Japan vs South Africa: Per capita GHG emissions vs. per capita CO₂ emissions
Japan
7.97 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person
in 2024
South Africa
7.94 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person
in 2024
Japan rank
35th
South Africa rank
36th
Per capita GHG emissions vs. per capita CO₂ emissions over time
- Japan
- South Africa
How they compare
Japan currently reports 7.97 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person against 7.94 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in South Africa, a difference of 0.03 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person.
The two have swapped places 13 times across 175 shared years of data; in 1850 it was South Africa ahead.
Japan ranks 35th and South Africa ranks 36th of 197 countries.
Across the 18 decades both report, Japan averaged higher in 5 and South Africa in 13.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Japan | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850s | 0.1293 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.3423 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.213 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | South Africa |
| 1860s | 0.1323 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.3668 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.2346 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | South Africa |
| 1870s | 0.1617 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.4039 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.2421 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | South Africa |
| 1880s | 0.2356 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.4504 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.2149 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | South Africa |
| 1890s | 0.4281 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.11 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.6851 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | South Africa |
| 1900s | 0.8074 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 2.24 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.43 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | South Africa |
| 1910s | 1.29 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 3.76 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 2.47 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | South Africa |
| 1920s | 1.56 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 4.3 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 2.74 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | South Africa |
| 1930s | 1.74 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 4.01 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 2.26 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | South Africa |
| 1940s | 1.73 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 5.37 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 3.64 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | South Africa |
| 1950s | 1.98 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 6.52 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 4.53 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | South Africa |
| 1960s | 4.47 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 7.52 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 3.06 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | South Africa |
| 1970s | 8.42 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 8.41 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.0009 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Japan |
| 1980s | 8.22 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10.21 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.98 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | South Africa |
| 1990s | 10.08 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 9.25 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.8282 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Japan |
| 2000s | 10.15 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10.02 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.1354 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Japan |
| 2010s | 9.8 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 9.62 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.1728 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Japan |
| 2020s | 8.32 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 8.13 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.1866 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Japan |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher per capita ghg emissions vs. per capita co₂ emissions, Japan or South Africa?
- Japan, at 7.97 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person against 7.94 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in South Africa as of 2024.
- What is the difference in per capita ghg emissions vs. per capita co₂ emissions between Japan and South Africa?
- 0.03 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person, with Japan ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and South Africa?
- 175 years are reported by both, from 1850 to 2024.
- How do Japan and South Africa rank globally for per capita ghg emissions vs. per capita co₂ emissions?
- Japan ranks 35th and South Africa ranks 36th of 197 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Jones et al. (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Per capita GHG emissions vs. per capita CO₂ emissions. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Greenhouse gas emissions are measured in tonnes per person of carbon dioxide-equivalents over a 100-year timescale.