Food Packaging — Emissions in South Africa

South Africa: Food Packaging — Emissions was 1.92 kt in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
1.92 kt
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
7th
of 120 countries
All-time high
2.36 kt
in 2020
All-time low
0.4673 kt
in 1997
Years of data
34
1990–2023

Food Packaging — Emissions in South Africa, 1990–2023

0.511.522.51990200620231990: 1 kt1991: 0.865 kt1992: 0.783 kt1993: 0.492 kt1994: 0.629 kt1995: 0.709 kt1996: 0.607 kt1997: 0.467 kt1998: 0.76 kt1999: 0.819 kt2000: 0.793 kt2001: 0.781 kt2002: 0.788 kt2003: 0.708 kt2004: 0.792 kt2005: 0.803 kt2006: 0.765 kt2007: 0.734 kt2008: 0.702 kt2009: 0.625 kt2010: 2.3 kt2011: 0.772 kt2012: 0.782 kt2013: 1.2 kt2014: 1.3 kt2015: 1.7 kt2016: 1.4 kt2017: 0.61 kt2018: 1.9 kt2019: 1.8 kt2020: 2.4 kt2021: 1.8 kt2022: 1.9 kt2023: 1.9 kt

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

Analysis

In 2023, food packaging — emissions in South Africa stood at 1.92 kt.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 62.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, food packaging — emissions in South Africa peaked at 2.36 kt in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.4673 kt, in 1997.

That places South Africa 7th out of 120 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Food Packaging — Emissions in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Food Packaging — Emissions (CH4) in South Africa, 1990 to 2023.
Year kt Change
1990 0.9999 kt —
1991 0.8645 kt -13.5%
1992 0.7831 kt -9.4%
1993 0.4921 kt -37.2%
1994 0.6291 kt +27.8%
1995 0.7094 kt +12.8%
1996 0.6067 kt -14.5%
1997 0.4673 kt -23.0%
1998 0.7603 kt +62.7%
1999 0.8188 kt +7.7%
2000 0.7928 kt -3.2%
2001 0.7806 kt -1.5%
2002 0.7879 kt +0.9%
2003 0.7082 kt -10.1%
2004 0.7925 kt +11.9%
2005 0.8031 kt +1.3%
2006 0.7653 kt -4.7%
2007 0.7337 kt -4.1%
2008 0.7023 kt -4.3%
2009 0.6246 kt -11.1%
2010 2.3 kt +267.8%
2011 0.772 kt -66.4%
2012 0.7819 kt +1.3%
2013 1.18 kt +51.4%
2014 1.35 kt +13.9%
2015 1.7 kt +25.9%
2016 1.43 kt -15.8%
2017 0.6099 kt -57.3%
2018 1.92 kt +215.0%
2019 1.79 kt -7.0%
2020 2.36 kt +32.1%
2021 1.77 kt -24.9%
2022 1.92 kt +8.6%
2023 1.92 kt +0.0%

South Africa compared with similar countries

  • South Africa's 1.92 kt is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.0056 kt, 344.7× the median. (34 countries reporting)
  • South Africa's 1.92 kt is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.0017 kt, 1150.5× the median. (17 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Food Packaging — 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
2010 +267.8% 0.6246 kt 2.3 kt
2018 +215.0% 0.6099 kt 1.92 kt

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 0.7131 kt 0.4673 kt 0.9999 kt 10
2000s 0.7491 kt 0.6246 kt 0.8031 kt 10
2010s 1.38 kt 0.6099 kt 2.3 kt 10
2020s 1.99 kt 1.77 kt 2.36 kt 4

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 4 Indonesia 3.42 kt compare
  2. 5 India 3.19 kt compare
  3. 6 Bolivia (Plurinational State of) 0.0108 kt compare
  4. 6 China, Taiwan Province of 2.06 kt compare
  5. 7 Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) 0.0078 kt compare
  6. 8 Brazil 1.87 kt compare
  7. 9 Iran (Islamic Republic of) 0.0033 kt compare
  8. 9 Japan 1.46 kt compare
  9. 10 Kazakhstan 1.18 kt compare
  10. 10 Melanesia 0.0026 kt compare

See the full ranking of 168 places →

More climate change data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is food packaging — emissions in South Africa?
Food packaging — emissions in South Africa was 1.92 kt in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest food packaging — emissions recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 2.36 kt in 2020.
What is the lowest food packaging — emissions recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 0.4673 kt in 1997.
How does South Africa rank for food packaging — emissions?
South Africa ranks 7th out of 120 countries with data for 2023.
Is food packaging — emissions rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 62.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Food Packaging — Emissions (CH4). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Food Packaging — 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/food-packaging-emissions-ch4/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Food Packaging — Emissions (CH4)
Unit
kt
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
168 places, 5,039 data points, 1990–2023
Last refreshed

The FAOSTAT domain on Emissions from Pre- and post- agricultural production includes the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and related activity data, generated from pre- and post-agriculture production stages of the agri-food 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). The domain includes methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), carbon dioxide (CO2) and CO2 equivalent (CO2eq) emissions from the above activities as well as the aggregate fluorinated gases (F-gases) emissions. Estimates are available by country, with global coverage and are updated annually.The FAOSTAT domain disseminates information estimates of CH4, N2O, CO2 emissions, F-gases, their aggregates in CO2eq in units of kilotonnes (kt, or 10^6 kg), and the underlying activity data. CO2eq emissions are computed by using the IPCC Fifth Assessment report global warming potentials, AR5 (IPCC, 2014). Data are available for most countries and territories, for standard FAOSTAT regional aggregations, and for Annex I and non-Annex I country groups.