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Per capita methane emissions in South Africa

South Africa: Per capita methane emissions was 1.24 in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
1.24
Change on year
down 3.4%
World rank
61st
of 199 countries
All-time high
2.09
in 1960
All-time low
0.1735
in 1850
Years of data
175
1850–2024

Per capita methane emissions in South Africa, 1850–2024

00.511.52185019372024

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2024, per capita methane emissions in South Africa stood at 1.24.

The figure is down 3.4% on the previous year and down 22.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, per capita methane emissions in South Africa peaked at 2.09 in 1960 and was at its lowest, 0.1735, in 1850.

South Africa ranks 61st of 199 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

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

Per capita methane emissions in South Africa, year by year

Year Value Change
1850 0.1735 —
1851 0.1864 +7.4%
1852 0.1993 +6.9%
1853 0.2124 +6.6%
1854 0.2252 +6.0%
1855 0.2378 +5.6%
1856 0.2501 +5.2%
1857 0.2622 +4.8%
1858 0.274 +4.5%
1859 0.2856 +4.2%
1860 0.2969 +4.0%
1861 0.3077 +3.6%
1862 0.3182 +3.4%
1863 0.3285 +3.2%
1864 0.3386 +3.1%
1865 0.3485 +2.9%
1866 0.3582 +2.8%
1867 0.3677 +2.6%
1868 0.3769 +2.5%
1869 0.386 +2.4%
1870 0.3948 +2.3%
1871 0.4198 +6.4%
1872 0.4444 +5.8%
1873 0.4684 +5.4%
1874 0.4919 +5.0%
1875 0.5149 +4.7%
1876 0.5374 +4.4%
1877 0.5595 +4.1%
1878 0.581 +3.8%
1879 0.602 +3.6%
1880 0.6226 +3.4%
1881 0.6297 +1.1%
1882 0.6365 +1.1%
1883 0.6432 +1.1%
1884 0.6502 +1.1%
1885 0.6568 +1.0%
1886 0.6632 +1.0%
1887 0.6693 +0.9%
1888 0.6758 +1.0%
1889 0.6825 +1.0%
1890 0.6913 +1.3%
1891 0.708 +2.4%
1892 0.7278 +2.8%
1893 0.7681 +5.5%
1894 0.795 +3.5%
1895 0.8263 +3.9%
1896 0.8571 +3.7%
1897 0.8801 +2.7%
1898 0.9157 +4.1%
1899 0.9182 +0.3%
1900 0.8739 -4.8%
1901 0.9138 +4.6%
1902 0.9568 +4.7%
1903 0.9977 +4.3%
1904 1.02 +2.4%
1905 1.05 +2.6%
1906 1.08 +2.7%
1907 1.1 +2.2%
1908 1.11 +0.9%
1909 1.14 +3.0%
1910 1.18 +2.9%
1911 1.17 -0.6%
1912 1.19 +1.3%
1913 1.21 +1.9%
1914 1.2 -0.5%
1915 1.2 +0.2%
1916 1.25 +3.6%
1917 1.27 +1.5%
1918 1.25 -1.2%
1919 1.26 +0.5%
1920 1.29 +2.2%
1921 1.28 -0.4%
1922 1.23 -3.6%
1923 1.28 +4.1%
1924 1.29 +0.8%
1925 1.3 +0.6%
1926 1.31 +0.7%
1927 1.29 -1.3%
1928 1.29 -0.5%
1929 1.29 +0.2%
1930 1.26 -2.0%
1931 1.23 -2.9%
1932 1.2 -2.2%
1933 1.21 +1.0%
1934 1.24 +2.2%
1935 1.26 +1.8%
1936 1.3 +2.8%
1937 1.32 +1.6%
1938 1.34 +1.8%
1939 1.36 +1.4%
1940 1.38 +1.4%
1941 1.42 +3.3%
1942 1.48 +3.9%
1943 1.5 +1.7%
1944 1.57 +4.3%
1945 1.61 +2.4%
1946 1.64 +1.8%
1947 1.66 +1.6%
1948 1.7 +2.2%
1949 1.75 +2.9%
1950 1.74 -0.7%
1951 1.78 +2.5%
1952 1.84 +3.1%
1953 1.85 +0.9%
1954 1.88 +1.7%
1955 1.95 +3.7%
1956 1.99 +1.8%
1957 2.02 +1.4%
1958 2.06 +2.2%
1959 2.06 -0.0%
1960 2.09 +1.2%
1961 2.05 -1.8%
1962 2.02 -1.3%
1963 1.99 -1.4%
1964 1.97 -1.1%
1965 1.97 +0.0%
1966 1.85 -6.3%
1967 1.82 -1.4%
1968 1.82 -0.1%
1969 1.8 -1.0%
1970 1.78 -1.3%
1971 1.7 -4.5%
1972 1.65 -2.8%
1973 1.66 +0.6%
1974 1.66 -0.0%
1975 1.67 +0.4%
1976 1.68 +0.5%
1977 1.72 +2.3%
1978 1.74 +1.2%
1979 1.83 +5.1%
1980 1.82 -0.5%
1981 1.82 -0.0%
1982 1.84 +1.5%
1983 1.82 -1.3%
1984 1.84 +1.1%
1985 1.82 -1.2%
1986 1.78 -2.2%
1987 1.75 -1.4%
1988 1.73 -1.3%
1989 1.72 -0.7%
1990 1.71 -0.5%
1991 1.68 -1.5%
1992 1.62 -3.4%
1993 1.64 +1.1%
1994 1.62 -1.4%
1995 1.65 +1.6%
1996 1.65 +0.0%
1997 1.71 +4.0%
1998 1.72 +0.4%
1999 1.69 -1.5%
2000 1.65 -2.3%
2001 1.63 -1.4%
2002 1.61 -1.1%
2003 1.65 +2.3%
2004 1.64 -0.2%
2005 1.65 +0.5%
2006 1.63 -1.6%
2007 1.64 +0.9%
2008 1.66 +1.4%
2009 1.63 -2.2%
2010 1.62 -0.7%
2011 1.59 -1.4%
2012 1.63 +2.5%
2013 1.6 -1.8%
2014 1.59 -0.8%
2015 1.54 -3.3%
2016 1.5 -2.7%
2017 1.51 +0.9%
2018 1.47 -2.8%
2019 1.43 -2.4%
2020 1.38 -3.8%
2021 1.33 -3.8%
2022 1.3 -1.9%
2023 1.28 -1.5%
2024 1.24 -3.4%

