Consumption-based CO₂ emissions in South Africa
South Africa: Consumption-based CO₂ emissions was 325.38 million tonnes in 2023. ▲ Rising
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.
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
- 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 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.