Waste — Emissions (CO2eq) in South Africa

South Africa: Waste — Emissions (CO2eq) was 21,829 kt in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
21,829 kt
Change on year
up 1.6%
World rank
17th
of 201 countries
All-time high
21,829 kt
in 2023
All-time low
3,829 kt
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023

Waste — Emissions (CO2eq) in South Africa, 1961–2023

5.0k10.0k15.0k20.0k196119922023

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in kt.

Analysis

The most recent figure for waste — emissions (co2eq) in South Africa is 21,829 kt, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.

That represents a change of up 1.6% on the previous year and up 9.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, waste — emissions (co2eq) in South Africa peaked at 21,829 kt in 2023 and was at its lowest, 3,829 kt, in 1961.

That places South Africa 17th out of 201 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.

Waste — Emissions (CO2eq) in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Waste — Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) in South Africa, 1961 to 2023.
Year kt Change
1961 3,829 kt
1962 3,949 kt +3.1%
1963 4,098 kt +3.8%
1964 4,249 kt +3.7%
1965 4,400 kt +3.6%
1966 4,523 kt +2.8%
1967 4,674 kt +3.3%
1968 4,824 kt +3.2%
1969 5,002 kt +3.7%
1970 4,832 kt -3.4%
1971 5,422 kt +12.2%
1972 5,634 kt +3.9%
1973 5,843 kt +3.7%
1974 6,019 kt +3.0%
1975 6,114 kt +1.6%
1976 6,282 kt +2.7%
1977 6,547 kt +4.2%
1978 6,723 kt +2.7%
1979 6,899 kt +2.6%
1980 7,103 kt +3.0%
1981 7,360 kt +3.6%
1982 7,715 kt +4.8%
1983 7,799 kt +1.1%
1984 7,838 kt +0.5%
1985 8,154 kt +4.0%
1986 8,398 kt +3.0%
1987 8,653 kt +3.0%
1988 8,880 kt +2.6%
1989 10,165 kt +14.5%
1990 10,536 kt +3.6%
1991 10,770 kt +2.2%
1992 10,924 kt +1.4%
1993 11,214 kt +2.7%
1994 11,052 kt -1.5%
1995 11,930 kt +8.0%
1996 12,305 kt +3.1%
1997 13,069 kt +6.2%
1998 13,309 kt +1.8%
1999 13,490 kt +1.4%
2000 13,861 kt +2.7%
2001 14,093 kt +1.7%
2002 14,635 kt +3.8%
2003 14,839 kt +1.4%
2004 15,028 kt +1.3%
2005 15,436 kt +2.7%
2006 16,071 kt +4.1%
2007 16,479 kt +2.5%
2008 16,966 kt +3.0%
2009 16,717 kt -1.5%
2010 17,229 kt +3.1%
2011 17,633 kt +2.3%
2012 19,240 kt +9.1%
2013 19,956 kt +3.7%
2014 19,970 kt +0.1%
2015 19,983 kt +0.1%
2016 20,039 kt +0.3%
2017 20,381 kt +1.7%
2018 20,561 kt +0.9%
2019 20,816 kt +1.2%
2020 20,903 kt +0.4%
2021 21,206 kt +1.5%
2022 21,489 kt +1.3%
2023 21,829 kt +1.6%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 4,394 kt 3,829 kt 5,002 kt 9
1970s 6,032 kt 4,832 kt 6,899 kt 10
1980s 8,206 kt 7,103 kt 10,165 kt 10
1990s 11,860 kt 10,536 kt 13,490 kt 10
2000s 15,412 kt 13,861 kt 16,966 kt 10
2010s 19,581 kt 17,229 kt 20,816 kt 10
2020s 21,357 kt 20,903 kt 21,829 kt 4

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 14 Colombia 22,914 kt compare
  2. 15 Canada 22,421 kt compare
  3. 16 Republic of Korea 22,393 kt compare
  4. 18 Spain 20,644 kt compare
  5. 19 Morocco 20,308 kt compare
  6. 20 Algeria 20,111 kt compare

See the full ranking of 253 places →

More climate change data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is waste — emissions (co2eq) in South Africa?
Waste — emissions (co2eq) in South Africa was 21,829 kt in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest waste — emissions (co2eq) recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 21,829 kt in 2023.
What is the lowest waste — emissions (co2eq) recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 3,829 kt in 1961.
How does South Africa rank for waste — emissions (co2eq)?
South Africa ranks 17th out of 201 countries with data for 2023.
Is waste — emissions (co2eq) rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 9.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Waste — Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Waste — Emissions (CO2eq) in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 29 August 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/waste-emissions-co2eq-ar5-fao-tier-1/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Waste — Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5)
Unit
kt
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
253 places, 14,574 data points, 1961–2023
Last refreshed

The FAOSTAT domain on Emissions Totals summarizes the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions disseminated in the FAOSTAT Climate Change domains of emissions from agrifood systems. Data are computed following the Tier 1 methods of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Guidelines for National greenhouse gas (GHG) Inventories (IPCC, 1996; 1997; 2000; 2002; 2006; 2014). Emissions from other economic sectors as defined by the IPCC are also disseminated in the domain for completeness. Methodological details can be found at: https://files-faostat.fao.org/production/GT/GT_en.pdf