Per capita methane emissions by sector in South Africa
South Africa: Per capita methane emissions by sector was 595.14 kilograms per person in 2023. ▼ Falling
Per capita methane emissions by sector in South Africa, 1990–2023
Source: Climate Watch (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in kilograms per person.
Analysis
The most recent figure for per capita methane emissions by sector in South Africa is 595.14 kilograms per person, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 34 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.5% on the previous year and down 22.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, per capita methane emissions by sector in South Africa peaked at 816.88 kilograms per person in 2004 and was at its lowest, 595.14 kilograms per person, in 2023.
South Africa ranks 35th of 193 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 748.89 kilograms per person | 683.26 kilograms per person | 800.45 kilograms per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 796.96 kilograms per person | 755.32 kilograms per person | 816.88 kilograms per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 755.09 kilograms per person | 706.18 kilograms per person | 796.65 kilograms per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 623.28 kilograms per person | 595.14 kilograms per person | 671.54 kilograms per person | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
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 by sector in South Africa?
- Per capita methane emissions by sector in South Africa was 595.14 kilograms per person in 2023, according to Climate Watch (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest per capita methane emissions by sector recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 816.88 kilograms per person in 2004.
- What is the lowest per capita methane emissions by sector recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 595.14 kilograms per person in 2023.
- How does South Africa rank for per capita methane emissions by sector?
- South Africa ranks 35th out of 193 countries with data for 2023.
- Is per capita methane emissions by sector rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 22.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Climate Watch (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Per capita methane emissions by sector. 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).
About this data
Emissions are measured in kilograms of carbon dioxide-equivalents per person.