Electricity — Emissions in South Africa

South Africa: Electricity — Emissions was 5.74 kt in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
5.74 kt
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
20th
of 142 countries
All-time high
8.4 kt
in 2015
All-time low
3.73 kt
in 1993
Years of data
34
1990–2023

Electricity — Emissions in South Africa, 1990–2023

024681990200620231990: 4.4 kt1991: 4.5 kt1992: 4.8 kt1993: 3.7 kt1994: 5.9 kt1995: 6.4 kt1996: 6.1 kt1997: 6.8 kt1998: 6.8 kt1999: 6.9 kt2000: 4.7 kt2001: 5 kt2002: 5.6 kt2003: 6.2 kt2004: 7.4 kt2005: 6.6 kt2006: 7 kt2007: 7.3 kt2008: 7.1 kt2009: 6.9 kt2010: 7.2 kt2011: 7.2 kt2012: 6.9 kt2013: 6.9 kt2014: 6.9 kt2015: 8.4 kt2016: 7.2 kt2017: 7.2 kt2018: 7 kt2019: 6.9 kt2020: 6.6 kt2021: 6.5 kt2022: 5.7 kt2023: 5.7 kt

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

Analysis

South Africa recorded 5.74 kt for electricity — emissions in 2023.

That represents a change of down 16.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, electricity — emissions in South Africa peaked at 8.4 kt in 2015 and was at its lowest, 3.73 kt, in 1993.

South Africa ranks 20th of 142 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.

Electricity — Emissions in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Electricity — Emissions (CH4) in South Africa, 1990 to 2023.
Year kt Change
1990 4.37 kt —
1991 4.45 kt +1.9%
1992 4.85 kt +8.8%
1993 3.73 kt -23.0%
1994 5.86 kt +57.0%
1995 6.36 kt +8.6%
1996 6.12 kt -3.7%
1997 6.77 kt +10.5%
1998 6.75 kt -0.2%
1999 6.91 kt +2.3%
2000 4.74 kt -31.3%
2001 5.01 kt +5.6%
2002 5.57 kt +11.2%
2003 6.17 kt +10.7%
2004 7.39 kt +19.8%
2005 6.62 kt -10.4%
2006 7.01 kt +5.8%
2007 7.27 kt +3.8%
2008 7.12 kt -2.2%
2009 6.92 kt -2.7%
2010 7.21 kt +4.1%
2011 7.25 kt +0.6%
2012 6.95 kt -4.1%
2013 6.91 kt -0.5%
2014 6.87 kt -0.7%
2015 8.4 kt +22.3%
2016 7.16 kt -14.7%
2017 7.16 kt +0.0%
2018 6.95 kt -2.9%
2019 6.92 kt -0.4%
2020 6.55 kt -5.4%
2021 6.46 kt -1.4%
2022 5.74 kt -11.1%
2023 5.74 kt +0.0%

South Africa compared with similar countries

  • South Africa's 5.74 kt is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.6016 kt, 9.5× the median. (41 countries reporting)
  • South Africa's 5.74 kt is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.0505 kt, 113.7× the median. (24 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Electricity — 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
1994 +57.0% 3.73 kt 5.86 kt

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 5.62 kt 3.73 kt 6.91 kt 10
2000s 6.38 kt 4.74 kt 7.39 kt 10
2010s 7.18 kt 6.87 kt 8.4 kt 10
2020s 6.12 kt 5.74 kt 6.55 kt 4

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 17 Germany 6.24 kt compare
  2. 18 Saudi Arabia 6.08 kt compare
  3. 19 Turkmenistan 5.81 kt compare
  4. 21 Australia and New Zealand 5.03 kt compare
  5. 22 Morocco 4.74 kt compare
  6. 23 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 4.61 kt compare

See the full ranking of 187 places →

More climate change data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is electricity — emissions in South Africa?
Electricity — emissions in South Africa was 5.74 kt in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest electricity — emissions recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 8.4 kt in 2015.
What is the lowest electricity — emissions recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 3.73 kt in 1993.
How does South Africa rank for electricity — emissions?
South Africa ranks 20th out of 142 countries with data for 2023.
Is electricity — emissions rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 16.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Electricity — Emissions (CH4). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Electricity — 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/electricity-emissions-ch4/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Electricity — Emissions (CH4)
Unit
kt
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
187 places, 5,248 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.