Per capita methane emissions in South Africa
South Africa: Per capita methane emissions was 1.24 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
1.24 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person
Change on year
down 3.4%
World rank
61st
of 199 countries
All-time high
2.09 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person
in 1960
All-time low
0.1735 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person
in 1850
Years of data
175
1850–2024
Per capita methane emissions in South Africa, 1850–2024
Source: Jones et al. (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person.
Analysis
In 2024, per capita methane emissions in South Africa stood at 1.24 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person.
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 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 1960 and was at its lowest, 0.1735 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person, 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.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850s | 0.2307 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.1735 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.2856 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1860s | 0.3427 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.2969 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.386 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1870s | 0.5014 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.3948 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.602 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1880s | 0.653 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.6226 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.6825 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1890s | 0.8088 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.6913 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.9182 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1900s | 1.02 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.8739 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.14 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1910s | 1.22 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.17 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.27 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1920s | 1.29 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.23 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.31 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1930s | 1.27 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.2 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.36 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1940s | 1.57 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.38 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.75 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1950s | 1.92 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.74 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 2.06 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1960s | 1.94 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.8 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 2.09 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.71 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.65 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.83 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.79 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.72 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.84 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.67 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.62 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.72 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.64 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.61 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.66 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.55 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.43 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.63 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.31 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.24 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.38 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 58 Somalia, Fed. Rep. 1.33 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 59 Bulgaria 1.33 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 60 Turkiye 1.28 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 62 Azerbaijan 1.23 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 63 Latvia 1.22 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 64 Belize 1.2 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 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 per capita methane emissions in South Africa?
- Per capita methane emissions in South Africa was 1.24 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 2024, according to Jones et al. (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest per capita methane emissions recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 2.09 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 1960.
- What is the lowest per capita methane emissions recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1735 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 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 Jones et al. (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Per capita methane 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 per person of carbon dioxide-equivalents over a 100-year timescale.