Greenhouse gas emissions by sector in South Africa
South Africa: Greenhouse gas emissions by sector was 31.49 million tonnes in 2023. ▼ Falling
Greenhouse gas emissions by sector in South Africa, 1990–2023
Source: Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 31.49 million tonnes for greenhouse gas emissions by sector in 2023.
The figure is up 2.9% on the previous year and down 2.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, greenhouse gas emissions by sector in South Africa peaked at 34.03 million tonnes in 2002 and was at its lowest, 29.61 million tonnes, in 2016.
South Africa ranks 41st of 193 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 32.66 million tonnes | 31.24 million tonnes | 33.81 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 32.55 million tonnes | 31.38 million tonnes | 34.03 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 31.52 million tonnes | 29.61 million tonnes | 33.19 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 31.09 million tonnes | 30.02 million tonnes | 32.26 million tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More climate change data for South Africa
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.9% (2100)
- Population growth 1.1% (2025)
- Population, total 64.75 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 1.3% (2025)
- Urban population 41.32 million (2025)
- Urban population 63.8% (2025)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 6.87 tonnes per person (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions 22.83 billion tonnes (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita 6.87 tonnes per person (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 6.87 tonnes per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is greenhouse gas emissions by sector in South Africa?
- Greenhouse gas emissions by sector in South Africa was 31.49 million tonnes in 2023, according to Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest greenhouse gas emissions by sector recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 34.03 million tonnes in 2002.
- What is the lowest greenhouse gas emissions by sector recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 29.61 million tonnes in 2016.
- How does South Africa rank for greenhouse gas emissions by sector?
- South Africa ranks 41st out of 193 countries with data for 2023.
- Is greenhouse gas emissions by sector rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Greenhouse gas emissions by sector. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Emissions are measured in tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalents.