South Africa vs Spain: Nitrous oxide emissions
South Africa
20.29 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 2024
Spain
18.85 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 2024
South Africa rank
28th
Spain rank
31st
Nitrous oxide emissions over time
- South Africa
- Spain
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 20.29 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents against 18.85 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in Spain, a difference of 1.45 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents.
That makes South Africa's figure about 1.1 times Spain's.
The two have swapped places 6 times across 175 shared years of data; in 1850 it was South Africa ahead.
South Africa ranks 28th and Spain ranks 31st of 201 countries.
Across the 18 decades both report, South Africa averaged higher in 11 and Spain in 7.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | Spain | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850s | 1.35 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.22 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 134,428 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 1860s | 1.46 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.31 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 148,999 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 1870s | 1.72 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.57 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 151,690 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 1880s | 2.11 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.96 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 145,783 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 1890s | 2.37 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.49 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 117,288 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Spain |
| 1900s | 2.66 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.85 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 190,070 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Spain |
| 1910s | 3.31 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.86 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 455,288 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 1920s | 4.56 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.20 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.36 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 1930s | 5.09 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.77 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.32 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 1940s | 10.73 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 6.36 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 4.38 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 1950s | 15.45 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10.12 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5.33 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 1960s | 14.36 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 13.96 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 401,820 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 1970s | 16.33 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 18.68 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.35 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Spain |
| 1980s | 17.53 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 21.40 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.87 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Spain |
| 1990s | 20.67 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 22.15 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.48 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Spain |
| 2000s | 20.69 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 22.91 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.23 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Spain |
| 2010s | 20.03 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 21.04 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.01 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Spain |
| 2020s | 20.27 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 20.26 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 8,360 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher nitrous oxide emissions, South Africa or Spain?
- South Africa, at 20.29 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents against 18.85 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in Spain as of 2024.
- What is the difference in nitrous oxide emissions between South Africa and Spain?
- 1.45 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Spain?
- 175 years are reported by both, from 1850 to 2024.
- How do South Africa and Spain rank globally for nitrous oxide emissions?
- South Africa ranks 28th and Spain ranks 31st of 201 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Nitrous oxide emissions. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Measured in tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalents over a 100-year timescale.