Australia vs Saudi Arabia: Cumulative CO₂ emissions
Australia
20.04 billion tonnes
in 2024
Saudi Arabia
19.02 billion tonnes
in 2024
Australia rank
17th
Saudi Arabia rank
18th
Cumulative CO₂ emissions over time
- Australia
- Saudi Arabia
How they compare
Australia currently reports 20.04 billion tonnes against 19.02 billion tonnes in Saudi Arabia, a difference of 1.02 billion tonnes.
That makes Australia's figure about 1.1 times Saudi Arabia's.
Across all 89 years both countries report, Australia has been ahead every year.
Australia ranks 17th and Saudi Arabia ranks 18th of 215 countries.
Australia has averaged higher in every one of the 10 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Australia | Saudi Arabia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 1.00 billion tonnes | 542,271 tonnes | 1.00 billion tonnes | Australia |
| 1940s | 1.28 billion tonnes | 41.75 million tonnes | 1.24 billion tonnes | Australia |
| 1950s | 1.83 billion tonnes | 130.17 million tonnes | 1.70 billion tonnes | Australia |
| 1960s | 2.72 billion tonnes | 179.21 million tonnes | 2.54 billion tonnes | Australia |
| 1970s | 4.14 billion tonnes | 699.96 million tonnes | 3.44 billion tonnes | Australia |
| 1980s | 6.14 billion tonnes | 2.13 billion tonnes | 4.01 billion tonnes | Australia |
| 1990s | 8.80 billion tonnes | 4.37 billion tonnes | 4.43 billion tonnes | Australia |
| 2000s | 12.27 billion tonnes | 7.53 billion tonnes | 4.75 billion tonnes | Australia |
| 2010s | 16.26 billion tonnes | 12.74 billion tonnes | 3.52 billion tonnes | Australia |
| 2020s | 19.27 billion tonnes | 17.65 billion tonnes | 1.61 billion tonnes | Australia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher cumulative co₂ emissions, Australia or Saudi Arabia?
- Australia, at 20.04 billion tonnes against 19.02 billion tonnes in Saudi Arabia as of 2024.
- What is the difference in cumulative co₂ emissions between Australia and Saudi Arabia?
- 1.02 billion tonnes, with Australia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and Saudi Arabia?
- 89 years are reported by both, from 1936 to 2024.
- How do Australia and Saudi Arabia rank globally for cumulative co₂ emissions?
- Australia ranks 17th and Saudi Arabia ranks 18th of 215 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Cumulative CO₂ emissions. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Total cumulative emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂), excluding land-use change, since the first year of available data, measured in tonnes.