China vs South Africa: Production vs. consumption-based carbon intensity of energy
China
0.2583 kg CO₂ per kWh
in 2019
South Africa
0.2637 kg CO₂ per kWh
in 2019
China rank
4th
South Africa rank
2nd
Production vs. consumption-based carbon intensity of energy over time
- China
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 0.2637 kg CO₂ per kWh against 0.2583 kg CO₂ per kWh in China, a difference of 0.0054 kg CO₂ per kWh.
The two have swapped places 7 times across 25 shared years of data; in 1995 it was China ahead.
China ranks 4th and South Africa ranks 2nd of 43 countries.
Across the 3 decades both report, China averaged higher in 1 and South Africa in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.2658 kg CO₂ per kWh | 0.2653 kg CO₂ per kWh | 0.0005 kg CO₂ per kWh | China |
| 2000s | 0.2736 kg CO₂ per kWh | 0.2775 kg CO₂ per kWh | 0.004 kg CO₂ per kWh | South Africa |
| 2010s | 0.2798 kg CO₂ per kWh | 0.282 kg CO₂ per kWh | 0.0022 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, China or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 0.2637 kg CO₂ per kWh against 0.2583 kg CO₂ per kWh in China as of 2019.
- What is the difference in production vs. consumption-based carbon intensity of energy between China and South Africa?
- 0.0054 kg CO₂ per kWh, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and South Africa?
- 25 years are reported by both, from 1995 to 2019.
- How do China and South Africa rank globally for production vs. consumption-based carbon intensity of energy?
- China ranks 4th 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.
Individual pages
About this data
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.