South Africa vs Tanzania: Cumulative CO₂ emissions from land-use change
South Africa
7.22 billion tonnes
in 2024
Tanzania
8.18 billion tonnes
in 2024
South Africa rank
25th
Tanzania rank
23rd
Cumulative CO₂ emissions from land-use change over time
- South Africa
- Tanzania
How they compare
Tanzania currently reports 8.18 billion tonnes against 7.22 billion tonnes in South Africa, a difference of 954.12 million tonnes.
That makes Tanzania's figure about 1.1 times South Africa's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 175 shared years of data; in 1850 it was Tanzania ahead.
South Africa ranks 25th and Tanzania ranks 23rd of 197 countries.
Across the 18 decades both report, South Africa averaged higher in 14 and Tanzania in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | Tanzania | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850s | 16.14 million tonnes | 42.94 million tonnes | 26.80 million tonnes | Tanzania |
| 1860s | 59.14 million tonnes | 70.37 million tonnes | 11.23 million tonnes | Tanzania |
| 1870s | 185.04 million tonnes | 71.33 million tonnes | 113.71 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 1880s | 378.22 million tonnes | 72.39 million tonnes | 305.84 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 1890s | 570.60 million tonnes | 64.81 million tonnes | 505.80 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 1900s | 851.28 million tonnes | -6.68 million tonnes | 857.95 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 1910s | 1.17 billion tonnes | -81.05 million tonnes | 1.26 billion tonnes | South Africa |
| 1920s | 1.53 billion tonnes | -18.35 million tonnes | 1.55 billion tonnes | South Africa |
| 1930s | 1.95 billion tonnes | 271.23 million tonnes | 1.68 billion tonnes | South Africa |
| 1940s | 2.52 billion tonnes | 694.29 million tonnes | 1.82 billion tonnes | South Africa |
| 1950s | 3.32 billion tonnes | 1.37 billion tonnes | 1.96 billion tonnes | South Africa |
| 1960s | 4.17 billion tonnes | 2.39 billion tonnes | 1.78 billion tonnes | South Africa |
| 1970s | 4.90 billion tonnes | 3.42 billion tonnes | 1.48 billion tonnes | South Africa |
| 1980s | 5.57 billion tonnes | 4.35 billion tonnes | 1.22 billion tonnes | South Africa |
| 1990s | 6.36 billion tonnes | 5.02 billion tonnes | 1.34 billion tonnes | South Africa |
| 2000s | 6.98 billion tonnes | 5.93 billion tonnes | 1.05 billion tonnes | South Africa |
| 2010s | 7.20 billion tonnes | 7.32 billion tonnes | 125.33 million tonnes | Tanzania |
| 2020s | 7.22 billion tonnes | 8.03 billion tonnes | 816.49 million tonnes | Tanzania |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher cumulative co₂ emissions from land-use change, South Africa or Tanzania?
- Tanzania, at 8.18 billion tonnes against 7.22 billion tonnes in South Africa as of 2024.
- What is the difference in cumulative co₂ emissions from land-use change between South Africa and Tanzania?
- 954.12 million tonnes, with Tanzania ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Tanzania?
- 175 years are reported by both, from 1850 to 2024.
- How do South Africa and Tanzania rank globally for cumulative co₂ emissions from land-use change?
- South Africa ranks 25th and Tanzania ranks 23rd 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.