Norway vs South Africa: Per capita greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry
Norway
7.98 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person
in 2024
South Africa
7.94 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person
in 2024
Norway rank
34th
South Africa rank
36th
Per capita greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry over time
- Norway
- South Africa
How they compare
Norway currently reports 7.98 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person against 7.94 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in South Africa, a difference of 0.04 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.
Norway ranks 34th and South Africa ranks 36th of 198 countries.
Across the 18 decades both report, Norway averaged higher in 10 and South Africa in 8.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Norway | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850s | 0.3642 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.3423 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.0219 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Norway |
| 1860s | 0.5024 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.3668 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.1355 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Norway |
| 1870s | 0.6989 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.4039 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.295 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Norway |
| 1880s | 1.07 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.4504 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.6212 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Norway |
| 1890s | 1.64 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.11 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.5271 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Norway |
| 1900s | 2.24 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 2.24 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.0023 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | South Africa |
| 1910s | 2.83 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 3.76 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.9365 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | South Africa |
| 1920s | 2.86 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 4.3 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.44 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | South Africa |
| 1930s | 3.77 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 4.01 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.2338 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | South Africa |
| 1940s | 2.7 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 5.37 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 2.67 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | South Africa |
| 1950s | 4.09 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 6.52 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 2.42 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | South Africa |
| 1960s | 6.68 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 7.52 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.8444 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | South Africa |
| 1970s | 10.22 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 8.41 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.81 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Norway |
| 1980s | 10.11 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10.21 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.0967 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | South Africa |
| 1990s | 10.47 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 9.25 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.23 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Norway |
| 2000s | 11.43 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10.02 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.41 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Norway |
| 2010s | 10.14 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 9.62 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.5203 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Norway |
| 2020s | 8.6 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 8.13 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.4683 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Norway |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher per capita greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry, Norway or South Africa?
- Norway, at 7.98 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 greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry between Norway and South Africa?
- 0.04 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person, with Norway ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Norway and South Africa?
- 175 years are reported by both, from 1850 to 2024.
- How do Norway and South Africa rank globally for per capita greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry?
- Norway ranks 34th and South Africa ranks 36th 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 greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry. 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.