Mexico vs South Africa: Share of global CO₂ emissions vs. share of population
Mexico
1.2%
in 2024
South Africa
1.1%
in 2024
Mexico rank
14th
South Africa rank
15th
Share of global CO₂ emissions vs. share of population over time
- Mexico
- South Africa
How they compare
Mexico currently reports 1.2% against 1.1% in South Africa, a difference of 0.1%.
The two have swapped places 16 times across 141 shared years of data; in 1884 it was Mexico ahead.
Mexico ranks 14th and South Africa ranks 15th of 215 countries.
Across the 15 decades both report, Mexico averaged higher in 6 and South Africa in 9.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Mexico | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | Mexico |
| 1890s | 0.1% | 0.2% | 0.1% | South Africa |
| 1900s | 0.2% | 0.4% | 0.1% | South Africa |
| 1910s | 0.6% | 0.6% | 0.0% | South Africa |
| 1920s | 1.6% | 0.7% | 0.9% | Mexico |
| 1930s | 0.5% | 0.8% | 0.3% | South Africa |
| 1940s | 0.5% | 1.1% | 0.6% | South Africa |
| 1950s | 0.6% | 1.1% | 0.5% | South Africa |
| 1960s | 0.7% | 1.1% | 0.4% | South Africa |
| 1970s | 1.0% | 1.1% | 0.1% | South Africa |
| 1980s | 1.5% | 1.5% | 0.1% | South Africa |
| 1990s | 1.5% | 1.5% | 0.0% | Mexico |
| 2000s | 1.5% | 1.5% | 0.1% | Mexico |
| 2010s | 1.4% | 1.3% | 0.0% | Mexico |
| 2020s | 1.2% | 1.2% | 0.0% | Mexico |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of global co₂ emissions vs. share of population, Mexico or South Africa?
- Mexico, at 1.2% against 1.1% in South Africa as of 2024.
- What is the difference in share of global co₂ emissions vs. share of population between Mexico and South Africa?
- 0.1%, with Mexico ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Mexico and South Africa?
- 141 years are reported by both, from 1884 to 2024.
- How do Mexico and South Africa rank globally for share of global co₂ emissions vs. share of population?
- Mexico ranks 14th 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.