Agricultural Soils — Emissions (CO2eq) in South Africa

South Africa: Agricultural Soils — Emissions (CO2eq) was 11,192 kt in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
11,192 kt
Change on year
down 5.2%
World rank
37th
of 225 countries
All-time high
12,275 kt
in 2021
All-time low
8,901 kt
in 1966
Years of data
63
1961–2023

Agricultural Soils — Emissions (CO2eq) in South Africa, 1961–2023

02.5k5.0k7.5k10.0k12.5k196119922023

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in kt.

Analysis

In 2023, agricultural soils — emissions (co2eq) in South Africa stood at 11,192 kt.

The figure is down 5.2% on the previous year and down 4.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, agricultural soils — emissions (co2eq) in South Africa peaked at 12,275 kt in 2021 and was at its lowest, 8,901 kt, in 1966.

That places South Africa 37th out of 225 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.

Agricultural Soils — Emissions (CO2eq) in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Agricultural Soils — Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) in South Africa, 1961 to 2023.
Year kt Change
1961 9,333 kt
1962 9,465 kt +1.4%
1963 9,567 kt +1.1%
1964 9,437 kt -1.4%
1965 9,464 kt +0.3%
1966 8,901 kt -6.0%
1967 9,280 kt +4.3%
1968 9,274 kt -0.1%
1969 9,429 kt +1.7%
1970 9,409 kt -0.2%
1971 9,525 kt +1.2%
1972 9,717 kt +2.0%
1973 9,551 kt -1.7%
1974 9,950 kt +4.2%
1975 10,351 kt +4.0%
1976 10,524 kt +1.7%
1977 10,918 kt +3.7%
1978 11,189 kt +2.5%
1979 11,641 kt +4.0%
1980 11,843 kt +1.7%
1981 12,129 kt +2.4%
1982 11,811 kt -2.6%
1983 11,030 kt -6.6%
1984 11,093 kt +0.6%
1985 10,593 kt -4.5%
1986 10,586 kt -0.1%
1987 10,474 kt -1.1%
1988 10,858 kt +3.7%
1989 11,163 kt +2.8%
1990 11,528 kt +3.3%
1991 11,525 kt -0.0%
1992 11,161 kt -3.2%
1993 11,439 kt +2.5%
1994 11,166 kt -2.4%
1995 10,952 kt -1.9%
1996 11,538 kt +5.3%
1997 11,709 kt +1.5%
1998 11,695 kt -0.1%
1999 11,713 kt +0.2%
2000 11,917 kt +1.7%
2001 11,645 kt -2.3%
2002 12,070 kt +3.7%
2003 11,608 kt -3.8%
2004 11,617 kt +0.1%
2005 11,295 kt -2.8%
2006 11,454 kt +1.4%
2007 11,705 kt +2.2%
2008 11,998 kt +2.5%
2009 11,900 kt -0.8%
2010 11,790 kt -0.9%
2011 11,844 kt +0.5%
2012 12,018 kt +1.5%
2013 11,767 kt -2.1%
2014 11,794 kt +0.2%
2015 11,326 kt -4.0%
2016 10,881 kt -3.9%
2017 11,829 kt +8.7%
2018 11,837 kt +0.1%
2019 11,782 kt -0.5%
2020 12,128 kt +2.9%
2021 12,275 kt +1.2%
2022 11,809 kt -3.8%
2023 11,192 kt -5.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 9,350 kt 8,901 kt 9,567 kt 9
1970s 10,277 kt 9,409 kt 11,641 kt 10
1980s 11,158 kt 10,474 kt 12,129 kt 10
1990s 11,443 kt 10,952 kt 11,713 kt 10
2000s 11,721 kt 11,295 kt 12,070 kt 10
2010s 11,687 kt 10,881 kt 12,018 kt 10
2020s 11,851 kt 11,192 kt 12,275 kt 4

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 34 Mongolia 11,580 kt compare
  2. 35 New Zealand 11,259 kt compare
  3. 36 Niger 11,258 kt compare
  4. 38 Spain 10,311 kt compare
  5. 39 South Sudan 10,231 kt compare
  6. 40 Uganda 9,721 kt compare

See the full ranking of 279 places →

More climate change data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is agricultural soils — emissions (co2eq) in South Africa?
Agricultural soils — emissions (co2eq) in South Africa was 11,192 kt in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest agricultural soils — emissions (co2eq) recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 12,275 kt in 2021.
What is the lowest agricultural soils — emissions (co2eq) recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 8,901 kt in 1966.
How does South Africa rank for agricultural soils — emissions (co2eq)?
South Africa ranks 37th out of 225 countries with data for 2023.
Is agricultural soils — emissions (co2eq) rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 4.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Agricultural Soils — Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Agricultural Soils — Emissions (CO2eq) in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 03 September 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/agricultural-soils-emissions-co2eq-ar5-fao-tier-1/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Agricultural Soils — Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5)
Unit
kt
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
279 places, 15,432 data points, 1961–2023
Last refreshed

The FAOSTAT domain on Emissions Totals summarizes the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions disseminated in the FAOSTAT Climate Change domains of emissions from agrifood systems. Data are computed following the Tier 1 methods of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Guidelines for National greenhouse gas (GHG) Inventories (IPCC, 1996; 1997; 2000; 2002; 2006; 2014). Emissions from other economic sectors as defined by the IPCC are also disseminated in the domain for completeness. Methodological details can be found at: https://files-faostat.fao.org/production/GT/GT_en.pdf