Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from Transport (Energy) in South Africa
South Africa: Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from Transport (Energy) was 44.48 Mt CO2e in 2024. ▲ Rising
Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from Transport (Energy) in South Africa, 1970–2024
Source: EDGAR (Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research) Community GHG Database, Joint Research Centre (JRC) - European Commission. Measured in Mt CO2e.
Analysis
In 2024, carbon dioxide (co2) emissions from transport (energy) in South Africa stood at 44.48 Mt CO2e.
The figure is down 6.8% on the previous year and down 13.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, carbon dioxide (co2) emissions from transport (energy) in South Africa peaked at 55.41 Mt CO2e in 2017 and was at its lowest, 25.32 Mt CO2e, in 1979.
South Africa ranks 30th of 194 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 55 years of available data.
Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from Transport (Energy) in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Mt CO2e | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 28.72 Mt CO2e | — |
| 1971 | 28.72 Mt CO2e | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 28.86 Mt CO2e | +0.5% |
| 1973 | 30.27 Mt CO2e | +4.9% |
| 1974 | 28.37 Mt CO2e | -6.3% |
| 1975 | 31.34 Mt CO2e | +10.5% |
| 1976 | 29.55 Mt CO2e | -5.7% |
| 1977 | 28.69 Mt CO2e | -2.9% |
| 1978 | 29.21 Mt CO2e | +1.8% |
| 1979 | 25.32 Mt CO2e | -13.3% |
| 1980 | 25.58 Mt CO2e | +1.0% |
| 1981 | 26.55 Mt CO2e | +3.8% |
| 1982 | 26.45 Mt CO2e | -0.4% |
| 1983 | 26.21 Mt CO2e | -0.9% |
| 1984 | 27.7 Mt CO2e | +5.7% |
| 1985 | 26.43 Mt CO2e | -4.6% |
| 1986 | 26.07 Mt CO2e | -1.4% |
| 1987 | 27.49 Mt CO2e | +5.4% |
| 1988 | 28.69 Mt CO2e | +4.4% |
| 1989 | 28.95 Mt CO2e | +0.9% |
| 1990 | 29.55 Mt CO2e | +2.1% |
| 1991 | 29.57 Mt CO2e | +0.1% |
| 1992 | 30.06 Mt CO2e | +1.7% |
| 1993 | 30.23 Mt CO2e | +0.5% |
| 1994 | 31.33 Mt CO2e | +3.7% |
| 1995 | 35.17 Mt CO2e | +12.3% |
| 1996 | 34.32 Mt CO2e | -2.4% |
| 1997 | 35.23 Mt CO2e | +2.6% |
| 1998 | 34.89 Mt CO2e | -1.0% |
| 1999 | 35.36 Mt CO2e | +1.3% |
| 2000 | 35.18 Mt CO2e | -0.5% |
| 2001 | 36.01 Mt CO2e | +2.3% |
| 2002 | 36.79 Mt CO2e | +2.2% |
| 2003 | 38.98 Mt CO2e | +5.9% |
| 2004 | 41.26 Mt CO2e | +5.8% |
| 2005 | 43.2 Mt CO2e | +4.7% |
| 2006 | 44.35 Mt CO2e | +2.7% |
| 2007 | 48.75 Mt CO2e | +9.9% |
| 2008 | 47.05 Mt CO2e | -3.5% |
| 2009 | 45.07 Mt CO2e | -4.2% |
| 2010 | 46.5 Mt CO2e | +3.2% |
| 2011 | 48.78 Mt CO2e | +4.9% |
| 2012 | 48.84 Mt CO2e | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 53.65 Mt CO2e | +9.8% |
| 2014 | 51.21 Mt CO2e | -4.6% |
| 2015 | 53.55 Mt CO2e | +4.6% |
| 2016 | 51.36 Mt CO2e | -4.1% |
| 2017 | 55.41 Mt CO2e | +7.9% |
| 2018 | 54.24 Mt CO2e | -2.1% |
| 2019 | 51.15 Mt CO2e | -5.7% |
| 2020 | 43.7 Mt CO2e | -14.6% |
| 2021 | 48.01 Mt CO2e | +9.9% |
| 2022 | 47.78 Mt CO2e | -0.5% |
| 2023 | 47.72 Mt CO2e | -0.1% |
| 2024 | 44.48 Mt CO2e | -6.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 28.91 Mt CO2e | 25.32 Mt CO2e | 31.34 Mt CO2e | 10 |
| 1980s | 27.01 Mt CO2e | 25.58 Mt CO2e | 28.95 Mt CO2e | 10 |
| 1990s | 32.57 Mt CO2e | 29.55 Mt CO2e | 35.36 Mt CO2e | 10 |
| 2000s | 41.66 Mt CO2e | 35.18 Mt CO2e | 48.75 Mt CO2e | 10 |
| 2010s | 51.47 Mt CO2e | 46.5 Mt CO2e | 55.41 Mt CO2e | 10 |
| 2020s | 46.34 Mt CO2e | 43.7 Mt CO2e | 48.01 Mt CO2e | 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)
- Paper and paperboard — Import value, per unit of GDP 0 1000 USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Paper and paperboard — Import value, per capita 0.0126 1000 USD per person (2024)
- Graphic papers — Import quantity, annual growth rate 42.65 % change on previous year (2024)
- Graphic papers — Import quantity, per unit of GDP 0 t per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Graphic papers — Import quantity, per capita 0.0047 t per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is carbon dioxide (co2) emissions from transport (energy) in South Africa?
- Carbon dioxide (co2) emissions from transport (energy) in South Africa was 44.48 Mt CO2e 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 from transport (energy) recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 55.41 Mt CO2e in 2017.
- What is the lowest carbon dioxide (co2) emissions from transport (energy) recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 25.32 Mt CO2e in 1979.
- How does South Africa rank for carbon dioxide (co2) emissions from transport (energy)?
- South Africa ranks 30th out of 194 countries with data for 2024.
- Is carbon dioxide (co2) emissions from transport (energy) rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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 from Transport (Energy) (Mt CO2e). 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
A measure of annual emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), one of the six Kyoto greenhouse gases (GHG), from the transportation sector (subsector of the energy sector) including IPCC 2006 codes 1.A.3.a Civil Aviation, 1.A.3.b_noRES Road Transportation no resuspension, 1.A.3.c Railways, 1.A.3.d Water-borne Navigation, 1.A.3.e Other Transportation. The measure is standardized to carbon dioxide equivalent values using the Global Warming Potential (GWP) factors of IPCC's 5th Assessment Report (AR5).