Electricity — Emissions in South Africa

South Africa: Electricity — Emissions was 4,208 kt in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
4,208 kt
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
9th
of 142 countries
All-time high
6,155 kt
in 2015
All-time low
2,735 kt
in 1993
Years of data
34
1990–2023

Electricity — Emissions in South Africa, 1990–2023

02.0k4.0k6.0k1990200620231990: 3.1k kt1991: 3.1k kt1992: 3.4k kt1993: 2.7k kt1994: 4.2k kt1995: 4.7k kt1996: 4.4k kt1997: 4.9k kt1998: 5.2k kt1999: 5.1k kt2000: 3.5k kt2001: 3.5k kt2002: 3.8k kt2003: 4.4k kt2004: 5.4k kt2005: 4.7k kt2006: 4.9k kt2007: 5.0k kt2008: 5.6k kt2009: 5.2k kt2010: 5.6k kt2011: 5.3k kt2012: 5.3k kt2013: 5.1k kt2014: 5.0k kt2015: 6.2k kt2016: 5.2k kt2017: 5.2k kt2018: 5.1k kt2019: 5.1k kt2020: 4.8k kt2021: 4.7k kt2022: 4.2k kt2023: 4.2k kt

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for electricity — emissions in South Africa is 4,208 kt, measured in 2023.

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

Over the whole period, electricity — emissions in South Africa peaked at 6,155 kt in 2015 and was at its lowest, 2,735 kt, in 1993.

That places South Africa 9th out of 142 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.

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 (CO2) in South Africa, 1990 to 2023.
Year kt Change
1990 3,090 kt —
1991 3,118 kt +0.9%
1992 3,442 kt +10.4%
1993 2,735 kt -20.6%
1994 4,232 kt +54.8%
1995 4,684 kt +10.7%
1996 4,392 kt -6.2%
1997 4,904 kt +11.6%
1998 5,219 kt +6.4%
1999 5,120 kt -1.9%
2000 3,531 kt -31.0%
2001 3,461 kt -2.0%
2002 3,756 kt +8.5%
2003 4,367 kt +16.3%
2004 5,366 kt +22.9%
2005 4,700 kt -12.4%
2006 4,857 kt +3.3%
2007 5,014 kt +3.2%
2008 5,621 kt +12.1%
2009 5,226 kt -7.0%
2010 5,564 kt +6.5%
2011 5,252 kt -5.6%
2012 5,289 kt +0.7%
2013 5,065 kt -4.2%
2014 5,031 kt -0.7%
2015 6,155 kt +22.3%
2016 5,248 kt -14.7%
2017 5,248 kt +0.0%
2018 5,097 kt -2.9%
2019 5,074 kt -0.4%
2020 4,802 kt -5.4%
2021 4,732 kt -1.4%
2022 4,208 kt -11.1%
2023 4,208 kt +0.0%

South Africa compared with similar countries

  • South Africa's 4,208 kt is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 275.27 kt, 15.3× the median. (41 countries reporting)
  • South Africa's 4,208 kt is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 12.16 kt, 345.9× the median. (24 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 4,094 kt 2,735 kt 5,219 kt 10
2000s 4,590 kt 3,461 kt 5,621 kt 10
2010s 5,302 kt 5,031 kt 6,155 kt 10
2020s 4,487 kt 4,208 kt 4,802 kt 4

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 6 Republic of Korea 9,359 kt compare
  2. 7 Bolivia (Plurinational State of) 376.9 kt compare
  3. 7 Mexico 6,492 kt compare
  4. 8 Democratic People's Republic of Korea 225.19 kt compare
  5. 8 Turkmenistan 4,394 kt compare
  6. 9 Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) 70.73 kt compare
  7. 10 Republic of Moldova 47.24 kt compare
  8. 10 Uzbekistan 3,966 kt compare
  9. 11 Egypt 3,879 kt compare
  10. 11 Melanesia 42.43 kt compare
  11. 12 Saudi Arabia 3,761 kt compare
  12. 12 United Republic of Tanzania 37.36 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 4,208 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 6,155 kt in 2015.
What is the lowest electricity — emissions recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 2,735 kt in 1993.
How does South Africa rank for electricity — emissions?
South Africa ranks 9th 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 (CO2). 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-co2/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Electricity — Emissions (CO2)
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.