Australia vs South Africa: Share of global CO₂ emissions vs. share of population
Australia
1.0%
in 2024
South Africa
1.1%
in 2024
Australia rank
16th
South Africa rank
15th
Share of global CO₂ emissions vs. share of population over time
- Australia
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 1.1% against 1.0% in Australia, a difference of 0.1%.
That makes South Africa's figure about 1.1 times Australia's.
The two have swapped places 15 times across 141 shared years of data; in 1884 it was Australia ahead.
Australia ranks 16th and South Africa ranks 15th of 215 countries.
Across the 15 decades both report, Australia averaged higher in 4 and South Africa in 11.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Australia | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 0.5% | 0.0% | 0.5% | Australia |
| 1890s | 0.5% | 0.2% | 0.3% | Australia |
| 1900s | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.2% | Australia |
| 1910s | 0.7% | 0.6% | 0.1% | Australia |
| 1920s | 0.7% | 0.7% | 0.0% | South Africa |
| 1930s | 0.7% | 0.8% | 0.1% | South Africa |
| 1940s | 0.8% | 1.1% | 0.2% | South Africa |
| 1950s | 1.0% | 1.1% | 0.1% | South Africa |
| 1960s | 1.0% | 1.1% | 0.1% | South Africa |
| 1970s | 1.0% | 1.1% | 0.1% | South Africa |
| 1980s | 1.1% | 1.5% | 0.4% | South Africa |
| 1990s | 1.3% | 1.5% | 0.2% | South Africa |
| 2000s | 1.3% | 1.5% | 0.1% | South Africa |
| 2010s | 1.1% | 1.3% | 0.2% | South Africa |
| 2020s | 1.0% | 1.2% | 0.1% | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of global co₂ emissions vs. share of population, Australia or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 1.1% against 1.0% in Australia as of 2024.
- What is the difference in share of global co₂ emissions vs. share of population between Australia and South Africa?
- 0.1%, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and South Africa?
- 141 years are reported by both, from 1884 to 2024.
- How do Australia and South Africa rank globally for share of global co₂ emissions vs. share of population?
- Australia ranks 16th and South Africa ranks 15th of 215 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of global CO₂ emissions vs. share of population. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Annual total emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂), excluding land-use change, measured as a percentage of global emissions of CO₂ in the same year.