CO2 emissions in Africa 2021, by country

South Africa was the most polluting country in Africa in 2021. That year, it emitted nearly 436 million metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2). Egypt ranked second with around 250 million metric tons of CO2 emissions, followed by Algeria, Nigeria, and Libya. Additionally, South Africa and Libya had the highest CO2 emissions per capita among the African countries.

Africa’s low contribution to global emissions

Africa’s cumulative CO2 emissions amounted to around 48 billion metric tons in the period between 1884 and 2020. On the other hand, from the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in 1750 to 2020, the world emitted approximately 1.7 trillion metric tons of CO2. Africa’s contribution to the global carbon footprint has been relatively limited, as the continent accounted for less than three percent of the world’s cumulative CO2 emissions as of 2020. In contrast, the United States, Europe, and China have been the largest emitters worldwide.

Impact of climate change on Africa

Global warming has risen significantly with the increment of CO2 emissions since the Industrial era. In 2020, the world’s land and ocean surface temperature was approximately 0.98 degrees Celsius warmer than in the 20th Century. Africa also experienced significant temperature anomalies, especially in the last decade. Despite its low contribution to global emissions, the African continent is highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. In 2019, Chad, the Central African Republic, Eritrea, Guinea-Bissau, and the Democratic Republic of Congo were the countries with the highest vulnerability to and lowest readiness for the climate change impact in the world, according to the ND-GAIN Country Index.