Sub-Saharan Africa · Upper middle income · 2023

South Africa: mid-book EDGAR inventory · 1.37 t per $1K GDP

In 2023, South Africa emitted 522 MtCO₂e (8.71 t per person, 1.37 t per $1K GDP) - energy led at 47% and carbon dioxide dominated the gas mix at 76%. EU EDGAR v8.0, excludes land use.

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Corpus placement

South Africa ranks #18 / 51 by absolute total and #20 / 51 by per-capita emissions among tracked economies in 2023.

#18 / 51
Absolute Mt rank
#20 / 51
Per-capita rank
#4 / 51
GDP intensity rank

According to EU EDGAR v8.0 totals, World Bank population, and GDP denominators at 2023. Excludes LULUCF.

F
Emissions Performance Score
36/100
South Africa · 2023 EDGAR data

Based on per-capita emissions, GDP intensity, methane share, and the multi-year emissions trend, benchmarked against the 51-country EDGAR corpus, not a judgment of policy effort, development stage, or overall climate risk. See the benchmark table and methodology.

Per-capita emissions D
8.71 t/person
EDGAR latest-year total ÷ population, vs. the 51-country corpus spread
GDP intensity F
1.37 t/$1K GDP
EDGAR latest-year total ÷ GDP, vs. the 51-country corpus spread
Methane share C
16%
Share of the gas mix that is CH4 (AR6 GWP100 ≈ 27.9× CO2, short-lived but potent)
Emissions trend C-
+117%
Change from the first to the latest EDGAR-tracked year for this country

EDGAR inventory roll

Roll ZAF · 2023 522 Mt · 8.71 t per person

South Africa sits mid-pack by absolute Mt among 51 tracked EDGAR economies (522 Mt in 2023) - absolute, per-capita, and GDP-intensity ranks on one roll.

  • ABS 522 Mt
  • PC 8.71 t
  • INT 1.37
  • RANK-A #18 / 51
  • RANK-P #20 / 51
  • RANK-I #4 / 51
  • SECTOR 47% Energy
  • GAS 76% Carbon
  • PHOTO Vietnam
  • BOOK 51 econ

Photo-finish absolute-Mt peer: Vietnam (525 Mt · Δ 2 Mt vs South Africa)

Absolute-Mt neighbourhood

2023 EDGAR totals · nearest inventories to South Africa

1. Australia5722. Pakistan5343. Vietnam5254. South Africa5225. Thailand447

Year-to-year inventory change

What changed between 2022 and 2023

2022 → 2023
  • South Africa's energy total fell from 256.4 MtCO₂e in 2022 to 244 MtCO₂e in 2023 in the EU EDGAR v8.0 (2024) extract, a change of −12.4 MtCO₂e (−4.9%).
  • South Africa's EDGAR greenhouse-gas total fell from 533.2 MtCO₂e in 2022 to 522.5 MtCO₂e in 2023 in the EU EDGAR v8.0 (2024) extract, a change of −10.7 MtCO₂e (−2.0%).

Arithmetic differences between two inventory years in one stored EU EDGAR v8.0 (2024) extract, not a second source release, a forecast, or a policy verdict.

Trends Inventory CSV

Placement is comparable across the full corpus: the same standardization basis (EDGAR v8.0 totals, population, and GDP denominators) feeds every country's rank on every ladder above. How we place countries.

South Africa vs all tracked economies by EDGAR greenhouse-gas total

Where South Africa's 2023 EDGAR MtCO₂e sits among every tracked economy with live rows (inventory mass, not per-capita responsibility)

522 Top 35% more MtCO₂e than 65% of 51 economies

Tracked economies, banded by EDGAR MtCO₂e (AR6 GWP100)

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more economies. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source EU EDGAR v8.0 · 2023

South Africa 2023 emissions by IPCC sector

EU EDGAR v8.0 · MtCO₂e · AR6 GWP100

1. Energy2442. Industry843. Fugitive emissions534. Transport505. Agriculture446. Buildings267. Waste22
0%100%47%
Energy share of 2023 total

Source: EU EDGAR v8.0 (Joint Research Centre) EDGAR GHG · 2023

South Africa emissions trend (1970–2023, MtCO₂e)

Annual greenhouse-gas totals, EU EDGAR v8.0

200300400500600700 197019771984199119982005201220192023 522
Reported annual emissions for South Africa, 1970 to 2023 (AR6 GWP100, excludes LULUCF).

Data from EU EDGAR v8.0 (2024 release)

Source: EU EDGAR (Joint Research Centre) As of 1970–2023

South Africa 2023 greenhouse-gas inventory

EU EDGAR v8.0 · MtCO₂e · AR6 GWP100

1. Carbon dioxide397.42. Methane85.93. Nitrous oxide20.24. Fluorinated gases19

Per-person load versus carbon efficiency

GDP-intensity signature

GDP intensity is the standout for South Africa: 1.37 t per $1K GDP (upper tercile, ≥0.764) alongside 522 Mt absolute.

South Africa ranks #4 by GDP intensity in 2023 but only #20 by per-capita emissions (8.71 t) — a carbon-intensive economy whose output doesn't yet translate into a high per-person total.

Source: EU EDGAR v8.0 (Joint Research Centre) Country totals (AR6 GWP100, excl. LULUCF) Country figures for ZAF exclude LULUCF; verify policy-critical totals against the Joint Research Centre EDGAR country table.

Other Sub-Saharan Africa economies in EDGAR

Methodology

South Africa (ZAF) is in the middle third of live EDGAR country mass (522 MtCO₂e in 2023). Rows are aggregated from EU EDGAR v8.0 by IPCC sector and gas for 2023, excluding LULUCF. See the methodology page for GWP100 factors and the full pipeline. Full methodology.

Source: EU EDGAR v8.0 (Joint Research Centre) 2024 Global bottom-up inventory, CC BY 4.0.

FAQ

Which sector dominates South Africa's emissions?

Energy led at 47% of the 2023 national total (522 MtCO₂e).

How much CO₂-equivalent did South Africa emit in 2023?

South Africa's 2023 total is 522 MtCO₂e per EU EDGAR v8.0 (AR6 GWP100, excludes LULUCF).

How do South Africa's absolute and per-capita ranks compare?

South Africa ranks #18 of 51 by absolute total and #20 by per-capita emissions in 2023, with GDP intensity at #4.

Compiled from official public sources by the publisher.

Data vintage: EU EDGAR v8.0 (2024 release), 2023 data year. Country emissions summed from EDGAR records for the focal year; LULUCF excluded on ranked surfaces.