Argentina vs South Africa: Annual greenhouse gas emissions by world region
Argentina
416.98 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 2024
South Africa
542.73 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 2024
Argentina rank
21st
South Africa rank
18th
Annual greenhouse gas emissions by world region over time
- Argentina
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 542.73 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents against 416.98 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in Argentina, a difference of 125.75 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents.
That makes South Africa's figure about 1.3 times Argentina's.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 175 shared years of data; in 1850 it was Argentina ahead.
Argentina ranks 21st and South Africa ranks 18th of 199 countries.
Across the 18 decades both report, Argentina averaged higher in 13 and South Africa in 5.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Argentina | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850s | 19.55 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.76 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 15.79 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Argentina |
| 1860s | 24.81 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5.60 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 19.22 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Argentina |
| 1870s | 31.76 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 14.06 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 17.70 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Argentina |
| 1880s | 39.42 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 13.53 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 25.88 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Argentina |
| 1890s | 52.44 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 21.55 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 30.89 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Argentina |
| 1900s | 112.30 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 34.43 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 77.87 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Argentina |
| 1910s | 166.76 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 50.91 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 115.85 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Argentina |
| 1920s | 224.33 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 68.11 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 156.22 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Argentina |
| 1930s | 189.79 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 79.23 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 110.56 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Argentina |
| 1940s | 135.84 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 126.19 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 9.65 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Argentina |
| 1950s | 190.08 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 176.30 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 13.78 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Argentina |
| 1960s | 260.77 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 212.11 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 48.66 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Argentina |
| 1970s | 284.14 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 276.43 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 7.71 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Argentina |
| 1980s | 282.29 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 413.65 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 131.37 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 1990s | 310.37 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 479.12 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 168.75 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 2000s | 443.61 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 545.06 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 101.45 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 2010s | 430.61 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 569.41 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 138.81 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 2020s | 422.26 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 540.90 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 118.64 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher annual greenhouse gas emissions by world region, Argentina or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 542.73 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents against 416.98 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in Argentina as of 2024.
- What is the difference in annual greenhouse gas emissions by world region between Argentina and South Africa?
- 125.75 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Argentina and South Africa?
- 175 years are reported by both, from 1850 to 2024.
- How do Argentina and South Africa rank globally for annual greenhouse gas emissions by world region?
- Argentina ranks 21st and South Africa ranks 18th of 199 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Annual greenhouse gas emissions by world region. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Greenhouse gas emissions are measured in tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalents over a 100-year timescale.