Per capita ghg emissions in South Africa

South Africa: Per capita ghg emissions was 8.48 in 2024. β–² Rising

Latest (2024)
8.48
Change on year
down 1.0%
World rank
50th
of 196 countries
All-time high
12.68
in 1960
All-time low
1.05
in 1850
Years of data
175
1850–2024

Per capita ghg emissions in South Africa, 1850–2024

02.557.51012.5185019372024

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2024, per capita ghg emissions in South Africa stood at 8.48.

The figure is down 1.0% on the previous year and down 20.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, per capita ghg emissions in South Africa peaked at 12.68 in 1960 and was at its lowest, 1.05, in 1850.

That places South Africa 50th out of 196 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 175 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1850s 1.19 1.05 1.28 10
1860s 1.59 1.42 1.67 10
1870s 3.58 2.53 4.11 10
1880s 3.11 2.86 3.63 10
1890s 4.42 3.38 5.27 10
1900s 6.15 4.68 7.28 10
1910s 7.75 7.34 8.28 10
1920s 8.66 8.02 8.93 10
1930s 8.2 7.54 8.69 10
1940s 10.73 9.24 11.61 10
1950s 12.2 11.48 12.66 10
1960s 11.27 10.84 12.68 10
1970s 10.9 10.64 11.27 10
1980s 11.98 11.08 12.57 10
1990s 10.87 10.27 11.42 10
2000s 11.04 9.94 12 10
2010s 10.2 9.49 10.97 10
2020s 8.68 8.48 8.94 5

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 47 Poland, Republic of 8.62 compare
  2. 48 Bahamas, The 8.62 compare
  3. 49 Slovenia, Republic of 8.55 compare
  4. 51 Bosnia and Herzegovina 8.37 compare
  5. 52 Turks and Caicos Islands 8.28 compare
  6. 53 Japan 8.14 compare

See the full ranking of 199 places β†’

More climate change data for South Africa

All data for South Africa β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is per capita ghg emissions in South Africa?
Per capita ghg emissions in South Africa was 8.48 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest per capita ghg emissions recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 12.68 in 1960.
What is the lowest per capita ghg emissions recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 1.05 in 1850.
How does South Africa rank for per capita ghg emissions?
South Africa ranks 50th out of 196 countries with data for 2024.
Is per capita ghg emissions rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 20.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Per capita ghg emissions. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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CSV Β· JSON β€” 175 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

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Per capita ghg emissions in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 18 August 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/per-capita-ghg-emissions/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Per capita ghg emissions
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
199 places, 34,079 data points, 1850–2024
Last refreshed