Lower middle income vs South Africa: Carbon intensity of GDP

Lower middle income
0.7034 kg CO2e per constant 2015 US$ of GDP
in 2024
South Africa
1.2 kg CO2e per constant 2015 US$ of GDP
in 2024
Lower middle income rank
10th
South Africa rank
11th

Carbon intensity of GDP over time

  • Lower middle income
  • South Africa
00.511.52197019972024

How they compare

South Africa currently reports 1.2 kg CO2e per constant 2015 US$ of GDP against 0.7034 kg CO2e per constant 2015 US$ of GDP in Lower middle income, a difference of 0.4966 kg CO2e per constant 2015 US$ of GDP.

That makes South Africa's figure about 1.7 times Lower middle income's.

Across all 55 years both countries report, South Africa has been ahead every year.

Lower middle income ranks 10th and South Africa ranks 11th of 47 groups.

South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 6 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Lower middle income South Africa Difference Ahead
1970s 0.709 kg CO2e per constant 2015 US$ of GDP 1.63 kg CO2e per constant 2015 US$ of GDP 0.9163 kg CO2e per constant 2015 US$ of GDP South Africa
1980s 0.8314 kg CO2e per constant 2015 US$ of GDP 1.63 kg CO2e per constant 2015 US$ of GDP 0.7952 kg CO2e per constant 2015 US$ of GDP South Africa
1990s 0.9414 kg CO2e per constant 2015 US$ of GDP 1.67 kg CO2e per constant 2015 US$ of GDP 0.7306 kg CO2e per constant 2015 US$ of GDP South Africa
2000s 0.8583 kg CO2e per constant 2015 US$ of GDP 1.58 kg CO2e per constant 2015 US$ of GDP 0.7252 kg CO2e per constant 2015 US$ of GDP South Africa
2010s 0.7827 kg CO2e per constant 2015 US$ of GDP 1.37 kg CO2e per constant 2015 US$ of GDP 0.5906 kg CO2e per constant 2015 US$ of GDP South Africa
2020s 0.7107 kg CO2e per constant 2015 US$ of GDP 1.23 kg CO2e per constant 2015 US$ of GDP 0.5236 kg CO2e per constant 2015 US$ of GDP South Africa

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher carbon intensity of gdp, Lower middle income or South Africa?
South Africa, at 1.2 kg CO2e per constant 2015 US$ of GDP against 0.7034 kg CO2e per constant 2015 US$ of GDP in Lower middle income as of 2024.
What is the difference in carbon intensity of gdp between Lower middle income and South Africa?
0.4966 kg CO2e per constant 2015 US$ of GDP, with South Africa ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Lower middle income and South Africa?
55 years are reported by both, from 1970 to 2024.
How do Lower middle income and South Africa rank globally for carbon intensity of gdp?
Lower middle income ranks 10th and South Africa ranks 11th of 47 groups.
Where does this data come from?
EDGAR (Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research) Community GHG Database, Joint Research Centre (JRC) - European Commission, published as Carbon intensity of GDP (kg CO2e per constant 2015 US$ of GDP). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Lower middle income vs South Africa: Carbon intensity of GDP. Statizoid, drawing on EDGAR (Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research) Community GHG Database, Joint Research Centre (JRC) - European Commission. Retrieved 15 September 2026, from https://environment.statizoid.com/compare/carbon-intensity-of-gdp-kg-co2e-per-constant-2015-us-of-gdp/lower-middle-income/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Carbon intensity of GDP (kg CO2e per constant 2015 US$ of GDP)
Unit
kg CO2e per constant 2015 US$ of GDP
Source
EDGAR (Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research) Community GHG Database, Joint Research Centre (JRC) - European Commission
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
246 places, 12,443 data points, 1970–2024
Last refreshed

Annual emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), one of the six Kyoto greenhouse gases (GHG), from the agriculture, energy, waste, and industrial sectors, excluding LULUCF divided by the GDP in constant 2021 US$.