Saudi Arabia vs South Africa: Global sulphur dioxide (SO₂) emissions by world region
Saudi Arabia
3.46 million tonnes
in 2022
South Africa
2.83 million tonnes
in 2022
Saudi Arabia rank
5th
South Africa rank
7th
Global sulphur dioxide (SO₂) emissions by world region over time
- Saudi Arabia
- South Africa
How they compare
Saudi Arabia currently reports 3.46 million tonnes against 2.83 million tonnes in South Africa, a difference of 632,090 tonnes.
That makes Saudi Arabia's figure about 1.2 times South Africa's.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 273 shared years of data; in 1750 it was South Africa ahead.
Saudi Arabia ranks 5th and South Africa ranks 7th of 220 countries.
Across the 28 decades both report, Saudi Arabia averaged higher in 2 and South Africa in 26.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Saudi Arabia | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1750s | 88.89 tonnes | 305.51 tonnes | 216.63 tonnes | South Africa |
| 1760s | 90.44 tonnes | 314.85 tonnes | 224.41 tonnes | South Africa |
| 1770s | 91.99 tonnes | 324.95 tonnes | 232.96 tonnes | South Africa |
| 1780s | 93.54 tonnes | 335.92 tonnes | 242.38 tonnes | South Africa |
| 1790s | 95.08 tonnes | 347.88 tonnes | 252.8 tonnes | South Africa |
| 1800s | 96.61 tonnes | 360.96 tonnes | 264.35 tonnes | South Africa |
| 1810s | 98.12 tonnes | 382.53 tonnes | 284.41 tonnes | South Africa |
| 1820s | 100.09 tonnes | 415.44 tonnes | 315.35 tonnes | South Africa |
| 1830s | 102.15 tonnes | 452.74 tonnes | 350.59 tonnes | South Africa |
| 1840s | 103.59 tonnes | 819.09 tonnes | 715.51 tonnes | South Africa |
| 1850s | 104.97 tonnes | 1,944 tonnes | 1,839 tonnes | South Africa |
| 1860s | 106.31 tonnes | 2,549 tonnes | 2,443 tonnes | South Africa |
| 1870s | 108.11 tonnes | 6,782 tonnes | 6,673 tonnes | South Africa |
| 1880s | 110.64 tonnes | 14,911 tonnes | 14,801 tonnes | South Africa |
| 1890s | 113.29 tonnes | 46,915 tonnes | 46,802 tonnes | South Africa |
| 1900s | 102.19 tonnes | 110,548 tonnes | 110,446 tonnes | South Africa |
| 1910s | 73.82 tonnes | 242,416 tonnes | 242,343 tonnes | South Africa |
| 1920s | 45.32 tonnes | 290,679 tonnes | 290,633 tonnes | South Africa |
| 1930s | 893.84 tonnes | 300,061 tonnes | 299,167 tonnes | South Africa |
| 1940s | 50,803 tonnes | 495,170 tonnes | 444,367 tonnes | South Africa |
| 1950s | 46,409 tonnes | 651,952 tonnes | 605,543 tonnes | South Africa |
| 1960s | 114,232 tonnes | 911,336 tonnes | 797,104 tonnes | South Africa |
| 1970s | 965,716 tonnes | 1.57 million tonnes | 601,413 tonnes | South Africa |
| 1980s | 1.38 million tonnes | 2.01 million tonnes | 628,122 tonnes | South Africa |
| 1990s | 1.75 million tonnes | 2.35 million tonnes | 603,956 tonnes | South Africa |
| 2000s | 2.37 million tonnes | 2.92 million tonnes | 553,024 tonnes | South Africa |
| 2010s | 3.50 million tonnes | 3.25 million tonnes | 256,872 tonnes | Saudi Arabia |
| 2020s | 3.16 million tonnes | 2.90 million tonnes | 259,290 tonnes | Saudi Arabia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher global sulphur dioxide (so₂) emissions by world region, Saudi Arabia or South Africa?
- Saudi Arabia, at 3.46 million tonnes against 2.83 million tonnes in South Africa as of 2022.
- What is the difference in global sulphur dioxide (so₂) emissions by world region between Saudi Arabia and South Africa?
- 632,090 tonnes, with Saudi Arabia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Saudi Arabia and South Africa?
- 273 years are reported by both, from 1750 to 2022.
- How do Saudi Arabia and South Africa rank globally for global sulphur dioxide (so₂) emissions by world region?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 5th and South Africa ranks 7th of 220 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Hoesly et al. (2024) - Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Global sulphur dioxide (SO₂) emissions by world region. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Sulfur dioxide (SO₂) is an air pollutant formed from the burning of fuels that contain sulfur, such as coal. SO₂ is one of the main chemicals that forms acid rain.