Australia vs South Africa: Production vs. consumption-based carbon intensity of energy

Australia
0.253 kg CO₂ per kWh
in 2017
South Africa
0.2637 kg CO₂ per kWh
in 2019
Australia rank
5th
South Africa rank
2nd

Production vs. consumption-based carbon intensity of energy over time

  • Australia
  • South Africa
00.10.20.3199520072019

How they compare

South Africa currently reports 0.2637 kg CO₂ per kWh against 0.253 kg CO₂ per kWh in Australia, a difference of 0.0107 kg CO₂ per kWh.

The two have swapped places 4 times across 23 shared years of data; in 1995 it was South Africa ahead.

Australia ranks 5th and South Africa ranks 2nd of 43 countries.

South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Australia South Africa Difference Ahead
1990s 0.2539 kg CO₂ per kWh 0.2653 kg CO₂ per kWh 0.0114 kg CO₂ per kWh South Africa
2000s 0.2463 kg CO₂ per kWh 0.2775 kg CO₂ per kWh 0.0312 kg CO₂ per kWh South Africa
2010s 0.2526 kg CO₂ per kWh 0.2781 kg CO₂ per kWh 0.0254 kg CO₂ per kWh South Africa

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher production vs. consumption-based carbon intensity of energy, Australia or South Africa?
South Africa, at 0.2637 kg CO₂ per kWh against 0.253 kg CO₂ per kWh in Australia as of 2019.
What is the difference in production vs. consumption-based carbon intensity of energy between Australia and South Africa?
0.0107 kg CO₂ per kWh, with South Africa ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and South Africa?
23 years are reported by both, from 1995 to 2017.
How do Australia and South Africa rank globally for production vs. consumption-based carbon intensity of energy?
Australia ranks 5th and South Africa ranks 2nd of 43 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Kulionis (2021) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Production vs. consumption-based carbon intensity of energy. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Australia vs South Africa: Production vs. consumption-based carbon intensity of energy. Statizoid, drawing on Kulionis (2021) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 24 September 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/compare/production-consumption-carbon-intensity-energy/australia/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Production vs. consumption-based carbon intensity of energy
Unit
kg CO₂ per kWh
Source
Kulionis (2021) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
43 places, 1,063 data points, 1995–2019
Last refreshed

Carbon intensity is measured in kilograms of carbon dioxide (CO₂) emitted per kilowatt-hour of energy. Consumption-based metrics adjust for the energy or emissions embedded in traded goods: it is production-based emissions and energy minus exported goods; plus the energy or emissions from imported goods.