Greenhouse gas emissions - Regions — GHG emissions total country in South Africa
South Africa: Greenhouse gas emissions - Regions — GHG emissions total country was 522.12 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent in 2023. ▲ Rising
Greenhouse gas emissions - Regions — GHG emissions total country in South Africa, 1970–2023
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Tonnes of CO2-equivalent.
Analysis
In 2023, greenhouse gas emissions - regions — ghg emissions total country in South Africa stood at 522.12 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent.
The figure is down 2.0% on the previous year and down 12.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, greenhouse gas emissions - regions — ghg emissions total country in South Africa peaked at 608.85 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent in 2014 and was at its lowest, 240.63 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent, in 1971.
That places South Africa 11th out of 47 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 54 years of available data.
Greenhouse gas emissions - Regions — GHG emissions total country in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Tonnes of CO2-equivalent | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 241.12 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent | — |
| 1971 | 240.63 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent | -0.2% |
| 1972 | 247.93 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent | +3.0% |
| 1973 | 267.01 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent | +7.7% |
| 1974 | 276.09 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent | +3.4% |
| 1975 | 294.29 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent | +6.6% |
| 1976 | 310.31 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent | +5.4% |
| 1977 | 312.55 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent | +0.7% |
| 1978 | 292.15 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent | -6.5% |
| 1979 | 302.00 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent | +3.4% |
| 1980 | 317.66 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent | +5.2% |
| 1981 | 334.19 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent | +5.2% |
| 1982 | 343.26 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent | +2.7% |
| 1983 | 346.56 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent | +1.0% |
| 1984 | 367.68 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent | +6.1% |
| 1985 | 373.12 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent | +1.5% |
| 1986 | 371.21 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent | -0.5% |
| 1987 | 388.30 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent | +4.6% |
| 1988 | 394.05 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent | +1.5% |
| 1989 | 392.81 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent | -0.3% |
| 1990 | 407.00 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent | +3.6% |
| 1991 | 399.34 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent | -1.9% |
| 1992 | 393.33 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent | -1.5% |
| 1993 | 397.55 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent | +1.1% |
| 1994 | 404.34 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent | +1.7% |
| 1995 | 423.15 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent | +4.7% |
| 1996 | 437.36 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent | +3.4% |
| 1997 | 456.76 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent | +4.4% |
| 1998 | 463.99 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent | +1.6% |
| 1999 | 446.67 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent | -3.7% |
| 2000 | 451.25 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent | +1.0% |
| 2001 | 462.24 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent | +2.4% |
| 2002 | 476.65 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent | +3.1% |
| 2003 | 503.53 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent | +5.6% |
| 2004 | 537.91 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent | +6.8% |
| 2005 | 549.82 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent | +2.2% |
| 2006 | 553.96 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent | +0.8% |
| 2007 | 576.07 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent | +4.0% |
| 2008 | 606.04 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent | +5.2% |
| 2009 | 574.17 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent | -5.3% |
| 2010 | 582.48 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent | +1.4% |
| 2011 | 562.87 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent | -3.4% |
| 2012 | 583.02 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent | +3.6% |
| 2013 | 595.40 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent | +2.1% |
| 2014 | 608.85 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent | +2.3% |
| 2015 | 583.29 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent | -4.2% |
| 2016 | 583.29 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent | -0.0% |
| 2017 | 595.32 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent | +2.1% |
| 2018 | 598.07 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 602.85 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent | +0.8% |
| 2020 | 541.71 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent | -10.1% |
| 2021 | 550.98 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent | +1.7% |
| 2022 | 533.03 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent | -3.3% |
| 2023 | 522.12 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent | -2.0% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 522.12 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 522.12 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent, 1.0× the median. (7 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 278.41 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent | 240.63 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent | 312.55 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent | 10 |
| 1980s | 362.88 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent | 317.66 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent | 394.05 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent | 10 |
| 1990s | 422.95 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent | 393.33 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent | 463.99 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent | 10 |
| 2000s | 529.16 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent | 451.25 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent | 606.04 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent | 10 |
| 2010s | 589.54 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent | 562.87 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent | 608.85 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent | 10 |
| 2020s | 536.96 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent | 522.12 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent | 550.98 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 8 Mexico 712.10 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent compare
- 9 Germany 681.81 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent compare
- 10 Australia 571.84 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent compare
- 12 France 391.72 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent compare
- 13 United Kingdom 379.32 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent compare
- 14 Italy 374.12 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent 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 - regions — ghg emissions total country in South Africa?
- Greenhouse gas emissions - regions — ghg emissions total country in South Africa was 522.12 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent in 2023, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
- What is the highest greenhouse gas emissions - regions — ghg emissions total country recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 608.85 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent in 2014.
- What is the lowest greenhouse gas emissions - regions — ghg emissions total country recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 240.63 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent in 1971.
- How does South Africa rank for greenhouse gas emissions - regions — ghg emissions total country?
- South Africa ranks 11th out of 47 countries with data for 2023.
- Is greenhouse gas emissions - regions — ghg emissions total country rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Greenhouse gas emissions - Regions — GHG emissions total country (incl. aviation and shipping). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
This dataset provides indicators on greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) in large (TL2) and small (TL3) regions. Data definition and source GHG are estimated by sector of origin at the subnational level using the Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research (EDGAR) (Joint Research Centre). See the methodology. Definition of regions Regions are subnational units below national boundaries. OECD countries have two regional levels: large regions (territorial level 2 or TL2) and small regions (territorial level 3 or TL3). For more information, see the OECD Territorial grid (pdf) and the OECD Territorial Correspondence Table (xlsx). Cite this dataset OECD Regions, Cities and Local Areas database http://oe.cd/geostats. Further information OECD Local Data Portal OECD Regions and Cities at a Glance For questions and/or comments, please email RegionStat@oecd.org.