Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste (Mt CO2e) in South Africa
South Africa: Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste (Mt CO2e) was 25.44 Mt CO2e in 2024. ▲ Rising
Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste 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, methane (ch4) emissions from waste in South Africa stood at 25.44 Mt CO2e. That is the highest value across all 55 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.3% on the previous year and up 32.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, methane (ch4) emissions from waste in South Africa peaked at 25.44 Mt CO2e in 2024 and was at its lowest, 4.55 Mt CO2e, in 1970.
South Africa ranks 12th of 203 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 55 years of available data.
Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste (Mt CO2e) in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Mt CO2e | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 4.55 Mt CO2e | — |
| 1971 | 5.14 Mt CO2e | +13.0% |
| 1972 | 5.35 Mt CO2e | +4.0% |
| 1973 | 5.53 Mt CO2e | +3.4% |
| 1974 | 5.71 Mt CO2e | +3.1% |
| 1975 | 5.79 Mt CO2e | +1.5% |
| 1976 | 5.96 Mt CO2e | +3.0% |
| 1977 | 6.21 Mt CO2e | +4.1% |
| 1978 | 6.39 Mt CO2e | +2.8% |
| 1979 | 6.54 Mt CO2e | +2.4% |
| 1980 | 6.73 Mt CO2e | +2.9% |
| 1981 | 6.99 Mt CO2e | +3.8% |
| 1982 | 7.34 Mt CO2e | +5.0% |
| 1983 | 7.42 Mt CO2e | +1.0% |
| 1984 | 7.46 Mt CO2e | +0.5% |
| 1985 | 7.76 Mt CO2e | +4.1% |
| 1986 | 8 Mt CO2e | +3.1% |
| 1987 | 8.23 Mt CO2e | +2.9% |
| 1988 | 8.46 Mt CO2e | +2.8% |
| 1989 | 9.74 Mt CO2e | +15.1% |
| 1990 | 10.08 Mt CO2e | +3.4% |
| 1991 | 10.31 Mt CO2e | +2.4% |
| 1992 | 10.46 Mt CO2e | +1.4% |
| 1993 | 10.72 Mt CO2e | +2.5% |
| 1994 | 10.55 Mt CO2e | -1.6% |
| 1995 | 11.43 Mt CO2e | +8.4% |
| 1996 | 11.79 Mt CO2e | +3.1% |
| 1997 | 12.54 Mt CO2e | +6.4% |
| 1998 | 12.79 Mt CO2e | +2.0% |
| 1999 | 12.94 Mt CO2e | +1.2% |
| 2000 | 13.3 Mt CO2e | +2.7% |
| 2001 | 13.53 Mt CO2e | +1.7% |
| 2002 | 14.04 Mt CO2e | +3.8% |
| 2003 | 14.25 Mt CO2e | +1.5% |
| 2004 | 14.41 Mt CO2e | +1.1% |
| 2005 | 14.82 Mt CO2e | +2.8% |
| 2006 | 15.42 Mt CO2e | +4.1% |
| 2007 | 15.81 Mt CO2e | +2.5% |
| 2008 | 16.3 Mt CO2e | +3.1% |
| 2009 | 16.05 Mt CO2e | -1.5% |
| 2010 | 16.55 Mt CO2e | +3.1% |
| 2011 | 16.93 Mt CO2e | +2.3% |
| 2012 | 18.53 Mt CO2e | +9.4% |
| 2013 | 19.24 Mt CO2e | +3.8% |
| 2014 | 19.23 Mt CO2e | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 19.24 Mt CO2e | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 19.31 Mt CO2e | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 24.37 Mt CO2e | +26.2% |
| 2018 | 22.97 Mt CO2e | -5.7% |
| 2019 | 24.21 Mt CO2e | +5.4% |
| 2020 | 23.98 Mt CO2e | -0.9% |
| 2021 | 24.71 Mt CO2e | +3.0% |
| 2022 | 25.32 Mt CO2e | +2.5% |
| 2023 | 25.36 Mt CO2e | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 25.44 Mt CO2e | +0.3% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 25.44 Mt CO2e is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 2.04 Mt CO2e, 12.5× the median. (56 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 25.44 Mt CO2e is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.25 Mt CO2e, 20.4× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste (Mt CO2e) in South Africa changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | +26.2% | 19.31 Mt CO2e | 24.37 Mt CO2e |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 5.72 Mt CO2e | 4.55 Mt CO2e | 6.54 Mt CO2e | 10 |
| 1980s | 7.81 Mt CO2e | 6.73 Mt CO2e | 9.74 Mt CO2e | 10 |
| 1990s | 11.36 Mt CO2e | 10.08 Mt CO2e | 12.94 Mt CO2e | 10 |
| 2000s | 14.79 Mt CO2e | 13.3 Mt CO2e | 16.3 Mt CO2e | 10 |
| 2010s | 20.06 Mt CO2e | 16.55 Mt CO2e | 24.37 Mt CO2e | 10 |
| 2020s | 24.96 Mt CO2e | 23.98 Mt CO2e | 25.44 Mt CO2e | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More environment data for South Africa
- Grazing land use over the long-term, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0.0002 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per capita 1.3 hectares per person (2025)
- 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)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per square kilometre 69.19 hectares per square kilometre (2024)
- Sawnwood, coniferous — Production, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is methane (ch4) emissions from waste in South Africa?
- Methane (ch4) emissions from waste in South Africa was 25.44 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 methane (ch4) emissions from waste recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 25.44 Mt CO2e in 2024.
- What is the lowest methane (ch4) emissions from waste recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.55 Mt CO2e in 1970.
- How does South Africa rank for methane (ch4) emissions from waste?
- South Africa ranks 12th out of 203 countries with data for 2024.
- Is methane (ch4) emissions from waste rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 32.3%. 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 Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste (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 methane (CH4), one of the six Kyoto greenhouse gases (GHG), from the waste sector. This includes emissions from solid waste (IPCC 2006 codes 4.A Solid Waste Disposal, 4.B Biological Treatment of Solid Waste, 4.C Incineration and Open Burning of Waste) and wastewater treatment (IPCC 2006 code 4.D Wastewater Treatment and Discharge). The measure is standardized to carbon dioxide equivalent values using the Global Warming Potential (GWP) factors of IPCC's 5th Assessment Report (AR5).