South Korea vs South Africa: Annual greenhouse gas emissions by world region
South Korea
630.57 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 2024
South Africa
542.73 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 2024
South Korea rank
15th
South Africa rank
18th
Annual greenhouse gas emissions by world region over time
- South Korea
- South Africa
How they compare
South Korea currently reports 630.57 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents against 542.73 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in South Africa, a difference of 87.84 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents.
That makes South Korea's figure about 1.2 times South Africa's.
The two have swapped places 6 times across 175 shared years of data; in 1850 it was South Korea ahead.
South Korea ranks 15th and South Africa ranks 18th of 199 countries.
Across the 18 decades both report, South Korea averaged higher in 4 and South Africa in 14.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Korea | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850s | 9.47 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.76 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5.71 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Korea |
| 1860s | 8.58 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5.60 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.99 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Korea |
| 1870s | 8.44 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 14.06 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5.62 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 1880s | 7.54 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 13.53 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5.99 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 1890s | 7.39 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 21.55 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 14.16 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 1900s | 7.93 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 34.43 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 26.50 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 1910s | 14.16 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 50.91 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 36.75 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 1920s | 21.48 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 68.11 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 46.62 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 1930s | 21.34 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 79.23 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 57.89 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 1940s | 28.72 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 126.19 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 97.47 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 1950s | 30.16 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 176.30 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 146.14 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 1960s | 53.00 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 212.11 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 159.11 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 1970s | 115.98 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 276.43 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 160.45 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 1980s | 206.99 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 413.65 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 206.66 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 1990s | 393.65 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 479.12 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 85.47 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 2000s | 529.25 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 545.06 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 15.81 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 2010s | 671.30 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 569.41 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 101.89 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Korea |
| 2020s | 641.83 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 540.90 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 100.93 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Korea |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher annual greenhouse gas emissions by world region, South Korea or South Africa?
- South Korea, at 630.57 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 South Korea and South Africa?
- 87.84 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents, with South Korea ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Korea and South Africa?
- 175 years are reported by both, from 1850 to 2024.
- How do South Korea and South Africa rank globally for annual greenhouse gas emissions by world region?
- South Korea ranks 15th 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.