Paper and paperboard — Production, per square kilometre in South Africa
South Africa: Paper and paperboard — Production, per square kilometre was 1.59 t per square kilometre in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
1.59 t per square kilometre
Change on year
down 1.5%
World rank
53rd
of 124 countries
All-time high
2.37 t per square kilometre
in 2004
All-time low
0.164 t per square kilometre
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Paper and paperboard — Production, per square kilometre in South Africa, 1961–2023
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in t per square kilometre.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 1.59 t per square kilometre for paper and paperboard — production, per square kilometre in 2023.
That represents a change of down 1.5% on the previous year and down 16.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, paper and paperboard — production, per square kilometre in South Africa peaked at 2.37 t per square kilometre in 2004 and was at its lowest, 0.164 t per square kilometre, in 1961.
South Africa ranks 53rd of 124 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.
Paper and paperboard — Production, per square kilometre in South Africa, year by year
| Year | t per square kilometre | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.164 t per square kilometre | — |
| 1962 | 0.1863 t per square kilometre | +13.6% |
| 1963 | 0.2341 t per square kilometre | +25.7% |
| 1964 | 0.244 t per square kilometre | +4.2% |
| 1965 | 0.3165 t per square kilometre | +29.7% |
| 1966 | 0.3668 t per square kilometre | +15.9% |
| 1967 | 0.3916 t per square kilometre | +6.7% |
| 1968 | 0.4559 t per square kilometre | +16.4% |
| 1969 | 0.4781 t per square kilometre | +4.9% |
| 1970 | 0.5028 t per square kilometre | +5.2% |
| 1971 | 0.5152 t per square kilometre | +2.5% |
| 1972 | 0.6133 t per square kilometre | +19.0% |
| 1973 | 0.6603 t per square kilometre | +7.7% |
| 1974 | 0.6685 t per square kilometre | +1.2% |
| 1975 | 0.6397 t per square kilometre | -4.3% |
| 1976 | 0.6644 t per square kilometre | +3.9% |
| 1977 | 0.807 t per square kilometre | +21.5% |
| 1978 | 0.8433 t per square kilometre | +4.5% |
| 1979 | 0.9233 t per square kilometre | +9.5% |
| 1980 | 0.9867 t per square kilometre | +6.9% |
| 1981 | 1.06 t per square kilometre | +7.8% |
| 1982 | 1.11 t per square kilometre | +4.7% |
| 1983 | 1.25 t per square kilometre | +12.6% |
| 1984 | 1.17 t per square kilometre | -6.4% |
| 1985 | 1.23 t per square kilometre | +4.7% |
| 1986 | 1.33 t per square kilometre | +8.2% |
| 1987 | 1.32 t per square kilometre | -0.7% |
| 1988 | 1.48 t per square kilometre | +12.5% |
| 1989 | 1.57 t per square kilometre | +5.5% |
| 1990 | 1.57 t per square kilometre | +0.3% |
| 1991 | 1.57 t per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 1.48 t per square kilometre | -5.5% |
| 1993 | 1.41 t per square kilometre | -5.0% |
| 1994 | 1.39 t per square kilometre | -1.5% |
| 1995 | 1.54 t per square kilometre | +11.1% |
| 1996 | 1.54 t per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 1.69 t per square kilometre | +9.4% |
| 1998 | 1.74 t per square kilometre | +2.8% |
| 1999 | 1.68 t per square kilometre | -3.0% |
| 2000 | 2 t per square kilometre | +18.9% |
| 2001 | 2.12 t per square kilometre | +6.2% |
| 2002 | 2.16 t per square kilometre | +1.8% |
| 2003 | 2.18 t per square kilometre | +0.9% |
| 2004 | 2.37 t per square kilometre | +8.9% |
| 2005 | 2.01 t per square kilometre | -15.2% |
| 2006 | 2.15 t per square kilometre | +6.8% |
| 2007 | 2.25 t per square kilometre | +4.4% |
| 2008 | 2.25 t per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 1.85 t per square kilometre | -17.6% |
| 2010 | 2.07 t per square kilometre | +12.1% |
| 2011 | 1.79 t per square kilometre | -13.5% |
| 2012 | 2 t per square kilometre | +11.3% |
| 2013 | 1.91 t per square kilometre | -4.3% |
| 2014 | 1.86 t per square kilometre | -2.6% |
| 2015 | 1.85 t per square kilometre | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 1.94 t per square kilometre | +4.7% |
| 2017 | 1.71 t per square kilometre | -11.6% |
| 2018 | 1.83 t per square kilometre | +6.9% |
| 2019 | 1.78 t per square kilometre | -2.9% |
| 2020 | 1.56 t per square kilometre | -12.4% |
| 2021 | 1.65 t per square kilometre | +5.5% |
| 2022 | 1.62 t per square kilometre | -1.6% |
| 2023 | 1.59 t per square kilometre | -1.5% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 1.59 t per square kilometre is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.9851 t per square kilometre, 1.6× the median. (39 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 1.59 t per square kilometre is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.0011 t per square kilometre, 1494.1× the median. (19 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.3153 t per square kilometre | 0.164 t per square kilometre | 0.4781 t per square kilometre | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.6838 t per square kilometre | 0.5028 t per square kilometre | 0.9233 t per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.25 t per square kilometre | 0.9867 t per square kilometre | 1.57 t per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.56 t per square kilometre | 1.39 t per square kilometre | 1.74 t per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.14 t per square kilometre | 1.85 t per square kilometre | 2.37 t per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.88 t per square kilometre | 1.71 t per square kilometre | 2.07 t per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.6 t per square kilometre | 1.56 t per square kilometre | 1.65 t per square kilometre | 4 |
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)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is paper and paperboard — production, per square kilometre in South Africa?
- Paper and paperboard — production, per square kilometre in South Africa was 1.59 t per square kilometre in 2023, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest paper and paperboard — production, per square kilometre recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 2.37 t per square kilometre in 2004.
- What is the lowest paper and paperboard — production, per square kilometre recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.164 t per square kilometre in 1961.
- How does South Africa rank for paper and paperboard — production, per square kilometre?
- South Africa ranks 53rd out of 124 countries with data for 2023.
- Is paper and paperboard — production, per square kilometre rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.6%. 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 Paper and paperboard — Production, per square kilometre. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
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.
Paper and paperboard — Production ÷ Land area (sq. km)
Computed from
- 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
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.