Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions excluding LULUCF per capita in South Africa
South Africa: Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions excluding LULUCF per capita was 6.88 t CO2e/capita in 2024. ▼ Falling
Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions excluding LULUCF per capita in South Africa, 1970–2024
Source: EDGAR (Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research) Community GHG Database, Joint Research Centre (JRC) - European Commission. Measured in t CO2e/capita.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 6.88 t CO2e/capita for carbon dioxide (co2) emissions excluding lulucf per capita in 2024.
That represents a change of up 1.7% on the previous year and down 21.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, carbon dioxide (co2) emissions excluding lulucf per capita in South Africa peaked at 9.55 t CO2e/capita in 2008 and was at its lowest, 6.76 t CO2e/capita, in 2023.
That places South Africa 36th out of 203 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 55 years of available data.
Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions excluding LULUCF per capita in South Africa, year by year
| Year | t CO2e/capita | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 8.33 t CO2e/capita | — |
| 1971 | 8.04 t CO2e/capita | -3.5% |
| 1972 | 8.09 t CO2e/capita | +0.7% |
| 1973 | 8.57 t CO2e/capita | +5.9% |
| 1974 | 8.6 t CO2e/capita | +0.4% |
| 1975 | 8.99 t CO2e/capita | +4.5% |
| 1976 | 9.29 t CO2e/capita | +3.4% |
| 1977 | 9.04 t CO2e/capita | -2.8% |
| 1978 | 8 t CO2e/capita | -11.4% |
| 1979 | 7.98 t CO2e/capita | -0.3% |
| 1980 | 8.23 t CO2e/capita | +3.0% |
| 1981 | 8.4 t CO2e/capita | +2.1% |
| 1982 | 8.32 t CO2e/capita | -1.0% |
| 1983 | 8.1 t CO2e/capita | -2.6% |
| 1984 | 8.34 t CO2e/capita | +3.0% |
| 1985 | 8.2 t CO2e/capita | -1.7% |
| 1986 | 7.88 t CO2e/capita | -3.9% |
| 1987 | 8.07 t CO2e/capita | +2.4% |
| 1988 | 7.92 t CO2e/capita | -1.8% |
| 1989 | 7.61 t CO2e/capita | -3.9% |
| 1990 | 7.71 t CO2e/capita | +1.4% |
| 1991 | 7.34 t CO2e/capita | -4.8% |
| 1992 | 7.06 t CO2e/capita | -3.9% |
| 1993 | 6.97 t CO2e/capita | -1.3% |
| 1994 | 7.01 t CO2e/capita | +0.6% |
| 1995 | 7.3 t CO2e/capita | +4.1% |
| 1996 | 7.45 t CO2e/capita | +2.1% |
| 1997 | 7.69 t CO2e/capita | +3.2% |
| 1998 | 7.73 t CO2e/capita | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 7.29 t CO2e/capita | -5.6% |
| 2000 | 7.36 t CO2e/capita | +1.0% |
| 2001 | 7.51 t CO2e/capita | +2.0% |
| 2002 | 7.72 t CO2e/capita | +2.8% |
| 2003 | 8.11 t CO2e/capita | +5.1% |
| 2004 | 8.69 t CO2e/capita | +7.1% |
| 2005 | 8.82 t CO2e/capita | +1.4% |
| 2006 | 8.81 t CO2e/capita | -0.0% |
| 2007 | 9.1 t CO2e/capita | +3.3% |
| 2008 | 9.55 t CO2e/capita | +4.9% |
| 2009 | 8.83 t CO2e/capita | -7.5% |
| 2010 | 8.87 t CO2e/capita | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 8.38 t CO2e/capita | -5.6% |
| 2012 | 8.58 t CO2e/capita | +2.4% |
| 2013 | 8.69 t CO2e/capita | +1.3% |
| 2014 | 8.75 t CO2e/capita | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 8.15 t CO2e/capita | -6.9% |
| 2016 | 8.04 t CO2e/capita | -1.4% |
| 2017 | 8.15 t CO2e/capita | +1.4% |
| 2018 | 8.08 t CO2e/capita | -0.9% |
| 2019 | 8.01 t CO2e/capita | -0.8% |
| 2020 | 7.44 t CO2e/capita | -7.1% |
| 2021 | 7.29 t CO2e/capita | -2.0% |
| 2022 | 6.88 t CO2e/capita | -5.6% |
| 2023 | 6.76 t CO2e/capita | -1.8% |
| 2024 | 6.88 t CO2e/capita | +1.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 8.49 t CO2e/capita | 7.98 t CO2e/capita | 9.29 t CO2e/capita | 10 |
| 1980s | 8.11 t CO2e/capita | 7.61 t CO2e/capita | 8.4 t CO2e/capita | 10 |
| 1990s | 7.36 t CO2e/capita | 6.97 t CO2e/capita | 7.73 t CO2e/capita | 10 |
| 2000s | 8.45 t CO2e/capita | 7.36 t CO2e/capita | 9.55 t CO2e/capita | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.37 t CO2e/capita | 8.01 t CO2e/capita | 8.87 t CO2e/capita | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.05 t CO2e/capita | 6.76 t CO2e/capita | 7.44 t CO2e/capita | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More environment data for South Africa
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 5.46 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 8.52 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.275 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.05 °C (2025)
- Wood-based panels — Import quantity, annual growth rate 28.21 % change on previous year (2024)
- Wood-based panels — Import quantity, per unit of GDP 0 m3 per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Wood-based panels — Import quantity, per capita 0.005 m3 per person (2024)
- Wood-based panels — Import value, annual growth rate 20.18 % change on previous year (2024)
- Wood-based panels — Import value, per unit of GDP 0 1000 USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is carbon dioxide (co2) emissions excluding lulucf per capita in South Africa?
- Carbon dioxide (co2) emissions excluding lulucf per capita in South Africa was 6.88 t CO2e/capita in 2024, according to EDGAR (Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research) Community GHG Database, Joint Research Centre (JRC) - European Commission.
- What is the highest carbon dioxide (co2) emissions excluding lulucf per capita recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 9.55 t CO2e/capita in 2008.
- What is the lowest carbon dioxide (co2) emissions excluding lulucf per capita recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.76 t CO2e/capita in 2023.
- How does South Africa rank for carbon dioxide (co2) emissions excluding lulucf per capita?
- South Africa ranks 36th out of 203 countries with data for 2024.
- Is carbon dioxide (co2) emissions excluding lulucf per capita rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 21.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from EDGAR (Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research) Community GHG Database, Joint Research Centre (JRC) - European Commission, published as part of Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions excluding LULUCF per capita (t CO2e/capita). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 55 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Total annual emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), one of the six Kyoto greenhouse gases (GHG), from the agriculture, energy, waste, and industrial sectors, excluding LULUCF, standardized to carbon dioxide equivalent values divided by the economy's population. This measure excludes GHG fluxes caused by Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF), as these fluxes have larger uncertainties.