CO₂ emissions by sector in South Africa
South Africa: CO₂ emissions by sector was 15.88 million tonnes in 2023. ▲ Rising
CO₂ emissions by sector in South Africa, 1990–2023
Source: Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
The most recent figure for co₂ emissions by sector in South Africa is 15.88 million tonnes, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.2% on the previous year and down 39.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, co₂ emissions by sector in South Africa peaked at 33.98 million tonnes in 2017 and was at its lowest, 9.19 million tonnes, in 2000.
That places South Africa 32nd out of 187 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 11.86 million tonnes | 9.65 million tonnes | 14.90 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 21.45 million tonnes | 9.19 million tonnes | 32.39 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 22.88 million tonnes | 13.87 million tonnes | 33.98 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 15.98 million tonnes | 15.85 million tonnes | 16.11 million tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More climate change data for South Africa
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.9% (2100)
- Population growth 1.1% (2025)
- Population, total 64.75 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 1.3% (2025)
- Urban population 41.32 million (2025)
- Urban population 63.8% (2025)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 6.87 tonnes per person (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions 22.83 billion tonnes (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita 6.87 tonnes per person (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 6.87 tonnes per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is co₂ emissions by sector in South Africa?
- Co₂ emissions by sector in South Africa was 15.88 million tonnes in 2023, according to Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest co₂ emissions by sector recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 33.98 million tonnes in 2017.
- What is the lowest co₂ emissions by sector recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.19 million tonnes in 2000.
- How does South Africa rank for co₂ emissions by sector?
- South Africa ranks 32nd out of 187 countries with data for 2023.
- Is co₂ emissions by sector rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 39.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of CO₂ emissions by sector. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Emissions are measured in tonnes.