Change in CO₂ emissions and GDP in South Africa
South Africa: Change in CO₂ emissions and GDP was 880.05 billion international-$ in 2021 prices in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
880.05 billion international-$ in 2021 prices
Change on year
up 1.1%
World rank
32nd
of 198 countries
All-time high
880.05 billion international-$ in 2021 prices
in 2025
All-time low
426.71 billion international-$ in 2021 prices
in 1992
Years of data
36
1990–2025
Change in CO₂ emissions and GDP in South Africa, 1990–2025
Source: Eurostat, OECD, IMF, and World Bank (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in international-$ in 2021 prices.
Analysis
In 2025, change in co₂ emissions and gdp in South Africa stood at 880.05 billion international-$ in 2021 prices. That is the highest value across all 36 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.1% on the previous year and up 6.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, change in co₂ emissions and gdp in South Africa peaked at 880.05 billion international-$ in 2021 prices in 2025 and was at its lowest, 426.71 billion international-$ in 2021 prices, in 1992.
That places South Africa 32nd out of 198 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Change in CO₂ emissions and GDP in South Africa, year by year
| Year | international-$ in 2021 prices | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 440.51 billion international-$ in 2021 prices | — |
| 1991 | 436.03 billion international-$ in 2021 prices | -1.0% |
| 1992 | 426.71 billion international-$ in 2021 prices | -2.1% |
| 1993 | 431.97 billion international-$ in 2021 prices | +1.2% |
| 1994 | 445.80 billion international-$ in 2021 prices | +3.2% |
| 1995 | 459.62 billion international-$ in 2021 prices | +3.1% |
| 1996 | 479.38 billion international-$ in 2021 prices | +4.3% |
| 1997 | 491.85 billion international-$ in 2021 prices | +2.6% |
| 1998 | 494.30 billion international-$ in 2021 prices | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 506.17 billion international-$ in 2021 prices | +2.4% |
| 2000 | 527.43 billion international-$ in 2021 prices | +4.2% |
| 2001 | 541.67 billion international-$ in 2021 prices | +2.7% |
| 2002 | 561.71 billion international-$ in 2021 prices | +3.7% |
| 2003 | 578.28 billion international-$ in 2021 prices | +2.9% |
| 2004 | 604.61 billion international-$ in 2021 prices | +4.6% |
| 2005 | 636.52 billion international-$ in 2021 prices | +5.3% |
| 2006 | 672.19 billion international-$ in 2021 prices | +5.6% |
| 2007 | 708.22 billion international-$ in 2021 prices | +5.4% |
| 2008 | 730.82 billion international-$ in 2021 prices | +3.2% |
| 2009 | 719.58 billion international-$ in 2021 prices | -1.5% |
| 2010 | 741.45 billion international-$ in 2021 prices | +3.0% |
| 2011 | 764.95 billion international-$ in 2021 prices | +3.2% |
| 2012 | 783.28 billion international-$ in 2021 prices | +2.4% |
| 2013 | 802.75 billion international-$ in 2021 prices | +2.5% |
| 2014 | 814.09 billion international-$ in 2021 prices | +1.4% |
| 2015 | 824.86 billion international-$ in 2021 prices | +1.3% |
| 2016 | 830.34 billion international-$ in 2021 prices | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 839.95 billion international-$ in 2021 prices | +1.2% |
| 2018 | 853.03 billion international-$ in 2021 prices | +1.6% |
| 2019 | 855.25 billion international-$ in 2021 prices | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 802.49 billion international-$ in 2021 prices | -6.2% |
| 2021 | 841.48 billion international-$ in 2021 prices | +4.9% |
| 2022 | 858.79 billion international-$ in 2021 prices | +2.1% |
| 2023 | 865.72 billion international-$ in 2021 prices | +0.8% |
| 2024 | 870.35 billion international-$ in 2021 prices | +0.5% |
| 2025 | 880.05 billion international-$ in 2021 prices | +1.1% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 880.05 billion international-$ in 2021 prices is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 105.30 billion international-$ in 2021 prices, 8.4× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 880.05 billion international-$ in 2021 prices is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 51.77 billion international-$ in 2021 prices, 17.0× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 461.23 billion international-$ in 2021 prices | 426.71 billion international-$ in 2021 prices | 506.17 billion international-$ in 2021 prices | 10 |
| 2000s | 628.10 billion international-$ in 2021 prices | 527.43 billion international-$ in 2021 prices | 730.82 billion international-$ in 2021 prices | 10 |
| 2010s | 810.99 billion international-$ in 2021 prices | 741.45 billion international-$ in 2021 prices | 855.25 billion international-$ in 2021 prices | 10 |
| 2020s | 853.15 billion international-$ in 2021 prices | 802.49 billion international-$ in 2021 prices | 880.05 billion international-$ in 2021 prices | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 29 Malaysia 1.28 trillion international-$ in 2021 prices compare
- 30 Philippines 1.26 trillion international-$ in 2021 prices compare
- 31 Colombia 1.00 trillion international-$ in 2021 prices compare
- 33 Singapore 853.08 billion international-$ in 2021 prices compare
- 34 Kazakhstan 788.95 billion international-$ in 2021 prices compare
- 35 Switzerland 779.51 billion international-$ in 2021 prices compare
More climate change data for South Africa
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 717.27 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 34,365 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 11,741 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 22,624 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 44.31 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 807.99 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 5,495 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 5,119 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 376.6 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 19.32 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is change in co₂ emissions and gdp in South Africa?
- Change in co₂ emissions and gdp in South Africa was 880.05 billion international-$ in 2021 prices in 2025, according to Eurostat, OECD, IMF, and World Bank (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest change in co₂ emissions and gdp recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 880.05 billion international-$ in 2021 prices in 2025.
- What is the lowest change in co₂ emissions and gdp recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 426.71 billion international-$ in 2021 prices in 1992.
- How does South Africa rank for change in co₂ emissions and gdp?
- South Africa ranks 32nd out of 198 countries with data for 2025.
- Is change in co₂ emissions and gdp rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Eurostat, OECD, IMF, and World Bank (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Change in CO₂ emissions and GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total economic output of a country or region per year. This data is adjusted for inflation and differences in living costs between countries.