South Korea vs Saudi Arabia: Annual CO₂ emissions by world region
South Korea
583.68 million tonnes
in 2024
Saudi Arabia
692.13 million tonnes
in 2024
South Korea rank
9th
Saudi Arabia rank
8th
Annual CO₂ emissions by world region over time
- South Korea
- Saudi Arabia
How they compare
Saudi Arabia currently reports 692.13 million tonnes against 583.68 million tonnes in South Korea, a difference of 108.45 million tonnes.
That makes Saudi Arabia's figure about 1.2 times South Korea's.
The two have swapped places 9 times across 89 shared years of data; in 1936 it was South Korea ahead.
South Korea ranks 9th and Saudi Arabia ranks 8th of 215 countries.
Across the 10 decades both report, South Korea averaged higher in 5 and Saudi Arabia in 5.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Korea | Saudi Arabia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 447,747 tonnes | 472,655 tonnes | 24,908 tonnes | Saudi Arabia |
| 1940s | 988,493 tonnes | 11.91 million tonnes | 10.93 million tonnes | Saudi Arabia |
| 1950s | 6.09 million tonnes | 1.65 million tonnes | 4.43 million tonnes | South Korea |
| 1960s | 25.73 million tonnes | 12.69 million tonnes | 13.03 million tonnes | South Korea |
| 1970s | 84.72 million tonnes | 92.49 million tonnes | 7.76 million tonnes | Saudi Arabia |
| 1980s | 168.96 million tonnes | 179.17 million tonnes | 10.21 million tonnes | Saudi Arabia |
| 1990s | 355.02 million tonnes | 251.94 million tonnes | 103.08 million tonnes | South Korea |
| 2000s | 494.26 million tonnes | 399.38 million tonnes | 94.88 million tonnes | South Korea |
| 2010s | 635.26 million tonnes | 614.06 million tonnes | 21.19 million tonnes | South Korea |
| 2020s | 598.69 million tonnes | 677.11 million tonnes | 78.42 million tonnes | Saudi Arabia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher annual co₂ emissions by world region, South Korea or Saudi Arabia?
- Saudi Arabia, at 692.13 million tonnes against 583.68 million tonnes in South Korea as of 2024.
- What is the difference in annual co₂ emissions by world region between South Korea and Saudi Arabia?
- 108.45 million tonnes, with Saudi Arabia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Korea and Saudi Arabia?
- 89 years are reported by both, from 1936 to 2024.
- How do South Korea and Saudi Arabia rank globally for annual co₂ emissions by world region?
- South Korea ranks 9th and Saudi Arabia ranks 8th of 215 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Annual CO₂ emissions by world region. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Annual total emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂), excluding land-use change, measured in tonnes.