Mexico vs South Africa: Per capita nitrous oxide emissions

Mexico
0.3022 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person
in 2024
South Africa
0.3171 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person
in 2024
Mexico rank
90th
South Africa rank
89th

Per capita nitrous oxide emissions over time

  • Mexico
  • South Africa
00.511.5185019372024

How they compare

South Africa currently reports 0.3171 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person against 0.3022 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in Mexico, a difference of 0.0149 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person.

The two have swapped places 6 times across 175 shared years of data; in 1850 it was South Africa ahead.

Mexico ranks 90th and South Africa ranks 89th of 201 countries.

South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 18 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Mexico South Africa Difference Ahead
1850s 0.0704 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 0.4278 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 0.3574 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person South Africa
1860s 0.0695 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 0.4143 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 0.3448 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person South Africa
1870s 0.0748 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 0.4394 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 0.3646 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person South Africa
1880s 0.0797 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 0.4839 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 0.4043 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person South Africa
1890s 0.0979 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 0.4885 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 0.3906 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person South Africa
1900s 0.1461 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 0.4793 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 0.3332 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person South Africa
1910s 0.1944 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 0.504 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 0.3095 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person South Africa
1920s 0.1873 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 0.5789 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 0.3916 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person South Africa
1930s 0.1719 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 0.5295 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 0.3576 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person South Africa
1940s 0.2409 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 0.8987 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 0.6578 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person South Africa
1950s 0.3506 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 1.08 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 0.7322 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person South Africa
1960s 0.4154 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 0.7635 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 0.3481 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person South Africa
1970s 0.4361 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 0.6443 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 0.2082 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person South Africa
1980s 0.4667 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 0.5142 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 0.0474 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person South Africa
1990s 0.42 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 0.4691 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 0.049 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person South Africa
2000s 0.3636 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 0.42 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 0.0564 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person South Africa
2010s 0.3419 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 0.3589 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 0.017 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person South Africa
2020s 0.3154 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 0.3253 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person 0.01 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person South Africa

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher per capita nitrous oxide emissions, Mexico or South Africa?
South Africa, at 0.3171 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person against 0.3022 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in Mexico as of 2024.
What is the difference in per capita nitrous oxide emissions between Mexico and South Africa?
0.0149 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person, with South Africa ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Mexico and South Africa?
175 years are reported by both, from 1850 to 2024.
How do Mexico and South Africa rank globally for per capita nitrous oxide emissions?
Mexico ranks 90th and South Africa ranks 89th of 201 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Jones et al. (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Per capita nitrous oxide emissions. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
Per capita nitrous oxide emissions
Unit
tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person
Source
Jones et al. (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
201 places, 34,339 data points, 1850–2024
Last refreshed

Measured in tonnes per person of carbon dioxide-equivalents over a 100-year timescale.