Food Retail — Emissions (CO2eq) in South Africa

South Africa: Food Retail — Emissions (CO2eq) was 8,936 kt in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
8,936 kt
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
16th
of 203 countries
All-time high
10,684 kt
in 2016
All-time low
2,175 kt
in 1992
Years of data
34
1990–2023

Food Retail — Emissions (CO2eq) in South Africa, 1990–2023

2.0k4.0k6.0k8.0k10.0k1990200620231990: 2.9k kt1991: 2.7k kt1992: 2.2k kt1993: 2.3k kt1994: 2.4k kt1995: 2.6k kt1996: 3.0k kt1997: 3.2k kt1998: 3.0k kt1999: 3.2k kt2000: 3.8k kt2001: 3.8k kt2002: 3.9k kt2003: 4.5k kt2004: 5.1k kt2005: 5.2k kt2006: 5.5k kt2007: 5.7k kt2008: 6.2k kt2009: 6.1k kt2010: 7.1k kt2011: 7.2k kt2012: 8.0k kt2013: 8.3k kt2014: 8.6k kt2015: 8.2k kt2016: 10.7k kt2017: 9.6k kt2018: 9.6k kt2019: 9.2k kt2020: 8.9k kt2021: 9.1k kt2022: 8.9k kt2023: 8.9k kt

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

Analysis

In 2023, food retail — emissions (co2eq) in South Africa stood at 8,936 kt.

The figure is up 7.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, food retail — emissions (co2eq) in South Africa peaked at 10,684 kt in 2016 and was at its lowest, 2,175 kt, in 1992.

South Africa ranks 16th of 203 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.

Food Retail — Emissions (CO2eq) in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Food Retail — Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) in South Africa, 1990 to 2023.
Year kt Change
1990 2,864 kt
1991 2,739 kt -4.4%
1992 2,175 kt -20.6%
1993 2,308 kt +6.1%
1994 2,363 kt +2.4%
1995 2,564 kt +8.5%
1996 2,950 kt +15.1%
1997 3,205 kt +8.6%
1998 2,998 kt -6.5%
1999 3,203 kt +6.9%
2000 3,830 kt +19.6%
2001 3,785 kt -1.2%
2002 3,921 kt +3.6%
2003 4,455 kt +13.6%
2004 5,092 kt +14.3%
2005 5,206 kt +2.3%
2006 5,469 kt +5.0%
2007 5,659 kt +3.5%
2008 6,191 kt +9.4%
2009 6,083 kt -1.7%
2010 7,096 kt +16.6%
2011 7,159 kt +0.9%
2012 8,028 kt +12.1%
2013 8,293 kt +3.3%
2014 8,638 kt +4.2%
2015 8,244 kt -4.6%
2016 10,684 kt +29.6%
2017 9,592 kt -10.2%
2018 9,634 kt +0.4%
2019 9,169 kt -4.8%
2020 8,922 kt -2.7%
2021 9,103 kt +2.0%
2022 8,936 kt -1.8%
2023 8,936 kt +0.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 2,737 kt 2,175 kt 3,205 kt 10
2000s 4,969 kt 3,785 kt 6,191 kt 10
2010s 8,654 kt 7,096 kt 10,684 kt 10
2020s 8,974 kt 8,922 kt 9,103 kt 4

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 13 Australia and New Zealand 9,103 kt compare
  2. 14 Saudi Arabia 9,097 kt compare
  3. 15 Malaysia 9,011 kt compare
  4. 17 Uganda 8,933 kt compare
  5. 18 Argentina 8,619 kt compare
  6. 19 Australia 8,594 kt compare

See the full ranking of 256 places →

More climate change data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is food retail — emissions (co2eq) in South Africa?
Food retail — emissions (co2eq) in South Africa was 8,936 kt in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest food retail — emissions (co2eq) recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 10,684 kt in 2016.
What is the lowest food retail — emissions (co2eq) recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 2,175 kt in 1992.
How does South Africa rank for food retail — emissions (co2eq)?
South Africa ranks 16th out of 203 countries with data for 2023.
Is food retail — emissions (co2eq) rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 7.7%. 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 Food Retail — Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Food Retail — Emissions (CO2eq) in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 23 August 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/food-retail-emissions-co2eq-ar5/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Food Retail — Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5)
Unit
kt
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
256 places, 8,441 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.