Iran vs Saudi Arabia: CO₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change
Iran
792.63 million tonnes
in 2024
Saudi Arabia
692.13 million tonnes
in 2024
Iran rank
7th
Saudi Arabia rank
8th
CO₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change over time
- Iran
- Saudi Arabia
How they compare
Iran currently reports 792.63 million tonnes against 692.13 million tonnes in Saudi Arabia, a difference of 100.50 million tonnes.
That makes Iran's figure about 1.1 times Saudi Arabia's.
The two have swapped places 10 times across 89 shared years of data; in 1936 it was Iran ahead.
Iran ranks 7th and Saudi Arabia ranks 8th of 215 countries.
Across the 10 decades both report, Iran averaged higher in 9 and Saudi Arabia in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Iran | Saudi Arabia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 29.77 million tonnes | 472,655 tonnes | 29.30 million tonnes | Iran |
| 1940s | 41.23 million tonnes | 11.91 million tonnes | 29.31 million tonnes | Iran |
| 1950s | 13.67 million tonnes | 1.65 million tonnes | 12.01 million tonnes | Iran |
| 1960s | 55.12 million tonnes | 12.69 million tonnes | 42.43 million tonnes | Iran |
| 1970s | 135.76 million tonnes | 92.49 million tonnes | 43.28 million tonnes | Iran |
| 1980s | 150.77 million tonnes | 179.17 million tonnes | 28.39 million tonnes | Saudi Arabia |
| 1990s | 266.10 million tonnes | 251.94 million tonnes | 14.16 million tonnes | Iran |
| 2000s | 455.48 million tonnes | 399.38 million tonnes | 56.10 million tonnes | Iran |
| 2010s | 636.62 million tonnes | 614.06 million tonnes | 22.56 million tonnes | Iran |
| 2020s | 774.92 million tonnes | 677.11 million tonnes | 97.82 million tonnes | Iran |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher co₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change, Iran or Saudi Arabia?
- Iran, at 792.63 million tonnes against 692.13 million tonnes in Saudi Arabia as of 2024.
- What is the difference in co₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change between Iran and Saudi Arabia?
- 100.50 million tonnes, with Iran ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Iran and Saudi Arabia?
- 89 years are reported by both, from 1936 to 2024.
- How do Iran and Saudi Arabia rank globally for co₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change?
- Iran ranks 7th 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 CO₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change. 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.