Greenhouse gas emissions - Regions — GHG emissions total regions in South Africa

South Africa: Greenhouse gas emissions - Regions — GHG emissions total regions was 516.46 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
516.46 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent
Change on year
down 2.1%
World rank
11th
of 47 countries
All-time high
604.37 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent
in 2014
All-time low
238.84 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent
in 1971
Years of data
54
1970–2023

Greenhouse gas emissions - Regions — GHG emissions total regions in South Africa, 1970–2023

0200.0M400.0M600.0M197019962023

Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Tonnes of CO2-equivalent.

Analysis

In 2023, greenhouse gas emissions - regions — ghg emissions total regions in South Africa stood at 516.46 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent.

The figure is down 2.1% on the previous year and down 12.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, greenhouse gas emissions - regions — ghg emissions total regions in South Africa peaked at 604.37 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent in 2014 and was at its lowest, 238.84 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent, in 1971.

South Africa ranks 11th of 47 countries on this measure, 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 regions in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Greenhouse gas emissions - Regions — GHG emissions total regions (excl. aviation and shipping) in South Africa, 1970 to 2023.
Year Tonnes of CO2-equivalent Change
1970 239.34 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent
1971 238.84 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent -0.2%
1972 246.13 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent +3.1%
1973 265.08 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent +7.7%
1974 274.13 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent +3.4%
1975 292.09 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent +6.6%
1976 308.04 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent +5.5%
1977 310.24 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent +0.7%
1978 289.90 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent -6.6%
1979 299.79 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent +3.4%
1980 315.39 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent +5.2%
1981 331.77 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent +5.2%
1982 340.83 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent +2.7%
1983 344.01 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent +0.9%
1984 365.10 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent +6.1%
1985 370.48 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent +1.5%
1986 368.68 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent -0.5%
1987 385.70 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent +4.6%
1988 391.35 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent +1.5%
1989 389.94 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent -0.4%
1990 404.07 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent +3.6%
1991 396.46 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent -1.9%
1992 390.21 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent -1.6%
1993 394.30 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent +1.0%
1994 401.04 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent +1.7%
1995 419.50 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent +4.6%
1996 433.63 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent +3.4%
1997 452.92 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent +4.4%
1998 460.11 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent +1.6%
1999 442.74 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent -3.8%
2000 447.42 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent +1.1%
2001 457.90 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent +2.3%
2002 472.21 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent +3.1%
2003 498.72 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent +5.6%
2004 532.65 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent +6.8%
2005 544.28 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent +2.2%
2006 548.49 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent +0.8%
2007 570.30 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent +4.0%
2008 601.91 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent +5.5%
2009 570.31 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent -5.3%
2010 578.23 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent +1.4%
2011 558.47 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent -3.4%
2012 578.61 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent +3.6%
2013 590.76 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent +2.1%
2014 604.37 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent +2.3%
2015 578.97 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent -4.2%
2016 578.93 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent -0.0%
2017 589.84 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent +1.9%
2018 592.73 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent +0.5%
2019 597.08 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent +0.7%
2020 536.98 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent -10.1%
2021 545.94 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent +1.7%
2022 527.67 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent -3.3%
2023 516.46 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent -2.1%

South Africa compared with similar countries

  • South Africa's 516.46 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 516.46 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent, 1.0× the median. (7 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 276.36 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent 238.84 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent 310.24 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent 10
1980s 360.32 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent 315.39 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent 391.35 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent 10
1990s 419.50 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent 390.21 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent 460.11 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent 10
2000s 524.42 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent 447.42 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent 601.91 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent 10
2010s 584.80 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent 558.47 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent 604.37 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent 10
2020s 531.76 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent 516.46 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent 545.94 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent 4

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 8 Mexico 709.10 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent compare
  2. 9 Germany 679.06 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent compare
  3. 10 Australia 559.03 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent compare
  4. 12 France 384.07 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent compare
  5. 13 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 374.50 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent compare
  6. 14 Italy 368.63 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent compare

See the full ranking of 51 places →

More climate change data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is greenhouse gas emissions - regions — ghg emissions total regions in South Africa?
Greenhouse gas emissions - regions — ghg emissions total regions in South Africa was 516.46 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 regions recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 604.37 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent in 2014.
What is the lowest greenhouse gas emissions - regions — ghg emissions total regions recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 238.84 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent in 1971.
How does South Africa rank for greenhouse gas emissions - regions — ghg emissions total regions?
South Africa ranks 11th out of 47 countries with data for 2023.
Is greenhouse gas emissions - regions — ghg emissions total regions rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 12.6%. 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 regions (excl. aviation and shipping). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 54 observations, free to reuse under OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Greenhouse gas emissions - Regions — GHG emissions total regions in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 16 September 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/greenhouse-gas-emissions-regions-ghg-emissions-total-regions-excl-aviation-and-shipping/south-africa/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/greenhouse-gas-emissions-regions-ghg-emissions-total-regions-excl-aviation-and-shipping/south-africa/">Greenhouse gas emissions - Regions — GHG emissions total regions in South Africa</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Greenhouse gas emissions - Regions — GHG emissions total regions (excl. aviation and shipping)
Unit
Tonnes of CO2-equivalent
Source
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Licence
OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
51 places, 2,754 data points, 1970–2023
Last refreshed

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.