Electricity — Emissions in South Africa

South Africa: Electricity — Emissions was 0.0307 kt in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
0.0307 kt
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
20th
of 142 countries
All-time high
0.0449 kt
in 2015
All-time low
0.0199 kt
in 1993
Years of data
34
1990–2023

Electricity — Emissions in South Africa, 1990–2023

00.010.020.030.041990200620231990: 0.023 kt1991: 0.024 kt1992: 0.026 kt1993: 0.02 kt1994: 0.031 kt1995: 0.034 kt1996: 0.033 kt1997: 0.036 kt1998: 0.036 kt1999: 0.037 kt2000: 0.025 kt2001: 0.027 kt2002: 0.03 kt2003: 0.033 kt2004: 0.04 kt2005: 0.035 kt2006: 0.037 kt2007: 0.039 kt2008: 0.038 kt2009: 0.037 kt2010: 0.038 kt2011: 0.039 kt2012: 0.037 kt2013: 0.037 kt2014: 0.037 kt2015: 0.045 kt2016: 0.038 kt2017: 0.038 kt2018: 0.037 kt2019: 0.037 kt2020: 0.035 kt2021: 0.035 kt2022: 0.031 kt2023: 0.031 kt

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

Analysis

South Africa recorded 0.0307 kt for electricity — emissions in 2023.

The figure is down 16.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, electricity — emissions in South Africa peaked at 0.0449 kt in 2015 and was at its lowest, 0.0199 kt, in 1993.

That places South Africa 20th out of 142 countries with data for 2023, putting it 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 (N2O) in South Africa, 1990 to 2023.
Year kt Change
1990 0.0233 kt —
1991 0.0238 kt +2.1%
1992 0.0259 kt +8.8%
1993 0.0199 kt -23.2%
1994 0.0313 kt +57.3%
1995 0.034 kt +8.6%
1996 0.0327 kt -3.8%
1997 0.0361 kt +10.4%
1998 0.0361 kt +0.0%
1999 0.0369 kt +2.2%
2000 0.0253 kt -31.4%
2001 0.0268 kt +5.9%
2002 0.0298 kt +11.2%
2003 0.033 kt +10.7%
2004 0.0395 kt +19.7%
2005 0.0354 kt -10.4%
2006 0.0374 kt +5.6%
2007 0.0388 kt +3.7%
2008 0.038 kt -2.1%
2009 0.037 kt -2.6%
2010 0.0384 kt +3.8%
2011 0.0387 kt +0.8%
2012 0.0371 kt -4.1%
2013 0.0369 kt -0.5%
2014 0.0367 kt -0.5%
2015 0.0449 kt +22.3%
2016 0.0383 kt -14.7%
2017 0.0383 kt +0.0%
2018 0.0372 kt -2.9%
2019 0.037 kt -0.5%
2020 0.035 kt -5.4%
2021 0.0345 kt -1.4%
2022 0.0307 kt -11.0%
2023 0.0307 kt +0.0%

South Africa compared with similar countries

  • South Africa's 0.0307 kt is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.0032 kt, 9.6× the median. (41 countries reporting)
  • South Africa's 0.0307 kt is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.0002 kt, 153.5× 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 +57.3% 0.0199 kt 0.0313 kt

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 0.03 kt 0.0199 kt 0.0369 kt 10
2000s 0.0341 kt 0.0253 kt 0.0395 kt 10
2010s 0.0384 kt 0.0367 kt 0.0449 kt 10
2020s 0.0327 kt 0.0307 kt 0.035 kt 4

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 17 Germany 0.0334 kt compare
  2. 18 Saudi Arabia 0.0325 kt compare
  3. 19 Turkmenistan 0.031 kt compare
  4. 21 Australia and New Zealand 0.0269 kt compare
  5. 22 Morocco 0.0253 kt compare
  6. 23 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 0.0246 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 0.0307 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 0.0449 kt in 2015.
What is the lowest electricity — emissions recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0199 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 16.8%. 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 (N2O). 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-n2o/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Electricity — Emissions (N2O)
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.