Greenhouse gas emissions by gas, per capita in South Africa
South Africa: Greenhouse gas emissions by gas, per capita was 0.3171 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
0.3171 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person
Change on year
down 0.3%
World rank
89th
of 196 countries
All-time high
0.8281 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person
in 1961
All-time low
0.3171 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person
in 2024
Years of data
65
1960–2024
Greenhouse gas emissions by gas, per capita in South Africa, 1960–2024
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person.
Analysis
The most recent figure for greenhouse gas emissions by gas, per capita in South Africa is 0.3171 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 65 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.3% on the previous year and down 13.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, greenhouse gas emissions by gas, per capita in South Africa peaked at 0.8281 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 1961 and was at its lowest, 0.3171 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person, in 2024.
That places South Africa 89th out of 196 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 65 years of available data.
Greenhouse gas emissions by gas, per capita in South Africa, year by year
| Year | tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 0.7816 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | — |
| 1961 | 0.8281 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +6.0% |
| 1962 | 0.8162 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.4% |
| 1963 | 0.8029 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.6% |
| 1964 | 0.7776 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -3.1% |
| 1965 | 0.7625 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.9% |
| 1966 | 0.7172 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -5.9% |
| 1967 | 0.7242 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.0% |
| 1968 | 0.7133 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.5% |
| 1969 | 0.7112 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.3% |
| 1970 | 0.6903 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -2.9% |
| 1971 | 0.6462 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -6.4% |
| 1972 | 0.6454 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.1% |
| 1973 | 0.6351 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.6% |
| 1974 | 0.6346 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.1% |
| 1975 | 0.6475 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +2.0% |
| 1976 | 0.6355 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.9% |
| 1977 | 0.6396 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.6% |
| 1978 | 0.628 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.8% |
| 1979 | 0.6412 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +2.1% |
| 1980 | 0.6215 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -3.1% |
| 1981 | 0.6093 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -2.0% |
| 1982 | 0.5802 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -4.8% |
| 1983 | 0.5346 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -7.9% |
| 1984 | 0.512 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -4.2% |
| 1985 | 0.4813 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -6.0% |
| 1986 | 0.4605 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -4.3% |
| 1987 | 0.4567 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.8% |
| 1988 | 0.4427 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -3.1% |
| 1989 | 0.4428 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 0.4575 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +3.3% |
| 1991 | 0.4472 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -2.2% |
| 1992 | 0.4766 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +6.6% |
| 1993 | 0.4674 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.9% |
| 1994 | 0.4576 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -2.1% |
| 1995 | 0.4554 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.5% |
| 1996 | 0.4929 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +8.2% |
| 1997 | 0.4901 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.6% |
| 1998 | 0.484 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.3% |
| 1999 | 0.4619 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -4.6% |
| 2000 | 0.4302 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -6.9% |
| 2001 | 0.4303 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 0.4556 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +5.9% |
| 2003 | 0.4321 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -5.2% |
| 2004 | 0.4292 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.7% |
| 2005 | 0.4285 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.2% |
| 2006 | 0.4023 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -6.1% |
| 2007 | 0.4098 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.9% |
| 2008 | 0.3966 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -3.2% |
| 2009 | 0.3855 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -2.8% |
| 2010 | 0.3894 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 0.3821 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.9% |
| 2012 | 0.384 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 0.3701 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -3.6% |
| 2014 | 0.3655 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.2% |
| 2015 | 0.3414 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -6.6% |
| 2016 | 0.3246 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -4.9% |
| 2017 | 0.3512 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +8.2% |
| 2018 | 0.3453 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.7% |
| 2019 | 0.3358 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -2.8% |
| 2020 | 0.3275 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -2.5% |
| 2021 | 0.345 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +5.3% |
| 2022 | 0.319 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -7.5% |
| 2023 | 0.3181 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.3% |
| 2024 | 0.3171 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.3% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 0.3171 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.2719 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person, 1.2× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 0.3171 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.3083 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person, 1.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.7635 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.7112 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.8281 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.6443 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.628 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.6903 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.5142 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.4427 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.6215 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.4691 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.4472 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.4929 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.42 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.3855 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.4556 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.3589 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.3246 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.3894 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.3253 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.3171 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.345 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 86 Belize 0.3218 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 87 Qatar 0.32 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 88 Zimbabwe 0.3176 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 90 Mexico 0.3022 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 91 Vietnam 0.3001 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 92 Congo 0.2996 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
More climate change data for South Africa
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 717.27 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 34,365 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 11,741 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 22,624 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 44.31 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 807.99 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 5,495 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 5,119 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 376.6 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 19.32 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is greenhouse gas emissions by gas, per capita in South Africa?
- Greenhouse gas emissions by gas, per capita in South Africa was 0.3171 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 2024, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest greenhouse gas emissions by gas, per capita recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 0.8281 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 1961.
- What is the lowest greenhouse gas emissions by gas, per capita recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.3171 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 2024.
- How does South Africa rank for greenhouse gas emissions by gas, per capita?
- South Africa ranks 89th out of 196 countries with data for 2024.
- Is greenhouse gas emissions by gas, per capita rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Greenhouse gas emissions by gas, per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
Greenhouse gas emissions by gas divided by Population, total, matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
Greenhouse gas emissions by gas ÷ Population, total
Computed from
- Greenhouse gas emissions by gas Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
- Population, total World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN)
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
Greenhouse gas emissions by gas divided by Population, total, matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.