Methane emissions agriculture in South Africa
South Africa: Methane emissions agriculture was 18.06 million in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
18.06 million
Change on year
up 4.8%
World rank
47th
of 193 countries
All-time high
20.23 million
in 1998
All-time low
16.83 million
in 2020
Years of data
34
1990–2023
Methane emissions agriculture in South Africa, 1990–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for methane emissions agriculture in South Africa is 18.06 million, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.8% on the previous year and down 5.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, methane emissions agriculture in South Africa peaked at 20.23 million in 1998 and was at its lowest, 16.83 million, in 2020.
That places South Africa 47th out of 193 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
Methane emissions agriculture in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 19.90 million | — |
| 1991 | 20.11 million | +1.1% |
| 1992 | 19.86 million | -1.2% |
| 1993 | 19.21 million | -3.3% |
| 1994 | 18.73 million | -2.5% |
| 1995 | 18.76 million | +0.2% |
| 1996 | 19.39 million | +3.4% |
| 1997 | 19.72 million | +1.7% |
| 1998 | 20.23 million | +2.6% |
| 1999 | 20.06 million | -0.8% |
| 2000 | 19.91 million | -0.7% |
| 2001 | 19.59 million | -1.6% |
| 2002 | 19.90 million | +1.6% |
| 2003 | 19.02 million | -4.4% |
| 2004 | 18.62 million | -2.1% |
| 2005 | 19.50 million | +4.7% |
| 2006 | 18.64 million | -4.4% |
| 2007 | 19.19 million | +3.0% |
| 2008 | 19.31 million | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 19.31 million | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 19.37 million | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 19.17 million | -1.0% |
| 2012 | 19.47 million | +1.6% |
| 2013 | 19.05 million | -2.2% |
| 2014 | 18.99 million | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 18.53 million | -2.4% |
| 2016 | 17.85 million | -3.7% |
| 2017 | 17.89 million | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 17.63 million | -1.5% |
| 2019 | 17.11 million | -2.9% |
| 2020 | 16.83 million | -1.6% |
| 2021 | 17.91 million | +6.4% |
| 2022 | 17.24 million | -3.7% |
| 2023 | 18.06 million | +4.8% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 18.06 million is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 3.53 million, 5.1× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 18.06 million is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 7.62 million, 2.4× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 19.60 million | 18.73 million | 20.23 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 19.30 million | 18.62 million | 19.91 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 18.51 million | 17.11 million | 19.47 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 17.51 million | 16.83 million | 18.06 million | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
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 methane emissions agriculture in South Africa?
- Methane emissions agriculture in South Africa was 18.06 million in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest methane emissions agriculture recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 20.23 million in 1998.
- What is the lowest methane emissions agriculture recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.83 million in 2020.
- How does South Africa rank for methane emissions agriculture?
- South Africa ranks 47th out of 193 countries with data for 2023.
- Is methane emissions agriculture rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Methane emissions agriculture. 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).