South Africa vs Viet Nam: Annual greenhouse gas emissions by world region
South Africa
542.73 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 2024
Viet Nam
583.50 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 2024
South Africa rank
18th
Viet Nam rank
17th
Annual greenhouse gas emissions by world region over time
- South Africa
- Viet Nam
How they compare
Viet Nam currently reports 583.50 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents against 542.73 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in South Africa, a difference of 40.77 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents.
That makes Viet Nam's figure about 1.1 times South Africa's.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 175 shared years of data; in 1850 it was Viet Nam ahead.
South Africa ranks 18th and Viet Nam ranks 17th of 199 countries.
Across the 18 decades both report, South Africa averaged higher in 10 and Viet Nam in 8.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | Viet Nam | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850s | 3.76 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 33.14 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 29.38 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Viet Nam |
| 1860s | 5.60 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 34.82 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 29.23 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Viet Nam |
| 1870s | 14.06 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 51.78 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 37.72 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Viet Nam |
| 1880s | 13.53 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 67.37 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 53.83 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Viet Nam |
| 1890s | 21.55 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 77.15 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 55.60 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Viet Nam |
| 1900s | 34.43 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 82.71 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 48.28 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Viet Nam |
| 1910s | 50.91 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 76.52 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 25.61 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Viet Nam |
| 1920s | 68.11 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 48.40 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 19.70 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 1930s | 79.23 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 38.75 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 40.48 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 1940s | 126.19 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 34.60 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 91.59 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 1950s | 176.30 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 100.95 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 75.35 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 1960s | 212.11 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 113.90 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 98.21 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 1970s | 276.43 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 125.52 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 150.91 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 1980s | 413.65 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 118.60 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 295.06 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 1990s | 479.12 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 202.68 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 276.44 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 2000s | 545.06 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 315.99 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 229.07 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 2010s | 569.41 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 458.33 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 111.08 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 2020s | 540.90 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 559.12 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 18.22 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Viet Nam |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher annual greenhouse gas emissions by world region, South Africa or Viet Nam?
- Viet Nam, at 583.50 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 Africa and Viet Nam?
- 40.77 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents, with Viet Nam ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Viet Nam?
- 175 years are reported by both, from 1850 to 2024.
- How do South Africa and Viet Nam rank globally for annual greenhouse gas emissions by world region?
- South Africa ranks 18th and Viet Nam ranks 17th 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.