Middle income vs South Africa: Carbon intensity of GDP

Middle income
0.6594 kg CO2e per constant 2015 US$ of GDP
in 2024
South Africa
1.2 kg CO2e per constant 2015 US$ of GDP
in 2024
Middle income rank
14th
South Africa rank
11th

Carbon intensity of GDP over time

  • 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 0.6594 kg CO2e per constant 2015 US$ of GDP in Middle income, a difference of 0.5406 kg CO2e per constant 2015 US$ of GDP.

That makes South Africa's figure about 1.8 times Middle income's.

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

Middle income ranks 14th 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 Middle income South Africa Difference Ahead
1970s 0.8654 kg CO2e per constant 2015 US$ of GDP 1.63 kg CO2e per constant 2015 US$ of GDP 0.7599 kg CO2e per constant 2015 US$ of GDP South Africa
1980s 0.9183 kg CO2e per constant 2015 US$ of GDP 1.63 kg CO2e per constant 2015 US$ of GDP 0.7083 kg CO2e per constant 2015 US$ of GDP South Africa
1990s 0.9997 kg CO2e per constant 2015 US$ of GDP 1.67 kg CO2e per constant 2015 US$ of GDP 0.6722 kg CO2e per constant 2015 US$ of GDP South Africa
2000s 0.9032 kg CO2e per constant 2015 US$ of GDP 1.58 kg CO2e per constant 2015 US$ of GDP 0.6803 kg CO2e per constant 2015 US$ of GDP South Africa
2010s 0.802 kg CO2e per constant 2015 US$ of GDP 1.37 kg CO2e per constant 2015 US$ of GDP 0.5712 kg CO2e per constant 2015 US$ of GDP South Africa
2020s 0.6857 kg CO2e per constant 2015 US$ of GDP 1.23 kg CO2e per constant 2015 US$ of GDP 0.5486 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, Middle income or South Africa?
South Africa, at 1.2 kg CO2e per constant 2015 US$ of GDP against 0.6594 kg CO2e per constant 2015 US$ of GDP in Middle income as of 2024.
What is the difference in carbon intensity of gdp between Middle income and South Africa?
0.5406 kg CO2e per constant 2015 US$ of GDP, with South Africa ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Middle income and South Africa?
55 years are reported by both, from 1970 to 2024.
How do Middle income and South Africa rank globally for carbon intensity of gdp?
Middle income ranks 14th 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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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/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$.