Kenya vs South Africa: Greenhouse gas emissions by gas
Kenya
20.51 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 2024
South Africa
20.29 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 2024
Kenya rank
27th
South Africa rank
28th
Greenhouse gas emissions by gas over time
- Kenya
- South Africa
How they compare
Kenya currently reports 20.51 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents against 20.29 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in South Africa, a difference of 212,000 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 175 shared years of data; in 1850 it was South Africa ahead.
Kenya ranks 27th and South Africa ranks 28th of 201 countries.
Across the 18 decades both report, Kenya averaged higher in 1 and South Africa in 17.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Kenya | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850s | 340,746 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.35 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.01 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 1860s | 364,671 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.46 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.09 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 1870s | 449,002 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.72 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.27 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 1880s | 577,047 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.11 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.53 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 1890s | 653,293 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.37 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.72 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 1900s | 736,169 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.66 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.93 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 1910s | 957,087 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.31 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.36 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 1920s | 1.41 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 4.56 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.15 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 1930s | 1.53 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5.09 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.56 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 1940s | 3.48 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10.73 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 7.25 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 1950s | 5.13 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 15.45 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10.32 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 1960s | 4.84 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 14.36 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 9.52 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 1970s | 6.12 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 16.33 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10.21 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 1980s | 8.18 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 17.53 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 9.35 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 1990s | 9.45 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 20.67 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 11.23 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 2000s | 11.52 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 20.69 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 9.16 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 2010s | 16.38 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 20.03 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.65 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 2020s | 20.53 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 20.27 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 262,960 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Kenya |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher greenhouse gas emissions by gas, Kenya or South Africa?
- Kenya, at 20.51 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents against 20.29 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in South Africa as of 2024.
- What is the difference in greenhouse gas emissions by gas between Kenya and South Africa?
- 212,000 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents, with Kenya ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Kenya and South Africa?
- 175 years are reported by both, from 1850 to 2024.
- How do Kenya and South Africa rank globally for greenhouse gas emissions by gas?
- Kenya ranks 27th and South Africa ranks 28th of 201 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Greenhouse gas emissions by gas. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Measured in tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalents over a 100-year timescale.