Japan vs South Africa: Long run air pollution

Japan
2.07 million
in 2022
South Africa
1.86 million
in 2022
Japan rank
9th
South Africa rank
11th

Long run air pollution over time

  • Japan
  • South Africa
02.0M4.0M6.0M8.0M175018862022

How they compare

Japan currently reports 2.07 million against 1.86 million in South Africa, a difference of 212,570.

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

The two have swapped places 2 times across 273 shared years of data; in 1750 it was Japan ahead.

Japan ranks 9th and South Africa ranks 11th of 216 countries.

Japan has averaged higher in every one of the 28 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Japan South Africa Difference Ahead
1750s 3,158 235.47 2,922 Japan
1760s 3,189 243.29 2,945 Japan
1770s 3,220 251.81 2,968 Japan
1780s 3,250 261.14 2,989 Japan
1790s 3,281 271.39 3,010 Japan
1800s 3,323 283.44 3,039 Japan
1810s 3,379 303.47 3,075 Japan
1820s 3,432 333.15 3,099 Japan
1830s 3,485 367.25 3,117 Japan
1840s 3,541 406.55 3,135 Japan
1850s 3,567 564.39 3,002 Japan
1860s 3,338 830.09 2,508 Japan
1870s 5,571 1,272 4,299 Japan
1880s 13,061 1,919 11,142 Japan
1890s 35,063 8,390 26,672 Japan
1900s 86,485 23,835 62,650 Japan
1910s 165,912 56,434 109,478 Japan
1920s 228,682 89,633 139,050 Japan
1930s 291,363 111,651 179,712 Japan
1940s 310,572 195,923 114,649 Japan
1950s 602,827 322,994 279,832 Japan
1960s 3.04 million 460,756 2.58 million Japan
1970s 6.92 million 988,337 5.93 million Japan
1980s 5.63 million 1.21 million 4.42 million Japan
1990s 4.64 million 1.59 million 3.05 million Japan
2000s 3.95 million 2.08 million 1.87 million Japan
2010s 2.53 million 2.24 million 291,735 Japan
2020s 2.04 million 1.88 million 158,680 Japan

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher long run air pollution, Japan or South Africa?
Japan, at 2.07 million against 1.86 million in South Africa as of 2022.
What is the difference in long run air pollution between Japan and South Africa?
212,570, with Japan ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and South Africa?
273 years are reported by both, from 1750 to 2022.
How do Japan and South Africa rank globally for long run air pollution?
Japan ranks 9th and South Africa ranks 11th of 216 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Our World in Data, published as Long run air pollution. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Japan vs South Africa: Long run air pollution. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 18 August 2026, from https://environment.statizoid.com/compare/long-run-air-pollution/japan/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Long run air pollution
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
220 places, 60,060 data points, 1750–2022
Last refreshed