What is the highest comparative advantage in environmental goods recorded in South Africa?

The highest recorded value was 1.73 index in 2007.

What is the lowest comparative advantage in environmental goods recorded in South Africa?

The lowest recorded value was 0.742 index in 2019.

How does South Africa rank for comparative advantage in environmental goods?

South Africa ranks 41st out of 163 countries with data for 2019.

Is comparative advantage in environmental goods rising or falling in South Africa?

Over the last ten years it is down 40.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.

Where does this South Africa data come from?

The figures come from IMF Climate Change Dashboard. Data sources: UN Comtrade, DESA/UNSD; IMF staff calculations, published as part of Comparative advantage in environmental goods (index). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Comparative advantage in environmental goods in South Africa

Name: Comparative advantage in environmental goods in South Africa
Creator: IMF Climate Change Dashboard. Data sources: UN Comtrade, DESA/UNSD; IMF staff calculations
License: CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)

South Africa: Comparative advantage in environmental goods was 0.742 index in 2019. ▼ Falling

Latest (2019)

0.742 index

Change on year

down 3.4%

World rank

41st

of 163 countries

All-time high

1.73 index

in 2007

All-time low

0.742 index

in 2019

Years of data

2000–2019

Comparative advantage in environmental goods in South Africa, 2000–2019

Source: IMF Climate Change Dashboard. Data sources: UN Comtrade, DESA/UNSD; IMF staff calculations. Measured in index.

Analysis

In 2019, comparative advantage in environmental goods in South Africa stood at 0.742 index. That is the lowest value across all 20 years on record.

The figure is down 3.4% on the previous year and down 40.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, comparative advantage in environmental goods in South Africa peaked at 1.73 index in 2007 and was at its lowest, 0.742 index, in 2019.

South Africa ranks 41st of 163 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 20 years of available data.

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
2000s	1.51 index	1.26 index	1.73 index	10
2010s	0.9529 index	0.742 index	1.19 index	10

Countries ranked near South Africa

38 Serbia 0.8086 index compare
39 Thailand 0.7659 index compare
40 Spain 0.7422 index compare
42 Singapore 0.7242 index compare
43 Canada 0.7003 index compare
44 Switzerland 0.6749 index compare

See the full ranking of 163 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.5111 (2050)
Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 8.71 (2050)
Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 13.63 (2050)
Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.7468 (2050)
Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 13.63 (2050)
Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.71 (2050)
Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.49 (2050)
Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 41.1 (2050)
Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 63.65 (2050)
Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 4.07 (2050)

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is comparative advantage in environmental goods in South Africa?: Comparative advantage in environmental goods in South Africa was 0.742 index in 2019, according to IMF Climate Change Dashboard. Data sources: UN Comtrade, DESA/UNSD; IMF staff calculations.
What is the highest comparative advantage in environmental goods recorded in South Africa?: The highest recorded value was 1.73 index in 2007.
What is the lowest comparative advantage in environmental goods recorded in South Africa?: The lowest recorded value was 0.742 index in 2019.
How does South Africa rank for comparative advantage in environmental goods?: South Africa ranks 41st out of 163 countries with data for 2019.
Is comparative advantage in environmental goods rising or falling in South Africa?: Over the last ten years it is down 40.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this South Africa data come from?: The figures come from IMF Climate Change Dashboard. Data sources: UN Comtrade, DESA/UNSD; IMF staff calculations, published as part of Comparative advantage in environmental goods (index). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 20 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

About this data

Indicator: Comparative advantage in environmental goods (index)
Unit: index
Source: IMF Climate Change Dashboard. Data sources: UN Comtrade, DESA/UNSD; IMF staff calculations
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage: 163 places, 3,076 data points, 1998–2019
Last refreshed: 10 August 2026

Environmental goods include both goods connected to environmental protection—such as goods related to pollution management and resource management—and adapted goods—which are goods that have been specifically modified to be more “environmentally friendly” or “cleaner.” Comparative advantage is a measure of the relative advantage or disadvantage a particular country has in a certain class of goods (in this case, environmental goods), and can be used to evaluate export potential in that class of goods. Environmental goods include both goods connected to environmental protection—such as goods related to pollution management and resource management—and adapted goods—which are goods that have been specifically modified to be more “environmentally friendly” or “cleaner.” A value greater than one indicates a relative advantage in environmental goods, while a value of less than one indicates a relative disadvantage.