Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from Agriculture in South Africa
South Africa: Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from Agriculture was 12.82 Mt CO2e in 2024. ▲ Rising
Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from Agriculture 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
South Africa recorded 12.82 Mt CO2e for nitrous oxide (n2o) emissions from agriculture in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.5% on the previous year and down 1.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, nitrous oxide (n2o) emissions from agriculture in South Africa peaked at 13.43 Mt CO2e in 2021 and was at its lowest, 8.88 Mt CO2e, in 1971.
That places South Africa 29th out of 201 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 55 years of available data.
Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from Agriculture in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Mt CO2e | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 8.94 Mt CO2e | — |
| 1971 | 8.88 Mt CO2e | -0.7% |
| 1972 | 8.96 Mt CO2e | +0.9% |
| 1973 | 8.95 Mt CO2e | -0.1% |
| 1974 | 9.32 Mt CO2e | +4.1% |
| 1975 | 9.71 Mt CO2e | +4.1% |
| 1976 | 9.88 Mt CO2e | +1.8% |
| 1977 | 10.22 Mt CO2e | +3.4% |
| 1978 | 10.47 Mt CO2e | +2.5% |
| 1979 | 11.03 Mt CO2e | +5.3% |
| 1980 | 11.09 Mt CO2e | +0.6% |
| 1981 | 11.28 Mt CO2e | +1.7% |
| 1982 | 11.12 Mt CO2e | -1.4% |
| 1983 | 10.65 Mt CO2e | -4.2% |
| 1984 | 10.75 Mt CO2e | +0.9% |
| 1985 | 10.23 Mt CO2e | -4.8% |
| 1986 | 10.23 Mt CO2e | -0.1% |
| 1987 | 10.19 Mt CO2e | -0.4% |
| 1988 | 10.62 Mt CO2e | +4.2% |
| 1989 | 10.92 Mt CO2e | +2.9% |
| 1990 | 11.26 Mt CO2e | +3.0% |
| 1991 | 11.27 Mt CO2e | +0.2% |
| 1992 | 11.09 Mt CO2e | -1.6% |
| 1993 | 11.25 Mt CO2e | +1.4% |
| 1994 | 10.91 Mt CO2e | -3.0% |
| 1995 | 10.88 Mt CO2e | -0.3% |
| 1996 | 11.33 Mt CO2e | +4.1% |
| 1997 | 11.55 Mt CO2e | +2.0% |
| 1998 | 11.7 Mt CO2e | +1.2% |
| 1999 | 11.63 Mt CO2e | -0.6% |
| 2000 | 11.65 Mt CO2e | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 11.55 Mt CO2e | -0.9% |
| 2002 | 12.08 Mt CO2e | +4.5% |
| 2003 | 11.82 Mt CO2e | -2.1% |
| 2004 | 11.94 Mt CO2e | +1.0% |
| 2005 | 11.85 Mt CO2e | -0.8% |
| 2006 | 12 Mt CO2e | +1.3% |
| 2007 | 12.27 Mt CO2e | +2.2% |
| 2008 | 12.33 Mt CO2e | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 12.21 Mt CO2e | -0.9% |
| 2010 | 12.08 Mt CO2e | -1.1% |
| 2011 | 12.13 Mt CO2e | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 12.35 Mt CO2e | +1.7% |
| 2013 | 12.35 Mt CO2e | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 12.96 Mt CO2e | +4.9% |
| 2015 | 12.08 Mt CO2e | -6.8% |
| 2016 | 12.34 Mt CO2e | +2.1% |
| 2017 | 13.21 Mt CO2e | +7.0% |
| 2018 | 12.08 Mt CO2e | -8.6% |
| 2019 | 11.52 Mt CO2e | -4.6% |
| 2020 | 12.12 Mt CO2e | +5.1% |
| 2021 | 13.43 Mt CO2e | +10.8% |
| 2022 | 12.71 Mt CO2e | -5.3% |
| 2023 | 12.75 Mt CO2e | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 12.82 Mt CO2e | +0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 9.64 Mt CO2e | 8.88 Mt CO2e | 11.03 Mt CO2e | 10 |
| 1980s | 10.71 Mt CO2e | 10.19 Mt CO2e | 11.28 Mt CO2e | 10 |
| 1990s | 11.29 Mt CO2e | 10.88 Mt CO2e | 11.7 Mt CO2e | 10 |
| 2000s | 11.97 Mt CO2e | 11.55 Mt CO2e | 12.33 Mt CO2e | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.31 Mt CO2e | 11.52 Mt CO2e | 13.21 Mt CO2e | 10 |
| 2020s | 12.76 Mt CO2e | 12.12 Mt CO2e | 13.43 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)
- Other paper and paperboard — Import quantity, annual growth rate 9.67 % change on previous year (2024)
- Other paper and paperboard — Import quantity, per capita 0.0074 t per person (2024)
- Other paper and paperboard — Import value, annual growth rate -4.84 % change on previous year (2024)
- Other paper and paperboard — Import value, per capita 0.0081 1000 USD per person (2024)
- Other paper and paperboard, not elsewhere specified — Import -37.67 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is nitrous oxide (n2o) emissions from agriculture in South Africa?
- Nitrous oxide (n2o) emissions from agriculture in South Africa was 12.82 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 nitrous oxide (n2o) emissions from agriculture recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 13.43 Mt CO2e in 2021.
- What is the lowest nitrous oxide (n2o) emissions from agriculture recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.88 Mt CO2e in 1971.
- How does South Africa rank for nitrous oxide (n2o) emissions from agriculture?
- South Africa ranks 29th out of 201 countries with data for 2024.
- Is nitrous oxide (n2o) emissions from agriculture rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.1%. 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 Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from Agriculture (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 nitrous oxide (N2O), one of the six Kyoto greenhouse gases (GHG), from the agricultural sector. This includes emissions from livestock (IPCC 2006 codes 3.A.1 (enteric fermentation, 3.a.2 (manure management) and crops (IPCC 2006 codes 3.C.1 Emissions from biomass burning, 3.C.2 Liming, 3.C.3 Urea application, 3.C.4 Direct N2O Emissions from managed soils, 3.C.5 Indirect N2O Emissions from managed soils, 3.C.6 Indirect N2O Emissions from manure management, 3.C.7 Rice cultivations). The measure is standardized to carbon dioxide equivalent values using the Global Warming Potential (GWP) factors of IPCC's 5th Assessment Report (AR5).