South Africa vs Vietnam: Total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry
South Africa
508.19 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 2024
Vietnam
423.65 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 2024
South Africa rank
15th
Vietnam rank
17th
Total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry over time
- South Africa
- Vietnam
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 508.19 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents against 423.65 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in Vietnam, a difference of 84.54 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents.
That makes South Africa's figure about 1.2 times Vietnam's.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 175 shared years of data; in 1850 it was Vietnam ahead.
South Africa ranks 15th and Vietnam ranks 17th of 198 countries.
Across the 18 decades both report, South Africa averaged higher in 14 and Vietnam in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | Vietnam | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850s | 1.08 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.75 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.67 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Vietnam |
| 1860s | 1.29 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.06 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.77 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Vietnam |
| 1870s | 1.58 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.61 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.02 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Vietnam |
| 1880s | 1.96 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 4.08 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.11 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Vietnam |
| 1890s | 5.47 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5.01 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 462,976 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 1900s | 12.66 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5.94 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 6.71 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 1910s | 24.75 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 7.26 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 17.49 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 1920s | 33.89 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 9.99 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 23.90 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 1930s | 38.84 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 12.65 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 26.19 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 1940s | 63.09 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 9.37 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 53.72 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 1950s | 94.55 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 9.75 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 84.80 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 1960s | 142.52 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 23.96 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 118.56 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 1970s | 213.99 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 30.73 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 183.27 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 1980s | 352.81 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 32.48 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 320.33 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 1990s | 407.89 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 52.82 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 355.07 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 2000s | 494.91 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 123.14 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 371.77 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 2010s | 537.12 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 248.59 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 288.54 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 2020s | 506.71 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 395.10 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 111.61 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
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 Vietnam?
- South Africa, at 508.19 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents against 423.65 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in Vietnam as of 2024.
- What is the difference in total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry between South Africa and Vietnam?
- 84.54 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Vietnam?
- 175 years are reported by both, from 1850 to 2024.
- How do South Africa and Vietnam rank globally for total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry?
- South Africa ranks 15th and Vietnam ranks 17th 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.