South Africa vs United Kingdom: Share of global CO₂ emissions vs. share of population
South Africa
1.1%
in 2024
United Kingdom
0.8%
in 2024
South Africa rank
15th
United Kingdom rank
18th
Share of global CO₂ emissions vs. share of population over time
- South Africa
- United Kingdom
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 1.1% against 0.8% in United Kingdom, a difference of 0.3%.
That makes South Africa's figure about 1.4 times United Kingdom's.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 141 shared years of data; in 1884 it was United Kingdom ahead.
South Africa ranks 15th and United Kingdom ranks 18th of 215 countries.
Across the 15 decades both report, South Africa averaged higher in 2 and United Kingdom in 13.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | United Kingdom | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 0.0% | 29.8% | 29.8% | United Kingdom |
| 1890s | 0.2% | 24.5% | 24.3% | United Kingdom |
| 1900s | 0.4% | 18.5% | 18.1% | United Kingdom |
| 1910s | 0.6% | 14.7% | 14.1% | United Kingdom |
| 1920s | 0.7% | 11.7% | 11.0% | United Kingdom |
| 1930s | 0.8% | 11.7% | 10.9% | United Kingdom |
| 1940s | 1.1% | 9.8% | 8.8% | United Kingdom |
| 1950s | 1.1% | 7.6% | 6.5% | United Kingdom |
| 1960s | 1.1% | 5.5% | 4.4% | United Kingdom |
| 1970s | 1.1% | 3.7% | 2.6% | United Kingdom |
| 1980s | 1.5% | 2.8% | 1.3% | United Kingdom |
| 1990s | 1.5% | 2.5% | 1.0% | United Kingdom |
| 2000s | 1.5% | 2.0% | 0.5% | United Kingdom |
| 2010s | 1.3% | 1.2% | 0.1% | South Africa |
| 2020s | 1.2% | 0.9% | 0.3% | 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, South Africa or United Kingdom?
- South Africa, at 1.1% against 0.8% in United Kingdom as of 2024.
- What is the difference in share of global co₂ emissions vs. share of population between South Africa and United Kingdom?
- 0.3%, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and United Kingdom?
- 141 years are reported by both, from 1884 to 2024.
- How do South Africa and United Kingdom rank globally for share of global co₂ emissions vs. share of population?
- South Africa ranks 15th and United Kingdom ranks 18th 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.