Australia vs South Africa: Kaya identity: drivers of CO₂ emissions
Australia
386.73 million tonnes
in 2024
South Africa
439.83 million tonnes
in 2024
Australia rank
16th
South Africa rank
15th
Kaya identity: drivers of CO₂ emissions over time
- Australia
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 439.83 million tonnes against 386.73 million tonnes in Australia, a difference of 53.10 million tonnes.
That makes South Africa's figure about 1.1 times Australia's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 60 shared years of data; in 1965 it was South Africa ahead.
Australia ranks 16th and South Africa ranks 15th of 215 countries.
South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Australia | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 123.36 million tonnes | 134.25 million tonnes | 10.89 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 1970s | 169.71 million tonnes | 183.77 million tonnes | 14.06 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 1980s | 224.21 million tonnes | 303.96 million tonnes | 79.75 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 1990s | 303.93 million tonnes | 346.21 million tonnes | 42.29 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 2000s | 380.94 million tonnes | 425.73 million tonnes | 44.79 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 2010s | 405.77 million tonnes | 461.99 million tonnes | 56.22 million tonnes | South Africa |
| 2020s | 388.43 million tonnes | 436.00 million tonnes | 47.57 million tonnes | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher kaya identity: drivers of co₂ emissions, Australia or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 439.83 million tonnes against 386.73 million tonnes in Australia as of 2024.
- What is the difference in kaya identity: drivers of co₂ emissions between Australia and South Africa?
- 53.10 million tonnes, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and South Africa?
- 60 years are reported by both, from 1965 to 2024.
- How do Australia and South Africa rank globally for kaya identity: drivers of co₂ emissions?
- Australia ranks 16th and South Africa ranks 15th of 215 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Kaya identity: drivers of CO₂ emissions. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Annual total emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂), excluding land-use change, measured in tonnes.