Australia vs South Africa: Contribution to global mean surface temperature rise from fossil sources
Australia
0.0123 °C
in 2024
South Africa
0.0135 °C
in 2024
Australia rank
19th
South Africa rank
16th
Contribution to global mean surface temperature rise from fossil sources over time
- Australia
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 0.0135 °C against 0.0123 °C in Australia, a difference of 0.0012 °C.
That makes South Africa's figure about 1.1 times Australia's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 174 shared years of data; in 1851 it was Australia ahead.
Australia ranks 19th and South Africa ranks 16th of 214 countries.
Across the 18 decades both report, Australia averaged higher in 14 and South Africa in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Australia | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850s | 0 °C | 0 °C | 0 °C | Australia |
| 1860s | 0 °C | 0 °C | 0 °C | Australia |
| 1870s | 0.0001 °C | 0 °C | 0 °C | Australia |
| 1880s | 0.0001 °C | 0 °C | 0.0001 °C | Australia |
| 1890s | 0.0002 °C | 0.0001 °C | 0.0001 °C | Australia |
| 1900s | 0.0003 °C | 0.0001 °C | 0.0002 °C | Australia |
| 1910s | 0.0004 °C | 0.0002 °C | 0.0002 °C | Australia |
| 1920s | 0.0007 °C | 0.0004 °C | 0.0003 °C | Australia |
| 1930s | 0.0009 °C | 0.0006 °C | 0.0003 °C | Australia |
| 1940s | 0.0011 °C | 0.0008 °C | 0.0003 °C | Australia |
| 1950s | 0.0015 °C | 0.0013 °C | 0.0003 °C | Australia |
| 1960s | 0.0023 °C | 0.0019 °C | 0.0004 °C | Australia |
| 1970s | 0.0033 °C | 0.0029 °C | 0.0005 °C | Australia |
| 1980s | 0.0046 °C | 0.0044 °C | 0.0002 °C | Australia |
| 1990s | 0.0062 °C | 0.0065 °C | 0.0003 °C | South Africa |
| 2000s | 0.0081 °C | 0.0088 °C | 0.0007 °C | South Africa |
| 2010s | 0.0103 °C | 0.0113 °C | 0.001 °C | South Africa |
| 2020s | 0.0119 °C | 0.0131 °C | 0.0011 °C | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher contribution to global mean surface temperature rise from fossil sources, Australia or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 0.0135 °C against 0.0123 °C in Australia as of 2024.
- What is the difference in contribution to global mean surface temperature rise from fossil sources between Australia and South Africa?
- 0.0012 °C, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and South Africa?
- 174 years are reported by both, from 1851 to 2024.
- How do Australia and South Africa rank globally for contribution to global mean surface temperature rise from fossil sources?
- Australia ranks 19th and South Africa ranks 16th of 214 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Contribution to global mean surface temperature rise from fossil sources. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Measured in °C.