South Korea vs South Africa: Per capita CO₂ emissions from coal
South Korea
4.78 tonnes per person
in 2024
South Africa
5.8 tonnes per person
in 2024
South Korea rank
9th
South Africa rank
7th
Per capita CO₂ emissions from coal over time
- South Korea
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 5.8 tonnes per person against 4.78 tonnes per person in South Korea, a difference of 1.02 tonnes per person.
That makes South Africa's figure about 1.2 times South Korea's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 115 shared years of data; in 1905 it was South Africa ahead.
South Korea ranks 9th and South Africa ranks 7th of 179 countries.
South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 13 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Korea | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0.0005 tonnes per person | 2.14 tonnes per person | 2.14 tonnes per person | South Africa |
| 1910s | 0.0021 tonnes per person | 2.95 tonnes per person | 2.94 tonnes per person | South Africa |
| 1920s | 0.0061 tonnes per person | 3.51 tonnes per person | 3.5 tonnes per person | South Africa |
| 1930s | 0.0195 tonnes per person | 3.22 tonnes per person | 3.2 tonnes per person | South Africa |
| 1940s | 0.0613 tonnes per person | 4.37 tonnes per person | 4.31 tonnes per person | South Africa |
| 1950s | 0.2141 tonnes per person | 4.89 tonnes per person | 4.68 tonnes per person | South Africa |
| 1960s | 0.604 tonnes per person | 5.51 tonnes per person | 4.91 tonnes per person | South Africa |
| 1970s | 0.8799 tonnes per person | 5.78 tonnes per person | 4.9 tonnes per person | South Africa |
| 1980s | 1.89 tonnes per person | 7.41 tonnes per person | 5.52 tonnes per person | South Africa |
| 1990s | 2.48 tonnes per person | 6.87 tonnes per person | 4.39 tonnes per person | South Africa |
| 2000s | 4.38 tonnes per person | 7.5 tonnes per person | 3.12 tonnes per person | South Africa |
| 2010s | 6.41 tonnes per person | 7.07 tonnes per person | 0.6549 tonnes per person | South Africa |
| 2020s | 5.22 tonnes per person | 5.88 tonnes per person | 0.6655 tonnes per person | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher per capita co₂ emissions from coal, South Korea or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 5.8 tonnes per person against 4.78 tonnes per person in South Korea as of 2024.
- What is the difference in per capita co₂ emissions from coal between South Korea and South Africa?
- 1.02 tonnes per person, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Korea and South Africa?
- 115 years are reported by both, from 1905 to 2024.
- How do South Korea and South Africa rank globally for per capita co₂ emissions from coal?
- South Korea ranks 9th and South Africa ranks 7th of 179 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Global Carbon Budget (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Per capita CO₂ emissions from coal. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Annual emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from coal, measured in tonnes per person.