Energy — Emissions in South Africa

South Africa: Energy — Emissions was 428,000 kt in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
428,000 kt
Change on year
up 1.7%
World rank
14th
of 200 countries
All-time high
539,000 kt
in 2008
All-time low
109,000 kt
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023

Energy — Emissions in South Africa, 1961–2023

100.0k200.0k300.0k400.0k500.0k196119922023

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for energy — emissions in South Africa is 428,000 kt, measured in 2023.

That represents a change of up 1.7% on the previous year and down 10.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, energy — emissions in South Africa peaked at 539,000 kt in 2008 and was at its lowest, 109,000 kt, in 1961.

South Africa ranks 14th of 200 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.

Energy — Emissions in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Energy — Emissions (CO2) in South Africa, 1961 to 2023.
Year kt Change
1961 109,000 kt
1962 113,000 kt +3.7%
1963 117,000 kt +3.5%
1964 127,000 kt +8.5%
1965 136,000 kt +7.1%
1966 137,000 kt +0.7%
1967 143,000 kt +4.4%
1968 147,000 kt +2.8%
1969 153,000 kt +4.1%
1970 159,000 kt +3.9%
1971 178,000 kt +11.9%
1972 181,000 kt +1.7%
1973 183,000 kt +1.1%
1974 187,000 kt +2.2%
1975 196,000 kt +4.8%
1976 204,000 kt +4.1%
1977 212,000 kt +3.9%
1978 215,000 kt +1.4%
1979 232,000 kt +7.9%
1980 247,000 kt +6.5%
1981 278,000 kt +12.6%
1982 314,000 kt +12.9%
1983 338,000 kt +7.6%
1984 365,000 kt +8.0%
1985 377,000 kt +3.3%
1986 386,000 kt +2.4%
1987 385,000 kt -0.3%
1988 403,000 kt +4.7%
1989 394,000 kt -2.2%
1990 370,000 kt -6.1%
1991 380,000 kt +2.7%
1992 353,000 kt -7.1%
1993 366,000 kt +3.7%
1994 384,000 kt +4.9%
1995 411,000 kt +7.0%
1996 413,000 kt +0.5%
1997 434,000 kt +5.1%
1998 425,000 kt -2.1%
1999 424,000 kt -0.2%
2000 427,000 kt +0.7%
2001 395,000 kt -7.5%
2002 382,000 kt -3.3%
2003 430,000 kt +12.6%
2004 478,000 kt +11.2%
2005 459,000 kt -4.0%
2006 490,000 kt +6.8%
2007 509,000 kt +3.9%
2008 539,000 kt +5.9%
2009 519,000 kt -3.7%
2010 485,000 kt -6.6%
2011 483,000 kt -0.4%
2012 476,000 kt -1.4%
2013 477,000 kt +0.2%
2014 489,000 kt +2.5%
2015 464,000 kt -5.1%
2016 474,000 kt +2.2%
2017 456,000 kt -3.8%
2018 452,000 kt -0.9%
2019 481,000 kt +6.4%
2020 447,000 kt -7.1%
2021 442,000 kt -1.1%
2022 421,000 kt -4.8%
2023 428,000 kt +1.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 131,333 kt 109,000 kt 153,000 kt 9
1970s 194,700 kt 159,000 kt 232,000 kt 10
1980s 348,700 kt 247,000 kt 403,000 kt 10
1990s 396,000 kt 353,000 kt 434,000 kt 10
2000s 462,800 kt 382,000 kt 539,000 kt 10
2010s 473,700 kt 452,000 kt 489,000 kt 10
2020s 434,500 kt 421,000 kt 447,000 kt 4

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 11 Canada 568,000 kt compare
  2. 12 Germany 550,000 kt compare
  3. 13 Mexico 482,000 kt compare
  4. 15 Brazil 420,000 kt compare
  5. 16 Australia and New Zealand 396,200 kt compare
  6. 17 Australia 364,000 kt compare

See the full ranking of 252 places →

More climate change data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is energy — emissions in South Africa?
Energy — emissions in South Africa was 428,000 kt in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest energy — emissions recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 539,000 kt in 2008.
What is the lowest energy — emissions recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 109,000 kt in 1961.
How does South Africa rank for energy — emissions?
South Africa ranks 14th out of 200 countries with data for 2023.
Is energy — emissions rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 10.3%. 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 Energy — Emissions (CO2). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Energy — Emissions in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 29 August 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/energy-emissions-co2-fao-tier-1/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Energy — Emissions (CO2)
Unit
kt
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
252 places, 14,511 data points, 1961–2023
Last refreshed

The FAOSTAT domain on Emissions Totals summarizes the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions disseminated in the FAOSTAT Climate Change domains of emissions from agrifood systems. Data are computed following the Tier 1 methods of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Guidelines for National greenhouse gas (GHG) Inventories (IPCC, 1996; 1997; 2000; 2002; 2006; 2014). Emissions from other economic sectors as defined by the IPCC are also disseminated in the domain for completeness. Methodological details can be found at: https://files-faostat.fao.org/production/GT/GT_en.pdf