South Africa vs Thailand: Greenhouse gas emissions
South Africa
542.73 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 2024
Thailand
456.71 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 2024
South Africa rank
18th
Thailand rank
20th
Greenhouse gas emissions over time
- South Africa
- Thailand
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 542.73 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents against 456.71 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in Thailand, a difference of 86.02 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents.
That makes South Africa's figure about 1.2 times Thailand's.
The two have swapped places 7 times across 175 shared years of data; in 1850 it was Thailand ahead.
South Africa ranks 18th and Thailand ranks 20th of 199 countries.
Across the 18 decades both report, South Africa averaged higher in 5 and Thailand in 13.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | Thailand | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850s | 3.76 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 19.20 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 15.44 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Thailand |
| 1860s | 5.60 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 21.07 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 15.47 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Thailand |
| 1870s | 14.06 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 40.50 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 26.44 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Thailand |
| 1880s | 13.53 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 38.58 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 25.05 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Thailand |
| 1890s | 21.55 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 39.06 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 17.50 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Thailand |
| 1900s | 34.43 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 57.37 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 22.93 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Thailand |
| 1910s | 50.91 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 72.93 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 22.02 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Thailand |
| 1920s | 68.11 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 99.70 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 31.59 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Thailand |
| 1930s | 79.23 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 123.01 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 43.78 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Thailand |
| 1940s | 126.19 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 182.32 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 56.13 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Thailand |
| 1950s | 176.30 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 216.92 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 40.62 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Thailand |
| 1960s | 212.11 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 239.55 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 27.44 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Thailand |
| 1970s | 276.43 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 359.35 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 82.92 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Thailand |
| 1980s | 413.65 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 307.71 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 105.95 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 1990s | 479.12 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 313.29 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 165.82 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 2000s | 545.06 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 389.29 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 155.76 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 2010s | 569.41 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 456.44 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 112.98 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
| 2020s | 540.90 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 458.25 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 82.64 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher greenhouse gas emissions, South Africa or Thailand?
- South Africa, at 542.73 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents against 456.71 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in Thailand as of 2024.
- What is the difference in greenhouse gas emissions between South Africa and Thailand?
- 86.02 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Thailand?
- 175 years are reported by both, from 1850 to 2024.
- How do South Africa and Thailand rank globally for greenhouse gas emissions?
- South Africa ranks 18th and Thailand ranks 20th of 199 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Greenhouse gas emissions. 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.