change?
- Madagascar ranks 27th and South Africa ranks 25th of 197 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Cumulative CO₂ emissions from land-use change. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Cumulative emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from land-use change since the first year of available data, measured in tonnes.