Carbon emission intensity vs gdp per capita in South Africa

South Africa: Carbon emission intensity vs gdp per capita was 0.5057 in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
0.5057
Change on year
up 2.5%
World rank
8th
of 191 countries
All-time high
0.7227
in 1998
All-time low
0.4935
in 2023
Years of data
35
1990–2024

Carbon emission intensity vs gdp per capita in South Africa, 1990–2024

00.20.40.60.81990200720241990: 0.7131991: 0.7021992: 0.7021993: 0.6991994: 0.6921995: 0.7071996: 0.7021997: 0.7141998: 0.7231999: 0.6732000: 0.6582001: 0.662002: 0.662003: 0.6812004: 0.7042005: 0.6852006: 0.6552007: 0.6492008: 0.6682009: 0.6352010: 0.6262011: 0.582012: 0.5892013: 0.5922014: 0.5982015: 0.562016: 0.5542017: 0.5592018: 0.5552019: 0.5582020: 0.5622021: 0.5332022: 0.52023: 0.4942024: 0.506

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

The most recent figure for carbon emission intensity vs gdp per capita in South Africa is 0.5057, measured in 2024.

That represents a change of up 2.5% on the previous year and down 15.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, carbon emission intensity vs gdp per capita in South Africa peaked at 0.7227 in 1998 and was at its lowest, 0.4935, in 2023.

South Africa ranks 8th of 191 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.

Carbon emission intensity vs gdp per capita in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Carbon emission intensity vs gdp per capita in South Africa, 1990 to 2024.
Year Value Change
1990 0.7133
1991 0.7021 -1.6%
1992 0.7022 +0.0%
1993 0.6986 -0.5%
1994 0.6922 -0.9%
1995 0.7075 +2.2%
1996 0.7016 -0.8%
1997 0.714 +1.8%
1998 0.7227 +1.2%
1999 0.6732 -6.9%
2000 0.6584 -2.2%
2001 0.6598 +0.2%
2002 0.6601 +0.0%
2003 0.6806 +3.1%
2004 0.7042 +3.5%
2005 0.6854 -2.7%
2006 0.6555 -4.4%
2007 0.6494 -0.9%
2008 0.6676 +2.8%
2009 0.635 -4.9%
2010 0.6263 -1.4%
2011 0.5804 -7.3%
2012 0.5889 +1.5%
2013 0.5918 +0.5%
2014 0.5977 +1.0%
2015 0.5604 -6.2%
2016 0.5542 -1.1%
2017 0.5591 +0.9%
2018 0.555 -0.7%
2019 0.5584 +0.6%
2020 0.5618 +0.6%
2021 0.5331 -5.1%
2022 0.4999 -6.2%
2023 0.4935 -1.3%
2024 0.5057 +2.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 0.7027 0.6732 0.7227 10
2000s 0.6656 0.635 0.7042 10
2010s 0.5772 0.5542 0.6263 10
2020s 0.5188 0.4935 0.5618 5

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 5 Iran, Islamic Republic of 0.5178 compare
  2. 6 Oman 0.5079 compare
  3. 7 Kuwait 0.5073 compare
  4. 9 Mongolia 0.4659 compare
  5. 10 Qatar 0.4252 compare
  6. 11 Iraq 0.4074 compare

See the full ranking of 191 places →

More climate change data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is carbon emission intensity vs gdp per capita in South Africa?
Carbon emission intensity vs gdp per capita in South Africa was 0.5057 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest carbon emission intensity vs gdp per capita recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 0.7227 in 1998.
What is the lowest carbon emission intensity vs gdp per capita recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 0.4935 in 2023.
How does South Africa rank for carbon emission intensity vs gdp per capita?
South Africa ranks 8th out of 191 countries with data for 2024.
Is carbon emission intensity vs gdp per capita rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 15.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Carbon emission intensity vs gdp per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Carbon emission intensity vs gdp per capita in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 26 August 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/carbon-emission-intensity-vs-gdp-per-capita/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Carbon emission intensity vs gdp per capita
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
191 places, 6,583 data points, 1990–2024
Last refreshed