Iceland vs Saudi Arabia: Annual CO₂ emissions from land-use change
Iceland
355,921 tonnes
in 2024
Saudi Arabia
471,923 tonnes
in 2024
Iceland rank
99th
Saudi Arabia rank
97th
Annual CO₂ emissions from land-use change over time
- Iceland
- Saudi Arabia
How they compare
Saudi Arabia currently reports 471,923 tonnes against 355,921 tonnes in Iceland, a difference of 116,002 tonnes.
That makes Saudi Arabia's figure about 1.3 times Iceland's.
The two have swapped places 7 times across 175 shared years of data; in 1850 it was Iceland ahead.
Iceland ranks 99th and Saudi Arabia ranks 97th of 197 countries.
Across the 18 decades both report, Iceland averaged higher in 14 and Saudi Arabia in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Iceland | Saudi Arabia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850s | 1.41 million tonnes | -266,699 tonnes | 1.68 million tonnes | Iceland |
| 1860s | 1.08 million tonnes | -310,975 tonnes | 1.39 million tonnes | Iceland |
| 1870s | 879,532 tonnes | -287,606 tonnes | 1.17 million tonnes | Iceland |
| 1880s | 723,058 tonnes | -278,610 tonnes | 1.00 million tonnes | Iceland |
| 1890s | 541,411 tonnes | -305,922 tonnes | 847,333 tonnes | Iceland |
| 1900s | 322,033 tonnes | -353,800 tonnes | 675,832 tonnes | Iceland |
| 1910s | 1.53 million tonnes | -545,357 tonnes | 2.07 million tonnes | Iceland |
| 1920s | 1.90 million tonnes | -452,002 tonnes | 2.35 million tonnes | Iceland |
| 1930s | 2.18 million tonnes | -397,295 tonnes | 2.58 million tonnes | Iceland |
| 1940s | 2.14 million tonnes | -459,165 tonnes | 2.60 million tonnes | Iceland |
| 1950s | 3.75 million tonnes | 591,912 tonnes | 3.16 million tonnes | Iceland |
| 1960s | 2.08 million tonnes | 1.17 million tonnes | 911,991 tonnes | Iceland |
| 1970s | 581,096 tonnes | 3.07 million tonnes | 2.49 million tonnes | Saudi Arabia |
| 1980s | 289,863 tonnes | 8.63 million tonnes | 8.34 million tonnes | Saudi Arabia |
| 1990s | 244,312 tonnes | 4.44 million tonnes | 4.20 million tonnes | Saudi Arabia |
| 2000s | 190,502 tonnes | 1.10 million tonnes | 904,595 tonnes | Saudi Arabia |
| 2010s | 393,964 tonnes | 118,875 tonnes | 275,089 tonnes | Iceland |
| 2020s | 336,531 tonnes | 213,215 tonnes | 123,316 tonnes | Iceland |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher annual co₂ emissions from land-use change, Iceland or Saudi Arabia?
- Saudi Arabia, at 471,923 tonnes against 355,921 tonnes in Iceland as of 2024.
- What is the difference in annual co₂ emissions from land-use change between Iceland and Saudi Arabia?
- 116,002 tonnes, with Saudi Arabia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Iceland and Saudi Arabia?
- 175 years are reported by both, from 1850 to 2024.
- How do Iceland and Saudi Arabia rank globally for annual co₂ emissions from land-use change?
- Iceland ranks 99th and Saudi Arabia ranks 97th of 197 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Annual CO₂ emissions from land-use change. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Annual emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from land-use change, measured in tonnes.