Australia vs South Africa: Annual greenhouse gas emissions by world region
Australia
609.92 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 2024
South Africa
542.73 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 2024
Australia rank
16th
South Africa rank
18th
Annual greenhouse gas emissions by world region over time
- Australia
- South Africa
How they compare
Australia currently reports 609.92 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents against 542.73 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in South Africa, a difference of 67.19 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents.
That makes Australia'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 Australia ahead.
Australia ranks 16th and South Africa ranks 18th of 199 countries.
Australia has averaged higher in every one of the 18 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Australia | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850s | 47.02 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.76 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 43.26 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Australia |
| 1860s | 60.44 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5.60 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 54.84 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Australia |
| 1870s | 83.55 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 14.06 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 69.49 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Australia |
| 1880s | 97.27 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 13.53 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 83.73 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Australia |
| 1890s | 117.79 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 21.55 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 96.24 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Australia |
| 1900s | 135.27 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 34.43 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 100.84 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Australia |
| 1910s | 152.04 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 50.91 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 101.13 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Australia |
| 1920s | 217.57 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 68.11 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 149.46 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Australia |
| 1930s | 175.17 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 79.23 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 95.94 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Australia |
| 1940s | 193.53 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 126.19 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 67.33 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Australia |
| 1950s | 317.26 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 176.30 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 140.96 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Australia |
| 1960s | 423.95 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 212.11 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 211.84 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Australia |
| 1970s | 449.57 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 276.43 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 173.14 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Australia |
| 1980s | 507.78 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 413.65 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 94.13 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Australia |
| 1990s | 618.03 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 479.12 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 138.92 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Australia |
| 2000s | 720.85 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 545.06 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 175.79 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Australia |
| 2010s | 729.65 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 569.41 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 160.24 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Australia |
| 2020s | 618.86 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 540.90 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 77.97 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Australia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher annual greenhouse gas emissions by world region, Australia or South Africa?
- Australia, at 609.92 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents against 542.73 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in South Africa as of 2024.
- What is the difference in annual greenhouse gas emissions by world region between Australia and South Africa?
- 67.19 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents, with Australia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and South Africa?
- 175 years are reported by both, from 1850 to 2024.
- How do Australia and South Africa rank globally for annual greenhouse gas emissions by world region?
- Australia ranks 16th 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.