Japan vs Saudi Arabia: Carbon intensity of energy

Japan
208.5 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour
in 2024
Saudi Arabia
211.04 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour
in 2024
Japan rank
105th
Saudi Arabia rank
102nd

Carbon intensity of energy over time

  • Japan
  • Saudi Arabia
0100200300400196519942024

How they compare

Saudi Arabia currently reports 211.04 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour against 208.5 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour in Japan, a difference of 2.54 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour.

The two have swapped places 11 times across 60 shared years of data; in 1965 it was Japan ahead.

Japan ranks 105th and Saudi Arabia ranks 102nd of 204 countries.

Across the 7 decades both report, Japan averaged higher in 2 and Saudi Arabia in 5.

Head to head by decade

Decade Japan Saudi Arabia Difference Ahead
1960s 226.5 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour 81.99 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour 144.51 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour Japan
1970s 225.25 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour 288.39 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour 63.14 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour Saudi Arabia
1980s 214.93 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour 272.08 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour 57.15 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour Saudi Arabia
1990s 212.68 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour 230.23 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour 17.55 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour Saudi Arabia
2000s 205.27 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour 228.62 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour 23.34 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour Saudi Arabia
2010s 227.8 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour 213.17 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour 14.63 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour Japan
2020s 215.35 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour 219.49 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour 4.14 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour Saudi Arabia

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher carbon intensity of energy, Japan or Saudi Arabia?
Saudi Arabia, at 211.04 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour against 208.5 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour in Japan as of 2024.
What is the difference in carbon intensity of energy between Japan and Saudi Arabia?
2.54 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour, with Saudi Arabia ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and Saudi Arabia?
60 years are reported by both, from 1965 to 2024.
How do Japan and Saudi Arabia rank globally for carbon intensity of energy?
Japan ranks 105th and Saudi Arabia ranks 102nd of 204 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Global Carbon Budget (2025) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Carbon intensity of energy. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
Carbon intensity of energy
Unit
grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour
Source
Global Carbon Budget (2025) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
204 places, 9,804 data points, 1965–2024
Last refreshed

Fossil carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions per unit of total energy supply, measured in grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour.