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

North Africa
474,825 thousand metric tons
in 2009
South Africa
499,016 thousand metric tons
in 2009
North Africa rank
4th
South Africa rank
1st

CO2 emissions from fossil-fuels, total over time

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

How they compare

South Africa currently reports 499,016 thousand metric tons against 474,825 thousand metric tons in North Africa, a difference of 24,191 thousand metric tons.

That makes South Africa's figure about 1.1 times North Africa's.

The two have swapped places 2 times across 50 shared years of data; in 1960 it was South Africa ahead.

North Africa ranks 4th and South Africa ranks 1st of 6 groups.

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

Head to head by decade

Decade North Africa South Africa Difference Ahead
1960s 45,319 thousand metric tons 120,727 thousand metric tons 75,408 thousand metric tons South Africa
1970s 101,755 thousand metric tons 183,960 thousand metric tons 82,205 thousand metric tons South Africa
1980s 192,632 thousand metric tons 304,301 thousand metric tons 111,669 thousand metric tons South Africa
1990s 274,058 thousand metric tons 353,286 thousand metric tons 79,229 thousand metric tons South Africa
2000s 389,512 thousand metric tons 411,556 thousand metric tons 22,045 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, North Africa or South Africa?
South Africa, at 499,016 thousand metric tons against 474,825 thousand metric tons in North Africa as of 2009.
What is the difference in co2 emissions from fossil-fuels, total between North Africa and South Africa?
24,191 thousand metric tons, with South Africa ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for North Africa and South Africa?
50 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2009.
How do North Africa and South Africa rank globally for co2 emissions from fossil-fuels, total?
North Africa ranks 4th and South Africa ranks 1st of 6 groups.
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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North Africa vs South Africa: CO2 emissions from fossil-fuels, total. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site. Retrieved 10 September 2026, from https://environment.statizoid.com/compare/co2-emissions-from-fossil-fuels-total-thousand-metric-tons/north-africa/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.