Belgium vs South Africa: Per capita CO₂ emissions including land-use change
Belgium
7.61 tonnes per person
in 2024
South Africa
6.93 tonnes per person
in 2024
Belgium rank
36th
South Africa rank
39th
Per capita CO₂ emissions including land-use change over time
- Belgium
- South Africa
How they compare
Belgium currently reports 7.61 tonnes per person against 6.93 tonnes per person in South Africa, a difference of 0.68 tonnes per person.
That makes Belgium's figure about 1.1 times South Africa's.
The two have swapped places 6 times across 141 shared years of data; in 1884 it was Belgium ahead.
Belgium ranks 36th and South Africa ranks 39th of 194 countries.
Across the 15 decades both report, Belgium averaged higher in 11 and South Africa in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Belgium | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 7.03 tonnes per person | 3.39 tonnes per person | 3.64 tonnes per person | Belgium |
| 1890s | 7.61 tonnes per person | 5.46 tonnes per person | 2.14 tonnes per person | Belgium |
| 1900s | 8.42 tonnes per person | 7.22 tonnes per person | 1.2 tonnes per person | Belgium |
| 1910s | 7.07 tonnes per person | 7.96 tonnes per person | 0.898 tonnes per person | South Africa |
| 1920s | 9.84 tonnes per person | 8.44 tonnes per person | 1.4 tonnes per person | Belgium |
| 1930s | 9.66 tonnes per person | 7.79 tonnes per person | 1.86 tonnes per person | Belgium |
| 1940s | 7.2 tonnes per person | 10.44 tonnes per person | 3.24 tonnes per person | South Africa |
| 1950s | 9.65 tonnes per person | 11.61 tonnes per person | 1.96 tonnes per person | South Africa |
| 1960s | 10.93 tonnes per person | 10.4 tonnes per person | 0.5257 tonnes per person | Belgium |
| 1970s | 13.16 tonnes per person | 10.09 tonnes per person | 3.07 tonnes per person | Belgium |
| 1980s | 10.73 tonnes per person | 10.79 tonnes per person | 0.0617 tonnes per person | South Africa |
| 1990s | 12.68 tonnes per person | 9.71 tonnes per person | 2.97 tonnes per person | Belgium |
| 2000s | 12.07 tonnes per person | 9.51 tonnes per person | 2.56 tonnes per person | Belgium |
| 2010s | 9.38 tonnes per person | 8.38 tonnes per person | 0.9934 tonnes per person | Belgium |
| 2020s | 7.95 tonnes per person | 7.05 tonnes per person | 0.8982 tonnes per person | Belgium |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher per capita co₂ emissions including land-use change, Belgium or South Africa?
- Belgium, at 7.61 tonnes per person against 6.93 tonnes per person in South Africa as of 2024.
- What is the difference in per capita co₂ emissions including land-use change between Belgium and South Africa?
- 0.68 tonnes per person, with Belgium ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Belgium and South Africa?
- 141 years are reported by both, from 1884 to 2024.
- How do Belgium and South Africa rank globally for per capita co₂ emissions including land-use change?
- Belgium ranks 36th and South Africa ranks 39th of 194 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 including land-use change. 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), including land-use change, measured in tonnes per person.