Energy — Emissions (CO2), per capita in South Africa

South Africa: Energy — Emissions (CO2), per capita was 0.0068 kt per person in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
0.0068 kt per person
Change on year
up 0.3%
World rank
34th
of 186 countries
All-time high
0.0108 kt per person
in 1984
All-time low
0.0064 kt per person
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023

Energy — Emissions (CO2), per capita in South Africa, 1961–2023

00.0030.0050.0070.01196119922023

Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in kt per person.

Analysis

In 2023, energy — emissions (co2), per capita in South Africa stood at 0.0068 kt per person.

The figure is up 0.3% on the previous year and down 22.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, energy — emissions (co2), per capita in South Africa peaked at 0.0108 kt per person in 1984 and was at its lowest, 0.0064 kt per person, in 1961.

That places South Africa 34th out of 186 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.

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

Energy — Emissions (CO2), per capita in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Energy — Emissions (CO2), per capita in South Africa, 1961 to 2023.
Year kt per person Change
1961 0.0064 kt per person —
1962 0.0065 kt per person +0.6%
1963 0.0065 kt per person +0.4%
1964 0.0069 kt per person +5.3%
1965 0.0071 kt per person +3.8%
1966 0.007 kt per person -2.3%
1967 0.007 kt per person +1.2%
1968 0.007 kt per person -0.4%
1969 0.0071 kt per person +0.9%
1970 0.0071 kt per person +0.8%
1971 0.0078 kt per person +8.7%
1972 0.0077 kt per person -1.2%
1973 0.0075 kt per person -1.7%
1974 0.0075 kt per person -0.7%
1975 0.0076 kt per person +1.9%
1976 0.0077 kt per person +1.3%
1977 0.0078 kt per person +1.1%
1978 0.0077 kt per person -1.3%
1979 0.0081 kt per person +5.0%
1980 0.0084 kt per person +3.3%
1981 0.0091 kt per person +8.8%
1982 0.0099 kt per person +9.1%
1983 0.0103 kt per person +3.9%
1984 0.0108 kt per person +4.3%
1985 0.0108 kt per person -0.1%
1986 0.0107 kt per person -0.8%
1987 0.0103 kt per person -3.3%
1988 0.0105 kt per person +1.5%
1989 0.0099 kt per person -5.1%
1990 0.0091 kt per person -8.7%
1991 0.0091 kt per person +0.4%
1992 0.0083 kt per person -8.8%
1993 0.0085 kt per person +1.6%
1994 0.0087 kt per person +3.2%
1995 0.0092 kt per person +5.7%
1996 0.0092 kt per person -0.8%
1997 0.0095 kt per person +3.8%
1998 0.0092 kt per person -3.3%
1999 0.0091 kt per person -1.3%
2000 0.0091 kt per person -0.2%
2001 0.0083 kt per person -8.3%
2002 0.008 kt per person -4.2%
2003 0.0089 kt per person +11.4%
2004 0.0098 kt per person +10.0%
2005 0.0093 kt per person -4.9%
2006 0.0098 kt per person +5.7%
2007 0.0101 kt per person +2.8%
2008 0.0105 kt per person +4.7%
2009 0.01 kt per person -4.9%
2010 0.0093 kt per person -7.7%
2011 0.0091 kt per person -1.6%
2012 0.0089 kt per person -2.9%
2013 0.0087 kt per person -1.4%
2014 0.0088 kt per person +0.8%
2015 0.0082 kt per person -7.0%
2016 0.0083 kt per person +1.2%
2017 0.0079 kt per person -4.4%
2018 0.0077 kt per person -2.5%
2019 0.0081 kt per person +4.7%
2020 0.0074 kt per person -8.6%
2021 0.0072 kt per person -2.6%
2022 0.0067 kt per person -6.1%
2023 0.0068 kt per person +0.3%

South Africa compared with similar countries

  • South Africa's 0.0068 kt per person is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.0027 kt per person, 2.5× the median. (55 countries reporting)
  • South Africa's 0.0068 kt per person is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.0004 kt per person, 17.1× the median. (45 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 0.0068 kt per person 0.0064 kt per person 0.0071 kt per person 9
1970s 0.0077 kt per person 0.0071 kt per person 0.0081 kt per person 10
1980s 0.0101 kt per person 0.0084 kt per person 0.0108 kt per person 10
1990s 0.009 kt per person 0.0083 kt per person 0.0095 kt per person 10
2000s 0.0094 kt per person 0.008 kt per person 0.0105 kt per person 10
2010s 0.0085 kt per person 0.0077 kt per person 0.0093 kt per person 10
2020s 0.007 kt per person 0.0067 kt per person 0.0074 kt per person 4

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 31 Bosnia and Herzegovina 0.0069 kt per person compare
  2. 32 Norway 0.0069 kt per person compare
  3. 33 Antigua and Barbuda 0.0068 kt per person compare
  4. 35 Germany 0.0066 kt per person compare
  5. 36 New Zealand 0.0062 kt per person compare
  6. 37 Ireland 0.0059 kt per person 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 energy — emissions (co2), per capita in South Africa?
Energy — emissions (co2), per capita in South Africa was 0.0068 kt per person in 2023, according to Statizoid (derived).
What is the highest energy — emissions (co2), per capita recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 0.0108 kt per person in 1984.
What is the lowest energy — emissions (co2), per capita recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0064 kt per person in 1961.
How does South Africa rank for energy — emissions (co2), per capita?
South Africa ranks 34th out of 186 countries with data for 2023.
Is energy — emissions (co2), per capita rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 22.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Energy — Emissions (CO2), per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Energy — Emissions (CO2), per capita in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Statizoid (derived). Retrieved 25 September 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/energy-emissions-co2-per-capita/south-africa/

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<a href="https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/energy-emissions-co2-per-capita/south-africa/">Energy — Emissions (CO2), per capita in South Africa</a> — Statizoid

How this figure is calculated

Energy — Emissions (CO2) divided by Population, total, matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.

Energy — Emissions (CO2) ÷ Population, total

Computed from

Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.

About this data

Indicator
Energy — Emissions (CO2), per capita
Unit
kt per person
Source
Statizoid (derived)
Licence
Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page
Coverage
187 places, 10,734 data points, 1961–2023
Last refreshed

Energy — Emissions (CO2) divided by Population, total, matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.