Share co2 emissions vs population in South Africa

South Africa: Share co2 emissions vs population was 1.14 in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
1.14
Change on year
down 0.6%
World rank
15th
of 215 countries
All-time high
1.62
in 1984
All-time low
0.0022
in 1884
Years of data
141
1884–2024

Share co2 emissions vs population in South Africa, 1884–2024

00.511.5188419542024

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

The most recent figure for share co2 emissions vs population in South Africa is 1.14, measured in 2024.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.6% on the previous year and down 16.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share co2 emissions vs population in South Africa peaked at 1.62 in 1984 and was at its lowest, 0.0022, in 1884.

That places South Africa 15th out of 215 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 141 years of available data.

Share co2 emissions vs population in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Share co2 emissions vs population in South Africa, 1884 to 2024.
Year Value Change
1884 0.0022 —
1885 0.0036 +65.4%
1886 0.0046 +28.0%
1887 0.0044 -4.7%
1888 0.0067 +52.7%
1889 0.011 +63.5%
1890 0.0227 +106.9%
1891 0.0217 -4.6%
1892 0.0348 +60.4%
1893 0.132 +279.6%
1894 0.1723 +30.5%
1895 0.2231 +29.5%
1896 0.2755 +23.5%
1897 0.2952 +7.2%
1898 0.3544 +20.0%
1899 0.296 -16.5%
1900 0.1187 -59.9%
1901 0.193 +62.6%
1902 0.2805 +45.3%
1903 0.3437 +22.5%
1904 0.3828 +11.4%
1905 0.4109 +7.3%
1906 0.4498 +9.5%
1907 0.4355 -3.2%
1908 0.4661 +7.0%
1909 0.5151 +10.5%
1910 0.5566 +8.1%
1911 0.5276 -5.2%
1912 0.5332 +1.1%
1913 0.5386 +1.0%
1914 0.5754 +6.8%
1915 0.588 +2.2%
1916 0.6415 +9.1%
1917 0.6563 +2.3%
1918 0.6338 -3.4%
1919 0.7608 +20.0%
1920 0.7237 -4.9%
1921 0.8158 +12.7%
1922 0.6673 -18.2%
1923 0.7141 +7.0%
1924 0.7475 +4.7%
1925 0.774 +3.6%
1926 0.8275 +6.9%
1927 0.7366 -11.0%
1928 0.7413 +0.6%
1929 0.7175 -3.2%
1930 0.7257 +1.1%
1931 0.7224 -0.5%
1932 0.7347 +1.7%
1933 0.7533 +2.5%
1934 0.7896 +4.8%
1935 0.8383 +6.2%
1936 0.8377 -0.1%
1937 0.8187 -2.3%
1938 0.915 +11.8%
1939 0.8983 -1.8%
1940 0.8499 -5.4%
1941 0.8867 +4.3%
1942 0.9719 +9.6%
1943 0.9608 -1.1%
1944 1.06 +10.0%
1945 1.3 +23.2%
1946 1.22 -6.6%
1947 1.08 -11.1%
1948 1.05 -3.0%
1949 1.16 +11.1%
1950 1.03 -11.8%
1951 1.02 -0.7%
1952 1.1 +7.4%
1953 1.07 -2.6%
1954 1.09 +2.0%
1955 1.11 +2.4%
1956 1.1 -1.2%
1957 1.1 -0.5%
1958 1.14 +4.4%
1959 1.07 -6.7%
1960 1.04 -2.3%
1961 1.08 +4.1%
1962 1.08 -0.1%
1963 1.07 -1.4%
1964 1.1 +3.3%
1965 1.13 +2.6%
1966 1.08 -4.6%
1967 1.09 +1.1%
1968 1.07 -2.2%
1969 1.04 -2.7%
1970 1 -3.5%
1971 1.09 +8.2%
1972 1.06 -2.7%
1973 1.02 -4.0%
1974 1.04 +2.3%
1975 1.09 +4.8%
1976 1.08 -0.8%
1977 1.09 +0.7%
1978 1.06 -2.5%
1979 1.12 +5.6%
1980 1.18 +4.9%
1981 1.36 +15.8%
1982 1.5 +10.0%
1983 1.54 +3.1%
1984 1.62 +5.0%
1985 1.61 -0.9%
1986 1.62 +0.6%
1987 1.56 -3.7%
1988 1.56 +0.4%
1989 1.53 -1.8%
1990 1.38 -10.3%
1991 1.4 +2.1%
1992 1.34 -4.8%
1993 1.41 +5.2%
1994 1.47 +4.7%
1995 1.54 +4.3%
1996 1.5 -2.4%
1997 1.58 +5.3%
1998 1.55 -1.7%
1999 1.51 -2.8%
2000 1.48 -1.7%
2001 1.45 -2.5%
2002 1.36 -6.2%
2003 1.46 +7.7%
2004 1.57 +7.4%
2005 1.41 -10.5%
2006 1.46 +3.8%
2007 1.48 +1.1%
2008 1.54 +4.5%
2009 1.51 -2.4%
2010 1.4 -6.8%
2011 1.38 -1.9%
2012 1.32 -4.0%
2013 1.29 -2.0%
2014 1.36 +5.0%
2015 1.29 -4.9%
2016 1.29 -0.1%
2017 1.22 -5.3%
2018 1.24 +1.0%
2019 1.27 +2.8%
2020 1.24 -2.5%
2021 1.19 -3.7%
2022 1.14 -4.1%
2023 1.15 +0.3%
2024 1.14 -0.6%

South Africa compared with similar countries

  • South Africa's 1.14 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.0527, 21.6× the median. (58 countries reporting)
  • South Africa's 1.14 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.0128, 88.7× the median. (48 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Share co2 emissions vs population in South Africa changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
1893 +279.6% 0.0348 0.132
1890 +106.9% 0.011 0.0227
1885 +65.4% 0.0022 0.0036
1889 +63.5% 0.0067 0.011
1900 -59.9% 0.296 0.1187
1901 +62.6% 0.1187 0.193

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1880s 0.0054 0.0022 0.011 6
1890s 0.1828 0.0217 0.3544 10
1900s 0.3596 0.1187 0.5151 10
1910s 0.6012 0.5276 0.7608 10
1920s 0.7465 0.6673 0.8275 10
1930s 0.8034 0.7224 0.915 10
1940s 1.05 0.8499 1.3 10
1950s 1.08 1.02 1.14 10
1960s 1.08 1.04 1.13 10
1970s 1.06 1 1.12 10
1980s 1.51 1.18 1.62 10
1990s 1.47 1.34 1.58 10
2000s 1.47 1.36 1.57 10
2010s 1.31 1.22 1.4 10
2020s 1.17 1.14 1.24 5

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 12 Turkey 1.33 compare
  2. 13 Brazil 1.25 compare
  3. 14 Mexico 1.19 compare
  4. 16 Australia 1 compare
  5. 17 Vietnam 0.961 compare
  6. 18 United Kingdom 0.8107 compare

See the full ranking of 215 places →

More climate change data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is share co2 emissions vs population in South Africa?
Share co2 emissions vs population in South Africa was 1.14 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest share co2 emissions vs population recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 1.62 in 1984.
What is the lowest share co2 emissions vs population recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0022 in 1884.
How does South Africa rank for share co2 emissions vs population?
South Africa ranks 15th out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
Is share co2 emissions vs population rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 16.1%. 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 Share co2 emissions vs population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share co2 emissions vs population in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 10 November 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/share-co2-emissions-vs-population/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Share co2 emissions vs population
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
215 places, 23,408 data points, 1750–2024
Last refreshed