Carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP PPP in South Africa

South Africa: Carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP PPP was 0.4213 in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
0.4213
Change on year
down 2.0%
World rank
9th
of 159 countries
All-time high
0.6208
in 2004
All-time low
0.4213
in 2023
Years of data
24
2000–2023

Carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP PPP in South Africa, 2000–2023

00.20.40.62000201120232000: 0.5322001: 0.5842002: 0.5822003: 0.6022004: 0.6212005: 0.5852006: 0.5572007: 0.5532008: 0.5772009: 0.5542010: 0.5672011: 0.5282012: 0.542013: 0.5412014: 0.5482015: 0.5112016: 0.5052017: 0.512018: 0.5082019: 0.5132020: 0.5222021: 0.4872022: 0.432023: 0.421

Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 0.4213 for carbon dioxide emissions per unit of gdp ppp in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 24 years on record.

The figure is down 2.0% on the previous year and down 22.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, carbon dioxide emissions per unit of gdp ppp in South Africa peaked at 0.6208 in 2004 and was at its lowest, 0.4213, in 2023.

That places South Africa 9th out of 159 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.

Carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP PPP in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP PPP (kilogrammes of CO2 per constant 2021 United States dollars) in South Africa, 2000 to 2023.
Year Value Change
2000 0.5319
2001 0.5843 +9.9%
2002 0.5819 -0.4%
2003 0.6023 +3.5%
2004 0.6208 +3.1%
2005 0.5849 -5.8%
2006 0.5567 -4.8%
2007 0.5528 -0.7%
2008 0.5769 +4.4%
2009 0.554 -4.0%
2010 0.5669 +2.3%
2011 0.5282 -6.8%
2012 0.5396 +2.2%
2013 0.5413 +0.3%
2014 0.5475 +1.1%
2015 0.5109 -6.7%
2016 0.5047 -1.2%
2017 0.5103 +1.1%
2018 0.5075 -0.6%
2019 0.5131 +1.1%
2020 0.5218 +1.7%
2021 0.4867 -6.7%
2022 0.4299 -11.7%
2023 0.4213 -2.0%

South Africa compared with similar countries

  • South Africa's 0.4213 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.1607, 2.6× the median. (45 countries reporting)
  • South Africa's 0.4213 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.0926, 4.5× the median. (28 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 0.5746 0.5319 0.6208 10
2010s 0.527 0.5047 0.5669 10
2020s 0.4649 0.4213 0.5218 4

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 6 Iran (Islamic Republic of) 0.471 compare
  2. 7 Mongolia 0.4611 compare
  3. 8 Kuwait 0.4387 compare
  4. 10 Oman 0.4084 compare
  5. 11 Bahrain 0.3933 compare
  6. 12 China 0.3482 compare

See the full ranking of 196 places →

More climate change data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is carbon dioxide emissions per unit of gdp ppp in South Africa?
Carbon dioxide emissions per unit of gdp ppp in South Africa was 0.4213 in 2023, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
What is the highest carbon dioxide emissions per unit of gdp ppp recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 0.6208 in 2004.
What is the lowest carbon dioxide emissions per unit of gdp ppp recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 0.4213 in 2023.
How does South Africa rank for carbon dioxide emissions per unit of gdp ppp?
South Africa ranks 9th out of 159 countries with data for 2023.
Is carbon dioxide emissions per unit of gdp ppp rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 22.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP PPP (kilogrammes of CO2 per constant 2021 United States dollars). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP PPP in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Retrieved 14 September 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/carbon-dioxide-emissions-per-unit-of-gdp-ppp-kilogrammes-of-co2-per-constant-2021-united/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP PPP (kilogrammes of CO2 per constant 2021 United States dollars)
Source
United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database
Licence
UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested)
Coverage
196 places, 4,687 data points, 2000–2023
Last refreshed