Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF in South Africa

South Africa: Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF was 24.0% in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
24.0%
Change on year
up 2.3%
World rank
115th
of 203 countries
All-time high
32.6%
in 2017
All-time low
-1.0%
in 1992
Years of data
34
1991–2024

Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF in South Africa, 1991–2024

01020301991200720241991: 0.719 % change from 19901992: -1 % change from 19901993: 1.8 % change from 19901994: 2 % change from 19901995: 4.5 % change from 19901996: 6 % change from 19901997: 11.6 % change from 19901998: 13 % change from 19901999: 12.6 % change from 19902000: 9.1 % change from 19902001: 9.3 % change from 19902002: 9.2 % change from 19902003: 14 % change from 19902004: 15.2 % change from 19902005: 16.9 % change from 19902006: 17.2 % change from 19902007: 19.8 % change from 19902008: 22.6 % change from 19902009: 21.7 % change from 19902010: 22.7 % change from 19902011: 22.8 % change from 19902012: 27.6 % change from 19902013: 27.9 % change from 19902014: 29.3 % change from 19902015: 27.7 % change from 19902016: 25.4 % change from 19902017: 32.6 % change from 19902018: 29.1 % change from 19902019: 28.7 % change from 19902020: 25.7 % change from 19902021: 23.3 % change from 19902022: 23 % change from 19902023: 23.4 % change from 19902024: 24 % change from 1990

Source: EDGAR (Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research) Community GHG Database, Joint Research Centre (JRC) - European Commission. Measured in % change from 1990.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 24.0% for methane (ch4) emissions (total) excluding lulucf in 2024.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.3% on the previous year and down 18.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, methane (ch4) emissions (total) excluding lulucf in South Africa peaked at 32.6% in 2017 and was at its lowest, -1.0%, in 1992.

That places South Africa 115th out of 203 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF (% change from 1990) in South Africa, 1991 to 2024.
Year % change from 1990 Change
1991 0.7%
1992 -1.0% -242.8%
1993 1.8% -278.2%
1994 2.0% +8.6%
1995 4.5% +128.8%
1996 6.0% +32.6%
1997 11.6% +92.9%
1998 13.0% +12.1%
1999 12.6% -3.2%
2000 9.1% -28.2%
2001 9.3% +3.0%
2002 9.2% -0.9%
2003 14.0% +51.0%
2004 15.2% +8.7%
2005 16.9% +11.7%
2006 17.2% +1.4%
2007 19.8% +15.2%
2008 22.6% +13.9%
2009 21.7% -3.7%
2010 22.7% +4.3%
2011 22.8% +0.7%
2012 27.6% +21.0%
2013 27.9% +1.1%
2014 29.3% +4.8%
2015 27.7% -5.3%
2016 25.4% -8.5%
2017 32.6% +28.3%
2018 29.1% -10.5%
2019 28.7% -1.4%
2020 25.7% -10.7%
2021 23.3% -9.3%
2022 23.0% -1.0%
2023 23.4% +1.7%
2024 24.0% +2.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 5.7% -1.0% 13.0% 9
2000s 15.5% 9.1% 22.6% 10
2010s 27.4% 22.7% 32.6% 10
2020s 23.9% 23.0% 25.7% 5

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 112 Mexico 27.7% compare
  2. 113 Tunisia 24.2% compare
  3. 114 Egypt 24.2% compare
  4. 116 Tuvalu 23.8% compare
  5. 117 Costa Rica 21.9% compare
  6. 118 Guam 19.8% compare

See the full ranking of 250 places →

More environment data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is methane (ch4) emissions (total) excluding lulucf in South Africa?
Methane (ch4) emissions (total) excluding lulucf in South Africa was 24.0% 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 (total) excluding lulucf recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 32.6% in 2017.
What is the lowest methane (ch4) emissions (total) excluding lulucf recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was -1.0% in 1992.
How does South Africa rank for methane (ch4) emissions (total) excluding lulucf?
South Africa ranks 115th out of 203 countries with data for 2024.
Is methane (ch4) emissions (total) excluding lulucf rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 18.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
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 (total) excluding LULUCF (% change from 1990). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on EDGAR (Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research) Community GHG Database, Joint Research Centre (JRC) - European Commission. Retrieved 24 August 2026, from https://environment.statizoid.com/stat/methane-ch4-emissions-total-excluding-lulucf-percent-change-from-1990/south-africa/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://environment.statizoid.com/stat/methane-ch4-emissions-total-excluding-lulucf-percent-change-from-1990/south-africa/">Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF in South Africa</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF (% change from 1990)
Unit
% change from 1990
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
250 places, 8,500 data points, 1991–2024
Last refreshed

Change of emissions (as %) of current year with respect to emissions in baseline year 1990 emissions of methane (CH4), one of the six Kyoto greenhouse gases (GHG), from the agriculture, energy, waste, and industrial sectors, excluding LULUCF.. The measure is standardized to carbon dioxide equivalent values using the Global Warming Potential (GWP) factors of IPCC's 5th Assessment Report (AR5). Negative values indicate that the emission level for that year is lower than the emissions level in 1990.