Poland vs South Africa: Per capita greenhouse gas emissions
Poland
8.62 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person
in 2024
South Africa
8.48 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person
in 2024
Poland rank
47th
South Africa rank
50th
Per capita greenhouse gas emissions over time
- Poland
- South Africa
How they compare
Poland currently reports 8.62 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person against 8.48 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in South Africa, a difference of 0.14 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person.
The two have swapped places 6 times across 175 shared years of data; in 1850 it was Poland ahead.
Poland ranks 47th and South Africa ranks 50th of 199 countries.
Across the 18 decades both report, Poland averaged higher in 10 and South Africa in 8.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Poland | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850s | 4.36 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.19 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 3.18 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Poland |
| 1860s | 4.51 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.59 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 2.92 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Poland |
| 1870s | 5.06 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 3.58 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.49 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Poland |
| 1880s | 5.12 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 3.11 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 2.01 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Poland |
| 1890s | 5.22 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 4.42 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.8008 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Poland |
| 1900s | 5.85 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 6.15 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.3065 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | South Africa |
| 1910s | 5.68 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 7.75 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 2.07 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | South Africa |
| 1920s | 4.93 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 8.66 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 3.72 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | South Africa |
| 1930s | 3.79 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 8.2 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 4.42 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | South Africa |
| 1940s | 6.38 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10.73 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 4.34 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | South Africa |
| 1950s | 8.94 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 12.2 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 3.26 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | South Africa |
| 1960s | 12.69 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 11.27 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.42 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Poland |
| 1970s | 16.58 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10.9 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 5.68 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Poland |
| 1980s | 16.83 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 11.98 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 4.85 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Poland |
| 1990s | 12.63 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10.87 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.76 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Poland |
| 2000s | 10.37 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 11.04 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.6748 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | South Africa |
| 2010s | 10.06 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10.2 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.1464 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | South Africa |
| 2020s | 9.43 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 8.68 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.7456 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Poland |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher per capita greenhouse gas emissions, Poland or South Africa?
- Poland, at 8.62 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person against 8.48 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in South Africa as of 2024.
- What is the difference in per capita greenhouse gas emissions between Poland and South Africa?
- 0.14 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person, with Poland ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Poland and South Africa?
- 175 years are reported by both, from 1850 to 2024.
- How do Poland and South Africa rank globally for per capita greenhouse gas emissions?
- Poland ranks 47th and South Africa ranks 50th of 199 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 greenhouse gas 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.