Consumption-based CO₂ emissions in South Africa
South Africa: Consumption-based CO₂ emissions was 325.38 million tonnes in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
325.38 million tonnes
Change on year
up 2.2%
World rank
19th
of 120 countries
All-time high
385.21 million tonnes
in 1997
All-time low
255.06 million tonnes
in 2002
Years of data
34
1990–2023
Consumption-based CO₂ emissions in South Africa, 1990–2023
Source: Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 325.38 million tonnes for consumption-based co₂ emissions in 2023.
That represents a change of up 2.2% on the previous year and down 8.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, consumption-based co₂ emissions in South Africa peaked at 385.21 million tonnes in 1997 and was at its lowest, 255.06 million tonnes, in 2002.
South Africa ranks 19th of 120 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Consumption-based CO₂ emissions in South Africa, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 312.93 million tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 326.03 million tonnes | +4.2% |
| 1992 | 301.33 million tonnes | -7.6% |
| 1993 | 320.35 million tonnes | +6.3% |
| 1994 | 338.70 million tonnes | +5.7% |
| 1995 | 361.71 million tonnes | +6.8% |
| 1996 | 363.73 million tonnes | +0.6% |
| 1997 | 385.21 million tonnes | +5.9% |
| 1998 | 377.27 million tonnes | -2.1% |
| 1999 | 374.87 million tonnes | -0.6% |
| 2000 | 286.89 million tonnes | -23.5% |
| 2001 | 274.24 million tonnes | -4.4% |
| 2002 | 255.06 million tonnes | -7.0% |
| 2003 | 275.13 million tonnes | +7.9% |
| 2004 | 319.14 million tonnes | +16.0% |
| 2005 | 295.96 million tonnes | -7.3% |
| 2006 | 334.33 million tonnes | +13.0% |
| 2007 | 341.29 million tonnes | +2.1% |
| 2008 | 340.70 million tonnes | -0.2% |
| 2009 | 353.56 million tonnes | +3.8% |
| 2010 | 349.93 million tonnes | -1.0% |
| 2011 | 353.29 million tonnes | +1.0% |
| 2012 | 350.41 million tonnes | -0.8% |
| 2013 | 356.99 million tonnes | +1.9% |
| 2014 | 361.88 million tonnes | +1.4% |
| 2015 | 350.29 million tonnes | -3.2% |
| 2016 | 354.37 million tonnes | +1.2% |
| 2017 | 347.44 million tonnes | -2.0% |
| 2018 | 355.37 million tonnes | +2.3% |
| 2019 | 367.48 million tonnes | +3.4% |
| 2020 | 335.34 million tonnes | -8.7% |
| 2021 | 328.04 million tonnes | -2.2% |
| 2022 | 318.32 million tonnes | -3.0% |
| 2023 | 325.38 million tonnes | +2.2% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 325.38 million tonnes is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 70.72 million tonnes, 4.6× the median. (32 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 325.38 million tonnes is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 12.71 million tonnes, 25.6× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 346.21 million tonnes | 301.33 million tonnes | 385.21 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 307.63 million tonnes | 255.06 million tonnes | 353.56 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 354.74 million tonnes | 347.44 million tonnes | 367.48 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 326.77 million tonnes | 318.32 million tonnes | 335.34 million tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
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 consumption-based co₂ emissions in South Africa?
- Consumption-based co₂ emissions in South Africa was 325.38 million tonnes in 2023, according to Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest consumption-based co₂ emissions recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 385.21 million tonnes in 1997.
- What is the lowest consumption-based co₂ emissions recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 255.06 million tonnes in 2002.
- How does South Africa rank for consumption-based co₂ emissions?
- South Africa ranks 19th out of 120 countries with data for 2023.
- Is consumption-based co₂ emissions rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Consumption-based CO₂ emissions. 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
Annual consumption-based emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂), measured in tonnes.