South Africa vs Turkey: Total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry
South Africa
508.19 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 2024
Turkey
609.95 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 2024
South Africa rank
15th
Turkey rank
12th
Total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry over time
- South Africa
- Turkey
How they compare
Turkey currently reports 609.95 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents against 508.19 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in South Africa, a difference of 101.77 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents.
That makes Turkey's figure about 1.2 times South Africa's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 175 shared years of data; in 1850 it was Turkey ahead.
South Africa ranks 15th and Turkey ranks 12th of 198 countries.
Across the 18 decades both report, South Africa averaged higher in 13 and Turkey in 5.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | Turkey | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850s | 1.08 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.89 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 813,893 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Turkey |
| 1860s | 1.29 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.12 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 828,631 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Turkey |
| 1870s | 1.58 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.41 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 825,312 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Turkey |
| 1880s | 1.96 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.47 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 501,384 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Turkey |
| 1890s | 5.47 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.82 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.65 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 1900s | 12.66 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.96 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 8.69 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 1910s | 24.75 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.97 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 20.77 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 1920s | 33.89 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5.28 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 28.61 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 1930s | 38.84 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 8.60 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 30.24 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 1940s | 63.09 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 11.69 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 51.40 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 1950s | 94.55 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 20.21 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 74.34 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 1960s | 142.52 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 37.15 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 105.37 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 1970s | 213.99 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 77.42 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 136.58 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 1980s | 352.81 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 121.41 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 231.40 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 1990s | 407.89 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 212.44 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 195.45 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 2000s | 494.91 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 310.72 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 184.20 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 2010s | 537.12 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 449.84 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 87.28 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 2020s | 506.71 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 555.28 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 48.58 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Turkey |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry, South Africa or Turkey?
- Turkey, at 609.95 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents against 508.19 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in South Africa as of 2024.
- What is the difference in total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry between South Africa and Turkey?
- 101.77 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents, with Turkey ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Turkey?
- 175 years are reported by both, from 1850 to 2024.
- How do South Africa and Turkey rank globally for total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry?
- South Africa ranks 15th and Turkey ranks 12th of 198 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Greenhouse gas emissions are measured in tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalents over a 100-year timescale.