Algeria vs South Africa: CO2 emissions from fossil-fuels, total

Algeria
121,312 thousand metric tons
in 2009
South Africa
499,016 thousand metric tons
in 2009
Algeria rank
3rd
South Africa rank
1st

CO2 emissions from fossil-fuels, total over time

  • Algeria
  • South Africa
0100.0k200.0k300.0k400.0k500.0k196019842009

How they compare

South Africa currently reports 499,016 thousand metric tons against 121,312 thousand metric tons in Algeria, a difference of 377,704 thousand metric tons.

That makes South Africa's figure about 4.1 times Algeria's.

Across all 50 years both countries report, South Africa has been ahead every year.

Algeria ranks 3rd and South Africa ranks 1st of 51 countries.

South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Algeria South Africa Difference Ahead
1960s 7,278 thousand metric tons 120,727 thousand metric tons 113,449 thousand metric tons South Africa
1970s 35,356 thousand metric tons 183,960 thousand metric tons 148,604 thousand metric tons South Africa
1980s 67,314 thousand metric tons 304,301 thousand metric tons 236,987 thousand metric tons South Africa
1990s 89,009 thousand metric tons 353,286 thousand metric tons 264,277 thousand metric tons South Africa
2000s 100,489 thousand metric tons 411,556 thousand metric tons 311,067 thousand metric tons South Africa

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher co2 emissions from fossil-fuels, total, Algeria or South Africa?
South Africa, at 499,016 thousand metric tons against 121,312 thousand metric tons in Algeria as of 2009.
What is the difference in co2 emissions from fossil-fuels, total between Algeria and South Africa?
377,704 thousand metric tons, with South Africa ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Algeria and South Africa?
50 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2009.
How do Algeria and South Africa rank globally for co2 emissions from fossil-fuels, total?
Algeria ranks 3rd and South Africa ranks 1st of 51 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site, published as CO2 emissions from fossil-fuels, total (thousand metric tons). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Algeria vs South Africa: CO2 emissions from fossil-fuels, total. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site. Retrieved 05 September 2026, from https://environment.statizoid.com/compare/co2-emissions-from-fossil-fuels-total-thousand-metric-tons/algeria/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
CO2 emissions from fossil-fuels, total (thousand metric tons)
Unit
thousand metric tons
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
57 places, 2,749 data points, 1960–2009
Last refreshed

Fossil fuel is any hydrocarbon deposit that can be burned for heat or power, such as petroleum, coal, and natural gas. This is the sum total of all fossil fuel emissions (solid fuel consumption, liquid fuel consumption, gas fuel consumption, cement production and gas flaring). The U.S. Department of Energy’s carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center (CDIAC) calculates annual anthropogenic emissions from data on fossil fuel consumption (from the United Nations Statistics Division’s World Energy Data Set) and world cement manufacturing (from the U.S. Bureau of Mine’s Cement Manufacturing Data Set). Carbon dioxide emissions, often calculated and reported as elemental carbon, were converted to actual carbon dioxide mass by multiplying them by 3.664 (the ratio of the mass of carbon to that of carbon dioxide). Although estimates of global carbon dioxide emissions are probably accurate within 10 percent (as calculated from global average file chemistry and use), country estimates may have larger error bounds. Trends estimated from a consistent time series tend to be more accurate than individual values. Each year the CDIAC recalculates the entire time series since 1949, incorporating recent findings and corrections. Estimates exclude fuels supplied to ships and aircraft in international transport because of the difficulty of apportioning he fuels among benefitting countries. The ratio of carbon dioxide per unit of energy shows carbon intensity, which is the amount of carbon dioxide emitted as a result of using one unit of energy in the process of production.