Saudi Arabia vs South Africa: Coal consumption and sulphur dioxide emissions
Saudi Arabia
3.46 million tonnes
in 2022
South Africa
2.83 million tonnes
in 2022
Saudi Arabia rank
5th
South Africa rank
7th
Coal consumption and sulphur dioxide emissions over time
- Saudi Arabia
- South Africa
How they compare
Saudi Arabia currently reports 3.46 million tonnes against 2.83 million tonnes in South Africa, a difference of 632,090 tonnes.
That makes Saudi Arabia's figure about 1.2 times South Africa's.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 273 shared years of data; in 1750 it was South Africa ahead.
Saudi Arabia ranks 5th and South Africa ranks 7th of 220 countries.
Across the 28 decades both report, Saudi Arabia averaged higher in 2 and South Africa in 26.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Saudi Arabia | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1750s | 88.89 tonnes | 305.51 tonnes | 216.63 tonnes | South Africa |
| 1760s | 90.44 tonnes | 314.85 tonnes | 224.41 tonnes | South Africa |
| 1770s | 91.99 tonnes | 324.95 tonnes | 232.96 tonnes | South Africa |
| 1780s | 93.54 tonnes | 335.92 tonnes | 242.38 tonnes | South Africa |
| 1790s | 95.08 tonnes | 347.88 tonnes | 252.8 tonnes | South Africa |
| 1800s | 96.61 tonnes | 360.96 tonnes | 264.35 tonnes | South Africa |
| 1810s | 98.12 tonnes | 382.53 tonnes | 284.41 tonnes | South Africa |
| 1820s | 100.09 tonnes | 415.44 tonnes | 315.35 tonnes | South Africa |
| 1830s | 102.15 tonnes | 452.74 tonnes | 350.59 tonnes | South Africa |
| 1840s | 103.59 tonnes | 819.09 tonnes | 715.51 tonnes | South Africa |
| 1850s | 104.97 tonnes | 1,944 tonnes | 1,839 tonnes | South Africa |
| 1860s | 106.31 tonnes | 2,549 tonnes | 2,443 tonnes | South Africa |
| 1870s | 108.11 tonnes | 6,782 tonnes | 6,673 tonnes | South Africa |
| 1880s | 110.64 tonnes | 14,911 tonnes | 14,801 tonnes | South Africa |
| 1890s | 113.29 tonnes | 46,915 tonnes | 46,802 tonnes | South Africa |
| 1900s | 102.19 tonnes | 110,548 tonnes | 110,446 tonnes | South Africa |
| 1910s | 73.82 tonnes | 242,416 tonnes | 242,343 tonnes | South Africa |
| 1920s | 45.32 tonnes | 290,679 tonnes | 290,633 tonnes | South Africa |
| 1930s | 893.84 tonnes | 300,061 tonnes | 299,167 tonnes | South Africa |
| 1940s | 50,803 tonnes | 495,170 tonnes | 444,367 tonnes | South Africa |
| 1950s | 46,409 tonnes | 651,952 tonnes | 605,543 tonnes | South Africa |
| 1960s | 114,232 tonnes | 911,336 tonnes | 797,104 tonnes | South Africa |
| 1970s | 965,716 tonnes | 1.57 million tonnes | 601,413 tonnes | South Africa |
| 1980s | 1.38 million tonnes | 2.01 million tonnes | 628,122 tonnes | South Africa |
| 1990s | 1.75 million tonnes | 2.35 million tonnes | 603,956 tonnes | South Africa |
| 2000s | 2.37 million tonnes | 2.92 million tonnes | 553,024 tonnes | South Africa |
| 2010s | 3.50 million tonnes | 3.25 million tonnes | 256,872 tonnes | Saudi Arabia |
| 2020s | 3.16 million tonnes | 2.90 million tonnes | 259,290 tonnes | Saudi Arabia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher coal consumption and sulphur dioxide emissions, Saudi Arabia or South Africa?
- Saudi Arabia, at 3.46 million tonnes against 2.83 million tonnes in South Africa as of 2022.
- What is the difference in coal consumption and sulphur dioxide emissions between Saudi Arabia and South Africa?
- 632,090 tonnes, with Saudi Arabia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Saudi Arabia and South Africa?
- 273 years are reported by both, from 1750 to 2022.
- How do Saudi Arabia and South Africa rank globally for coal consumption and sulphur dioxide emissions?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 5th and South Africa ranks 7th of 220 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Hoesly et al. (2024) - Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Coal consumption and sulphur dioxide emissions. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Sulfur dioxide (SO₂) is an air pollutant formed from the burning of fuels that contain sulfur, such as coal. SO₂ is one of the main chemicals that forms acid rain.