Coal — Emissions in South Africa

South Africa: Coal — Emissions was 1,614 kt in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
1,614 kt
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
5th
of 36 countries
All-time high
2,947 kt
in 2014
All-time low
145.22 kt
in 2016
Years of data
14
2010–2023

Coal — Emissions in South Africa, 2010–2023

01.0k2.0k3.0k2010201620232010: 313.8 kt2011: 1.6k kt2012: 2.7k kt2013: 2.9k kt2014: 2.9k kt2015: 2.6k kt2016: 145.2 kt2017: 346.7 kt2018: 2.8k kt2019: 1.8k kt2020: 1.7k kt2021: 1.7k kt2022: 1.6k kt2023: 1.6k kt

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for coal — emissions in South Africa is 1,614 kt, measured in 2023.

The figure is down 43.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, coal — emissions in South Africa peaked at 2,947 kt in 2014 and was at its lowest, 145.22 kt, in 2016.

South Africa ranks 5th of 36 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Coal — Emissions in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Coal — Emissions (CO2) in South Africa, 2010 to 2023.
Year kt Change
2010 313.81 kt —
2011 1,649 kt +425.4%
2012 2,731 kt +65.6%
2013 2,872 kt +5.2%
2014 2,947 kt +2.6%
2015 2,580 kt -12.4%
2016 145.22 kt -94.4%
2017 346.66 kt +138.7%
2018 2,783 kt +702.8%
2019 1,826 kt -34.4%
2020 1,686 kt -7.7%
2021 1,651 kt -2.1%
2022 1,614 kt -2.2%
2023 1,614 kt +0.0%

South Africa compared with similar countries

  • South Africa's 1,614 kt is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 15.76 kt, 102.4× the median. (9 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Coal — Emissions in South Africa changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
2018 +702.8% 346.66 kt 2,783 kt
2011 +425.4% 313.81 kt 1,649 kt
2017 +138.7% 145.22 kt 346.66 kt

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 1,819 kt 145.22 kt 2,947 kt 10
2020s 1,641 kt 1,614 kt 1,686 kt 4

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 2 Democratic People's Republic of Korea 882.49 kt compare
  2. 3 Viet Nam 67.41 kt compare
  3. 3 OECD 3,984 kt compare
  4. 4 Poland 3,747 kt compare
  5. 4 Republic of Moldova 10.49 kt compare
  6. 6 Kazakhstan 1,250 kt compare
  7. 7 Zimbabwe 229.25 kt compare
  8. 8 Colombia 187.39 kt

See the full ranking of 63 places →

More climate change data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is coal — emissions in South Africa?
Coal — emissions in South Africa was 1,614 kt in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest coal — emissions recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 2,947 kt in 2014.
What is the lowest coal — emissions recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 145.22 kt in 2016.
How does South Africa rank for coal — emissions?
South Africa ranks 5th out of 36 countries with data for 2023.
Is coal — emissions rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 43.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Coal — Emissions (CO2). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO).

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Coal — Emissions in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 27 September 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/coal-emissions-co2/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Coal — Emissions (CO2)
Unit
kt
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
63 places, 1,553 data points, 1990–2023
Last refreshed

The FAOSTAT domain on Emissions from Energy use in agriculture contains data on energy used in agriculture (including forestry, aquaculture and fisheries), for instance to operate machinery, irrigate, heat stables, operate aquaculture ponds and fishing vessels, and related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. It also includes on-farm use of, and related GHG emissions from, electricity and heat generated off-farm. Data are available by country and regional groups with global coverage and are updated annually.