Per capita nitrous oxide emissions in South Africa
South Africa: Per capita nitrous oxide emissions was 0.3171 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
0.3171 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person
Change on year
down 0.3%
World rank
89th
of 201 countries
All-time high
1.35 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person
in 1950
All-time low
0.3171 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person
in 2024
Years of data
175
1850–2024
Per capita nitrous oxide emissions in South Africa, 1850–2024
Source: Jones et al. (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person.
Analysis
In 2024, per capita nitrous oxide emissions in South Africa stood at 0.3171 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person. That is the lowest value across all 175 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.3% on the previous year and down 13.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, per capita nitrous oxide emissions in South Africa peaked at 1.35 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 1950 and was at its lowest, 0.3171 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person, in 2024.
That places South Africa 89th out of 201 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 175 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850s | 0.4278 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.4247 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.43 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1860s | 0.4143 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.4027 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.4259 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1870s | 0.4394 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.4004 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.4872 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1880s | 0.4839 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.4757 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.4899 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1890s | 0.4885 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.488 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.489 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1900s | 0.4793 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.4715 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.488 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.504 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.4709 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.5483 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.5789 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.5551 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.5924 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.5295 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.4864 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.5789 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.8987 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.482 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.34 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1950s | 1.08 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.8062 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.35 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.7635 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.7112 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.8281 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.6443 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.628 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.6903 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.5142 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.4427 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.6215 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.4691 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.4472 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.4929 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.42 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.3855 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.4556 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.3589 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.3246 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.3894 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.3253 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.3171 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.345 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 86 Somalia 0.3235 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 87 Belize 0.3218 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 88 Zimbabwe 0.3176 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 90 Mexico 0.3022 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 91 Vietnam 0.3001 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 92 Qatar 0.3 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
More reference data data for South Africa
- Spring temperature anomalies 0.191 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 1.36 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 0.6318 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 1.18 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 0.2153 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 209.92 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is per capita nitrous oxide emissions in South Africa?
- Per capita nitrous oxide emissions in South Africa was 0.3171 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 2024, according to Jones et al. (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest per capita nitrous oxide emissions recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 1.35 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 1950.
- What is the lowest per capita nitrous oxide emissions recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.3171 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 2024.
- How does South Africa rank for per capita nitrous oxide emissions?
- South Africa ranks 89th out of 201 countries with data for 2024.
- Is per capita nitrous oxide emissions rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Jones et al. (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Per capita nitrous oxide emissions. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 175 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Measured in tonnes per person of carbon dioxide-equivalents over a 100-year timescale.