Per capita nitrous oxide emissions from agriculture in South Africa
South Africa: Per capita nitrous oxide emissions from agriculture was 212.62 kilograms per person in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
212.62 kilograms per person
Change on year
down 0.7%
World rank
91st
of 193 countries
All-time high
320.77 kilograms per person
in 1990
All-time low
205.38 kilograms per person
in 2016
Years of data
34
1990–2023
Per capita nitrous oxide emissions from agriculture in South Africa, 1990–2023
Source: Climate Watch (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in kilograms per person.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 212.62 kilograms per person for per capita nitrous oxide emissions from agriculture in 2023.
That represents a change of down 0.7% on the previous year and down 11.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, per capita nitrous oxide emissions from agriculture in South Africa peaked at 320.77 kilograms per person in 1990 and was at its lowest, 205.38 kilograms per person, in 2016.
South Africa ranks 91st of 193 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
Per capita nitrous oxide emissions from agriculture in South Africa, year by year
| Year | kilograms per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 320.77 kilograms per person | — |
| 1991 | 313.28 kilograms per person | -2.3% |
| 1992 | 299.22 kilograms per person | -4.5% |
| 1993 | 299.56 kilograms per person | +0.1% |
| 1994 | 288.61 kilograms per person | -3.7% |
| 1995 | 280.41 kilograms per person | -2.8% |
| 1996 | 293.64 kilograms per person | +4.7% |
| 1997 | 292.77 kilograms per person | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 293.79 kilograms per person | +0.3% |
| 1999 | 288.25 kilograms per person | -1.9% |
| 2000 | 288.17 kilograms per person | -0.0% |
| 2001 | 276.24 kilograms per person | -4.1% |
| 2002 | 294.26 kilograms per person | +6.5% |
| 2003 | 268.66 kilograms per person | -8.7% |
| 2004 | 261.27 kilograms per person | -2.7% |
| 2005 | 263.08 kilograms per person | +0.7% |
| 2006 | 254.61 kilograms per person | -3.2% |
| 2007 | 260.05 kilograms per person | +2.1% |
| 2008 | 262.94 kilograms per person | +1.1% |
| 2009 | 260.2 kilograms per person | -1.0% |
| 2010 | 257.53 kilograms per person | -1.0% |
| 2011 | 253.8 kilograms per person | -1.4% |
| 2012 | 255.1 kilograms per person | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 239.95 kilograms per person | -5.9% |
| 2014 | 235.99 kilograms per person | -1.6% |
| 2015 | 219.31 kilograms per person | -7.1% |
| 2016 | 205.38 kilograms per person | -6.4% |
| 2017 | 227.99 kilograms per person | +11.0% |
| 2018 | 223.5 kilograms per person | -2.0% |
| 2019 | 215.14 kilograms per person | -3.7% |
| 2020 | 217.96 kilograms per person | +1.3% |
| 2021 | 233.32 kilograms per person | +7.1% |
| 2022 | 214.02 kilograms per person | -8.3% |
| 2023 | 212.62 kilograms per person | -0.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 297.03 kilograms per person | 280.41 kilograms per person | 320.77 kilograms per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 268.95 kilograms per person | 254.61 kilograms per person | 294.26 kilograms per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 233.37 kilograms per person | 205.38 kilograms per person | 257.53 kilograms per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 219.48 kilograms per person | 212.62 kilograms per person | 233.32 kilograms per person | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More agriculture & rural data for South Africa
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 7.11 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0283 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 186.56 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.812 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3618 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 2.8% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 2.8% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.0% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is per capita nitrous oxide emissions from agriculture in South Africa?
- Per capita nitrous oxide emissions from agriculture in South Africa was 212.62 kilograms per person in 2023, according to Climate Watch (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest per capita nitrous oxide emissions from agriculture recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 320.77 kilograms per person in 1990.
- What is the lowest per capita nitrous oxide emissions from agriculture recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 205.38 kilograms per person in 2016.
- How does South Africa rank for per capita nitrous oxide emissions from agriculture?
- South Africa ranks 91st out of 193 countries with data for 2023.
- Is per capita nitrous oxide emissions from agriculture rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Climate Watch (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Per capita nitrous oxide emissions from agriculture. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Emissions are measured in kilograms of carbon dioxide-equivalents per person.