Kuwait vs South Africa: Cumulative CO₂ emissions from oil
Kuwait
2.25 billion tonnes
in 2024
South Africa
2.61 billion tonnes
in 2024
Kuwait rank
38th
South Africa rank
35th
Cumulative CO₂ emissions from oil over time
- Kuwait
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 2.61 billion tonnes against 2.25 billion tonnes in Kuwait, a difference of 368.63 million tonnes.
That makes South Africa's figure about 1.2 times Kuwait's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 79 shared years of data; in 1946 it was Kuwait ahead.
Kuwait ranks 38th and South Africa ranks 35th of 215 countries.
Across the 9 decades both report, Kuwait averaged higher in 1 and South Africa in 8.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Kuwait | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 7.95 million tonnes | 0 tonnes | 7.95 million tonnes | Kuwait |
| 1950s | 15.05 million tonnes | 35.46 million tonnes | 20.41 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 1960s | 72.09 million tonnes | 141.63 million tonnes | 69.55 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 1970s | 106.56 million tonnes | 392.03 million tonnes | 285.47 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 1980s | 189.32 million tonnes | 782.77 million tonnes | 593.45 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 1990s | 813.96 million tonnes | 1.19 billion tonnes | 374.31 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 2000s | 1.23 billion tonnes | 1.56 billion tonnes | 331.31 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 2010s | 1.74 billion tonnes | 2.09 billion tonnes | 354.76 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 2020s | 2.11 billion tonnes | 2.50 billion tonnes | 384.38 million tonnes | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher cumulative co₂ emissions from oil, Kuwait or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 2.61 billion tonnes against 2.25 billion tonnes in Kuwait as of 2024.
- What is the difference in cumulative co₂ emissions from oil between Kuwait and South Africa?
- 368.63 million tonnes, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Kuwait and South Africa?
- 79 years are reported by both, from 1946 to 2024.
- How do Kuwait and South Africa rank globally for cumulative co₂ emissions from oil?
- Kuwait ranks 38th and South Africa ranks 35th 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 from oil. 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 oil since the first year of available data, measured in tonnes.