What is carbon intensity of gdp in South Africa?

Carbon intensity of gdp in South Africa was 0.5057 kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $ of GDP 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 intensity of gdp recorded in South Africa?

The highest recorded value was 0.7227 kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $ of GDP in 1998.

What is the lowest carbon intensity of gdp recorded in South Africa?

The lowest recorded value was 0.4935 kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $ of GDP in 2023.

How does South Africa rank for carbon intensity of gdp?

South Africa ranks 8th out of 191 countries with data for 2024.

Is carbon intensity of gdp rising or falling in South Africa?

Over the last ten years it is down 15.4%. 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 intensity of GDP (kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $ of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Carbon intensity of GDP in South Africa

Name: Carbon intensity of GDP in South Africa
Creator: EDGAR (Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research) Community GHG Database, Joint Research Centre (JRC) - European Commission
License: CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)

South Africa: Carbon intensity of GDP was 0.5057 kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $ of GDP in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)

0.5057 kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $ of GDP

Change on year

up 2.5%

World rank

8th

of 191 countries

All-time high

0.7227 kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $ of GDP

in 1998

All-time low

0.4935 kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $ of GDP

in 2023

Years of data

1990–2024

Carbon intensity of GDP in South Africa, 1990–2024

Source: EDGAR (Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research) Community GHG Database, Joint Research Centre (JRC) - European Commission. Measured in kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $ of GDP.

Analysis

The most recent figure for carbon intensity of gdp in South Africa is 0.5057 kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $ of GDP, measured in 2024.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.5% on the previous year and down 15.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, carbon intensity of gdp in South Africa peaked at 0.7227 kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $ of GDP in 1998 and was at its lowest, 0.4935 kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $ of GDP, in 2023.

That places South Africa 8th out of 191 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.

Carbon intensity of GDP in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Carbon intensity of GDP (kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $ of GDP) in South Africa, 1990 to 2024.
Year	kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $ of GDP	Change
1990	0.7133 kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $ of GDP	—
1991	0.7021 kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $ of GDP	-1.6%
1992	0.7022 kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $ of GDP	+0.0%
1993	0.6986 kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $ of GDP	-0.5%
1994	0.6922 kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $ of GDP	-0.9%
1995	0.7075 kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $ of GDP	+2.2%
1996	0.7016 kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $ of GDP	-0.8%
1997	0.714 kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $ of GDP	+1.8%
1998	0.7227 kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $ of GDP	+1.2%
1999	0.6732 kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $ of GDP	-6.9%
2000	0.6584 kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $ of GDP	-2.2%
2001	0.6598 kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $ of GDP	+0.2%
2002	0.6601 kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $ of GDP	+0.0%
2003	0.6806 kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $ of GDP	+3.1%
2004	0.7042 kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $ of GDP	+3.5%
2005	0.6854 kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $ of GDP	-2.7%
2006	0.6555 kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $ of GDP	-4.4%
2007	0.6494 kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $ of GDP	-0.9%
2008	0.6676 kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $ of GDP	+2.8%
2009	0.635 kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $ of GDP	-4.9%
2010	0.6263 kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $ of GDP	-1.4%
2011	0.5804 kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $ of GDP	-7.3%
2012	0.5889 kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $ of GDP	+1.5%
2013	0.5918 kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $ of GDP	+0.5%
2014	0.5977 kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $ of GDP	+1.0%
2015	0.5604 kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $ of GDP	-6.2%
2016	0.5542 kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $ of GDP	-1.1%
2017	0.5591 kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $ of GDP	+0.9%
2018	0.555 kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $ of GDP	-0.7%
2019	0.5584 kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $ of GDP	+0.6%
2020	0.5618 kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $ of GDP	+0.6%
2021	0.5331 kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $ of GDP	-5.1%
2022	0.4999 kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $ of GDP	-6.2%
2023	0.4935 kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $ of GDP	-1.3%
2024	0.5057 kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $ of GDP	+2.5%

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1990s	0.7027 kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $ of GDP	0.6732 kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $ of GDP	0.7227 kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $ of GDP	10
2000s	0.6656 kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $ of GDP	0.635 kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $ of GDP	0.7042 kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $ of GDP	10
2010s	0.5772 kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $ of GDP	0.5542 kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $ of GDP	0.6263 kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $ of GDP	10
2020s	0.5188 kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $ of GDP	0.4935 kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $ of GDP	0.5618 kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $ of GDP	5

Countries ranked near South Africa

5 Iran, Islamic Republic of 0.5178 kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $ of GDP compare
6 Oman 0.5079 kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $ of GDP compare
7 Kuwait 0.5073 kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $ of GDP compare
9 Mongolia 0.4659 kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $ of GDP compare
10 Qatar 0.4252 kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $ of GDP compare
11 Iraq 0.4074 kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $ of GDP compare

See the full ranking of 238 places →

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)
Value Added (Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing) — Value US$, 2015 -7.98 % change on previous year (2024)
Value Added (Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing) — Value US$, 2015 0 million USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
Value Added (Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing) — Value US$, 2015 0.0001 million USD per person (2024)
Primary wood and paper products (export/import) — Import value 8.29 % change on previous year (2024)
Primary wood and paper products (export/import) — Import value, per 0 1000 USD per US$ of GDP (2024)

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is carbon intensity of gdp in South Africa?: Carbon intensity of gdp in South Africa was 0.5057 kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $ of GDP 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 intensity of gdp recorded in South Africa?: The highest recorded value was 0.7227 kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $ of GDP in 1998.
What is the lowest carbon intensity of gdp recorded in South Africa?: The lowest recorded value was 0.4935 kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $ of GDP in 2023.
How does South Africa rank for carbon intensity of gdp?: South Africa ranks 8th out of 191 countries with data for 2024.
Is carbon intensity of gdp rising or falling in South Africa?: Over the last ten years it is down 15.4%. 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 intensity of GDP (kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $ of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Carbon intensity of GDP in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on EDGAR (Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research) Community GHG Database, Joint Research Centre (JRC) - European Commission. Retrieved 12 September 2026, from https://environment.statizoid.com/stat/carbon-intensity-of-gdp-kg-co2e-per-2021-ppp-of-gdp/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator: Carbon intensity of GDP (kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $ of GDP)
Unit: kg CO2e per 2021 PPP $ of GDP
Source: EDGAR (Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research) Community GHG Database, Joint Research Centre (JRC) - European Commission
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage: 238 places, 8,228 data points, 1990–2024
Last refreshed: 03 September 2026

Annual emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), one of the six Kyoto greenhouse gases (GHG), from the agriculture, energy, waste, and industrial sectors, excluding LULUCF divided by the GDP in 2021 PPP $.