Nitrous oxide emissions in South Africa
South Africa: Nitrous oxide emissions was 20.29 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
20.29 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
Change on year
up 0.9%
World rank
28th
of 201 countries
All-time high
22.38 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 1997
All-time low
1.27 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 1850
Years of data
175
1850–2024
Nitrous oxide emissions in South Africa, 1850–2024
Source: Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes of CO₂ equivalents.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 20.29 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents for nitrous oxide emissions in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.9% on the previous year and down 0.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, nitrous oxide emissions in South Africa peaked at 22.38 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 1997 and was at its lowest, 1.27 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents, in 1850.
That places South Africa 28th out of 201 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850s | 1.35 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.27 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.42 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1860s | 1.46 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.43 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.49 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1870s | 1.72 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.49 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.00 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1880s | 2.11 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.03 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.17 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1890s | 2.37 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.26 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.49 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1900s | 2.66 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.52 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.83 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1910s | 3.31 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.87 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.86 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1920s | 4.56 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.98 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5.06 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1930s | 5.09 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5.07 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5.12 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1940s | 10.73 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5.18 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 17.16 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1950s | 15.45 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 12.91 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 17.58 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1960s | 14.36 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 12.85 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 15.37 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1970s | 16.33 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 14.82 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 18.36 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1980s | 17.53 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 16.66 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 18.61 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1990s | 20.67 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 18.64 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 22.38 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2000s | 20.69 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 19.94 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 21.88 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2010s | 20.03 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 18.59 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 20.65 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2020s | 20.27 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 19.84 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 21.22 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 25 Colombia 23.44 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 26 Egypt 22.81 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 27 Kenya 20.51 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 29 Ukraine 20.27 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 30 Thailand 20.06 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 31 Spain 18.85 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
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 nitrous oxide emissions in South Africa?
- Nitrous oxide emissions in South Africa was 20.29 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2024, according to Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest nitrous oxide emissions recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 22.38 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 1997.
- What is the lowest nitrous oxide emissions recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.27 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 1850.
- How does South Africa rank for nitrous oxide emissions?
- South Africa ranks 28th out of 201 countries with data for 2024.
- Is nitrous oxide emissions rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Nitrous oxide emissions. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 175 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Measured in tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalents over a 100-year timescale.