What is cumulative co₂ emissions in South Africa?

Cumulative co₂ emissions in South Africa was 22.83 billion tonnes in 2024, according to Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.

What is the highest cumulative co₂ emissions recorded in South Africa?

The highest recorded value was 22.83 billion tonnes in 2024.

What is the lowest cumulative co₂ emissions recorded in South Africa?

The lowest recorded value was 21,984 tonnes in 1884.

How does South Africa rank for cumulative co₂ emissions?

South Africa ranks 13th out of 215 countries with data for 2024.

Is cumulative co₂ emissions rising or falling in South Africa?

Over the last ten years it is up 24.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.

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 Cumulative CO₂ emissions. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Cumulative CO₂ emissions in South Africa

Name: Cumulative CO₂ emissions in South Africa
Creator: Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

South Africa: Cumulative CO₂ emissions was 22.83 billion tonnes in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)

22.83 billion tonnes

Change on year

up 2.0%

World rank

13th

of 215 countries

All-time high

22.83 billion tonnes

in 2024

All-time low

21,984 tonnes

in 1884

Years of data

141

1884–2024

Cumulative CO₂ emissions in South Africa, 1884–2024

Source: Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.

Analysis

The most recent figure for cumulative co₂ emissions in South Africa is 22.83 billion tonnes, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 141 years on record.

That represents a change of up 2.0% on the previous year and up 24.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, cumulative co₂ emissions in South Africa peaked at 22.83 billion tonnes in 2024 and was at its lowest, 21,984 tonnes, in 1884.

That places South Africa 13th out of 215 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.

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

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1880s	156,941 tonnes	21,984 tonnes	366,400 tonnes	6
1890s	10.60 million tonnes	663,184 tonnes	29.61 million tonnes	10
1900s	68.32 million tonnes	31.94 million tonnes	120.36 million tonnes	10
1910s	221.99 million tonnes	137.33 million tonnes	317.43 million tonnes	10
1920s	463.09 million tonnes	343.10 million tonnes	593.85 million tonnes	10
1930s	752.38 million tonnes	622.57 million tonnes	908.88 million tonnes	10
1940s	1.18 billion tonnes	950.40 million tonnes	1.43 billion tonnes	10
1950s	1.83 billion tonnes	1.49 billion tonnes	2.22 billion tonnes	10
1960s	2.84 billion tonnes	2.32 billion tonnes	3.43 billion tonnes	10
1970s	4.39 billion tonnes	3.58 billion tonnes	5.27 billion tonnes	10
1980s	6.84 billion tonnes	5.50 billion tonnes	8.31 billion tonnes	10
1990s	10.14 billion tonnes	8.62 billion tonnes	11.77 billion tonnes	10
2000s	13.99 billion tonnes	12.15 billion tonnes	16.03 billion tonnes	10
2010s	18.58 billion tonnes	16.49 billion tonnes	20.65 billion tonnes	10
2020s	21.95 billion tonnes	21.08 billion tonnes	22.83 billion tonnes	5

Countries ranked near South Africa

10 Ukraine 31.24 billion tonnes compare
11 Poland 29.04 billion tonnes compare
12 Italy 26.01 billion tonnes compare
14 Mexico 22.02 billion tonnes compare
15 Iran 21.81 billion tonnes compare
16 South Korea 20.71 billion tonnes compare

See the full ranking of 215 places →

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)
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)
Share of global CO₂ emissions vs. share of population 1.1% (2024)

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is cumulative co₂ emissions in South Africa?: Cumulative co₂ emissions in South Africa was 22.83 billion tonnes in 2024, according to Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest cumulative co₂ emissions recorded in South Africa?: The highest recorded value was 22.83 billion tonnes in 2024.
What is the lowest cumulative co₂ emissions recorded in South Africa?: The lowest recorded value was 21,984 tonnes in 1884.
How does South Africa rank for cumulative co₂ emissions?: South Africa ranks 13th out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
Is cumulative co₂ emissions rising or falling in South Africa?: Over the last ten years it is up 24.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
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 Cumulative CO₂ emissions. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 141 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator: Cumulative CO₂ emissions
Unit: tonnes
Source: Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 215 places, 23,408 data points, 1750–2024
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

Total cumulative emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂), excluding land-use change, since the first year of available data, measured in tonnes.