Japan vs South Africa: Per capita GHG emissions vs. per capita CO₂ emissions
Japan
8.14 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person
in 2024
South Africa
8.48 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person
in 2024
Japan rank
52nd
South Africa rank
49th
Per capita GHG emissions vs. per capita CO₂ emissions over time
- Japan
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 8.48 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person against 8.14 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in Japan, a difference of 0.34 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person.
The two have swapped places 8 times across 175 shared years of data; in 1850 it was South Africa ahead.
Japan ranks 52nd and South Africa ranks 49th of 198 countries.
South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 18 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Japan | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850s | 0.7022 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.19 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.4874 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | South Africa |
| 1860s | 0.7215 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.59 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.8674 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | South Africa |
| 1870s | 0.8103 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 3.58 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 2.77 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | South Africa |
| 1880s | 0.9721 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 3.11 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 2.14 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | South Africa |
| 1890s | 1.3 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 4.42 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 3.12 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | South Africa |
| 1900s | 1.79 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 6.15 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 4.36 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | South Africa |
| 1910s | 2.31 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 7.75 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 5.44 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | South Africa |
| 1920s | 2.67 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 8.66 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 5.99 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | South Africa |
| 1930s | 2.86 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 8.2 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 5.34 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | South Africa |
| 1940s | 2.85 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10.73 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 7.88 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | South Africa |
| 1950s | 3.01 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 12.2 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 9.18 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | South Africa |
| 1960s | 5.27 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 11.27 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 6 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | South Africa |
| 1970s | 8.81 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10.9 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 2.09 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | South Africa |
| 1980s | 8.43 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 11.98 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 3.55 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | South Africa |
| 1990s | 10.17 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10.87 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.6959 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | South Africa |
| 2000s | 10.19 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 11.04 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.8469 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | South Africa |
| 2010s | 9.88 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10.2 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.3198 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | South Africa |
| 2020s | 8.48 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 8.68 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.1994 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | South Africa |
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?
- South Africa, at 8.48 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person against 8.14 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in Japan as of 2024.
- What is the difference in per capita ghg emissions vs. per capita co₂ emissions between Japan and South Africa?
- 0.34 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person, with South Africa 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 52nd and South Africa ranks 49th of 198 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.