How does South Africa rank for other paper and paperboard — production, per square kilometre?

South Africa ranks 52nd out of 123 countries with data for 2023.

Is other paper and paperboard — production, per square kilometre rising or falling in South Africa?

Over the last ten years it is down 1.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.

Other paper and paperboard — Production, per square kilometre in South Africa

Name: Other paper and paperboard — Production, per square kilometre in South Africa
Creator: Statizoid (derived)
License: Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page

South Africa: Other paper and paperboard — Production, per square kilometre was 1.28 t per square kilometre in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)

1.28 t per square kilometre

Change on year

down 4.3%

World rank

52nd

of 123 countries

All-time high

1.46 t per square kilometre

in 2016

All-time low

0.1204 t per square kilometre

in 1961

Years of data

1961–2023

Other paper and paperboard — Production, per square kilometre in South Africa, 1961–2023

Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in t per square kilometre.

Analysis

The most recent figure for other paper and paperboard — production, per square kilometre in South Africa is 1.28 t per square kilometre, measured in 2023.

The figure is down 4.3% on the previous year and down 1.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, other paper and paperboard — production, per square kilometre in South Africa peaked at 1.46 t per square kilometre in 2016 and was at its lowest, 0.1204 t per square kilometre, in 1961.

South Africa ranks 52nd of 123 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.

Other paper and paperboard — Production, per square kilometre in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Other paper and paperboard — Production, per square kilometre in South Africa, 1961 to 2023.
Year	t per square kilometre	Change
1961	0.1204 t per square kilometre	—
1962	0.1294 t per square kilometre	+7.5%
1963	0.1706 t per square kilometre	+31.8%
1964	0.1781 t per square kilometre	+4.3%
1965	0.2341 t per square kilometre	+31.5%
1966	0.2564 t per square kilometre	+9.5%
1967	0.2762 t per square kilometre	+7.7%
1968	0.2935 t per square kilometre	+6.3%
1969	0.2926 t per square kilometre	-0.3%
1970	0.3132 t per square kilometre	+7.0%
1971	0.3215 t per square kilometre	+2.6%
1972	0.4031 t per square kilometre	+25.4%
1973	0.4031 t per square kilometre	+0.0%
1974	0.4031 t per square kilometre	+0.0%
1975	0.4031 t per square kilometre	+0.0%
1976	0.4031 t per square kilometre	+0.0%
1977	0.5004 t per square kilometre	+24.1%
1978	0.5309 t per square kilometre	+6.1%
1979	0.5919 t per square kilometre	+11.5%
1980	0.6562 t per square kilometre	+10.9%
1981	0.6644 t per square kilometre	+1.3%
1982	0.6644 t per square kilometre	+0.0%
1983	0.7213 t per square kilometre	+8.6%
1984	0.7164 t per square kilometre	-0.7%
1985	0.7485 t per square kilometre	+4.5%
1986	0.8004 t per square kilometre	+6.9%
1987	0.8243 t per square kilometre	+3.0%
1988	0.9068 t per square kilometre	+10.0%
1989	0.9513 t per square kilometre	+4.9%
1990	0.9513 t per square kilometre	+0.0%
1991	0.9554 t per square kilometre	+0.4%
1992	0.9356 t per square kilometre	-2.1%
1993	0.7914 t per square kilometre	-15.4%
1994	0.7724 t per square kilometre	-2.4%
1995	0.9315 t per square kilometre	+20.6%
1996	0.9315 t per square kilometre	+0.0%
1997	1.07 t per square kilometre	+14.3%
1998	1.05 t per square kilometre	-1.0%
1999	0.995 t per square kilometre	-5.6%
2000	1.22 t per square kilometre	+22.9%
2001	1.33 t per square kilometre	+8.8%
2002	1.34 t per square kilometre	+0.9%
2003	1.35 t per square kilometre	+0.2%
2004	1.45 t per square kilometre	+7.9%
2005	1.29 t per square kilometre	-11.5%
2006	1.29 t per square kilometre	+0.1%
2007	1.31 t per square kilometre	+2.2%
2008	1.37 t per square kilometre	+4.1%
2009	1.09 t per square kilometre	-20.4%
2010	1.29 t per square kilometre	+17.9%
2011	1.14 t per square kilometre	-11.2%
2012	1.34 t per square kilometre	+17.4%
2013	1.3 t per square kilometre	-3.0%
2014	1.27 t per square kilometre	-2.4%
2015	1.33 t per square kilometre	+4.5%
2016	1.46 t per square kilometre	+9.9%
2017	1.37 t per square kilometre	-6.3%
2018	1.44 t per square kilometre	+5.5%
2019	1.41 t per square kilometre	-2.2%
2020	1.29 t per square kilometre	-8.3%
2021	1.33 t per square kilometre	+2.5%
2022	1.34 t per square kilometre	+1.0%
2023	1.28 t per square kilometre	-4.3%

South Africa compared with similar countries

South Africa's 1.28 t per square kilometre is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.8093 t per square kilometre, 1.6× the median. (39 countries reporting)
South Africa's 1.28 t per square kilometre is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.0011 t per square kilometre, 1200.3× the median. (19 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1960s	0.2168 t per square kilometre	0.1204 t per square kilometre	0.2935 t per square kilometre	9
1970s	0.4273 t per square kilometre	0.3132 t per square kilometre	0.5919 t per square kilometre	10
1980s	0.7654 t per square kilometre	0.6562 t per square kilometre	0.9513 t per square kilometre	10
1990s	0.9383 t per square kilometre	0.7724 t per square kilometre	1.07 t per square kilometre	10
2000s	1.3 t per square kilometre	1.09 t per square kilometre	1.45 t per square kilometre	10
2010s	1.33 t per square kilometre	1.14 t per square kilometre	1.46 t per square kilometre	10
2020s	1.31 t per square kilometre	1.28 t per square kilometre	1.34 t per square kilometre	4

Countries ranked near South Africa

49 Chile 1.74 t per square kilometre compare
50 Ukraine 1.69 t per square kilometre compare
51 Belarus 1.52 t per square kilometre compare
53 North Macedonia 1.23 t per square kilometre compare
54 Armenia 1.01 t per square kilometre compare
55 Brazil 0.9681 t per square kilometre compare

See the full ranking of 124 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)
Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2.59 % change on previous year (2024)
Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), annual growth rate 0.2953 % change on previous year (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is other paper and paperboard — production, per square kilometre in South Africa?: Other paper and paperboard — production, per square kilometre in South Africa was 1.28 t per square kilometre in 2023, according to Statizoid (derived).
What is the highest other paper and paperboard — production, per square kilometre recorded in South Africa?: The highest recorded value was 1.46 t per square kilometre in 2016.
What is the lowest other paper and paperboard — production, per square kilometre recorded in South Africa?: The lowest recorded value was 0.1204 t per square kilometre in 1961.
How does South Africa rank for other paper and paperboard — production, per square kilometre?: South Africa ranks 52nd out of 123 countries with data for 2023.
Is other paper and paperboard — production, per square kilometre rising or falling in South Africa?: Over the last ten years it is down 1.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South Africa data come from?: The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Other paper and paperboard — Production, per square kilometre. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Other paper and paperboard — Production, per square kilometre in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Statizoid (derived). Retrieved 22 September 2026, from https://environment.statizoid.com/stat/other-paper-and-paperboard-production-per-square-kilometre/south-africa/

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<a href="https://environment.statizoid.com/stat/other-paper-and-paperboard-production-per-square-kilometre/south-africa/">Other paper and paperboard — Production, per square kilometre in South Africa</a> — Statizoid

How this figure is calculated

Other paper and paperboard — Production divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.

Other paper and paperboard — Production ÷ Land area (sq. km)

Computed from

Other paper and paperboard — Production Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Land area FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.

About this data

Indicator: Other paper and paperboard — Production, per square kilometre
Unit: t per square kilometre
Source: Statizoid (derived)
Licence: Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page
Coverage: 124 places, 5,644 data points, 1961–2023
Last refreshed: 17 September 2026

Other paper and paperboard — Production divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.