South Africa compared with similar countries

  • South Africa's 1.24 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.07, 1.2× the median. (57 countries reporting)
  • South Africa's 1.24 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.8668, 1.4× the median. (48 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1850s 0.2307 0.1735 0.2856 10
1860s 0.3427 0.2969 0.386 10
1870s 0.5014 0.3948 0.602 10
1880s 0.653 0.6226 0.6825 10
1890s 0.8088 0.6913 0.9182 10
1900s 1.02 0.8739 1.14 10
1910s 1.22 1.17 1.27 10
1920s 1.29 1.23 1.31 10
1930s 1.27 1.2 1.36 10
1940s 1.57 1.38 1.75 10
1950s 1.92 1.74 2.06 10
1960s 1.94 1.8 2.09 10
1970s 1.71 1.65 1.83 10
1980s 1.79 1.72 1.84 10
1990s 1.67 1.62 1.72 10
2000s 1.64 1.61 1.66 10
2010s 1.55 1.43 1.63 10
2020s 1.31 1.24 1.38 5

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 58 Somalia 1.33 compare
  2. 59 Bulgaria 1.33 compare
  3. 60 Turkey 1.28 compare
  4. 62 Azerbaijan 1.23 compare
  5. 63 Latvia 1.22 compare
  6. 64 Belize 1.2 compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More climate change data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is per capita methane emissions in South Africa?
Per capita methane emissions in South Africa was 1.24 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest per capita methane emissions recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 2.09 in 1960.
What is the lowest per capita methane emissions recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 0.1735 in 1850.
How does South Africa rank for per capita methane emissions?
South Africa ranks 61st out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
Is per capita methane emissions rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 22.2%. 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 methane emissions. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Per capita methane emissions in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 15 November 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/per-capita-methane-emissions/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Per capita methane 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