Iran vs Saudi Arabia: Annual greenhouse gas emissions by world region
Iran
1.01 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 2024
Saudi Arabia
821.84 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 2024
Iran rank
7th
Saudi Arabia rank
9th
Annual greenhouse gas emissions by world region over time
- Iran
- Saudi Arabia
How they compare
Iran currently reports 1.01 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents against 821.84 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in Saudi Arabia, a difference of 190.38 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents.
That makes Iran's figure about 1.2 times Saudi Arabia's.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 175 shared years of data; in 1850 it was Iran ahead.
Iran ranks 7th and Saudi Arabia ranks 9th of 199 countries.
Iran has averaged higher in every one of the 18 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Iran | Saudi Arabia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850s | 10.07 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | -269,787 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10.34 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Iran |
| 1860s | 10.37 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 163,210 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10.21 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Iran |
| 1870s | 15.86 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 299,190 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 15.56 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Iran |
| 1880s | 19.90 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 359,468 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 19.55 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Iran |
| 1890s | 20.16 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 387,949 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 19.77 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Iran |
| 1900s | 20.09 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 384,940 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 19.71 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Iran |
| 1910s | 22.23 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 372,675 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 21.86 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Iran |
| 1920s | 34.44 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 379,992 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 34.06 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Iran |
| 1930s | 47.56 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 991,838 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 46.57 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Iran |
| 1940s | 67.68 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 36.84 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 30.84 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Iran |
| 1950s | 70.09 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 7.10 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 62.99 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Iran |
| 1960s | 162.11 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 26.94 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 135.16 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Iran |
| 1970s | 305.00 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 145.62 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 159.38 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Iran |
| 1980s | 253.76 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 233.37 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 20.39 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Iran |
| 1990s | 426.80 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 320.30 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 106.49 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Iran |
| 2000s | 621.26 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 482.46 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 138.79 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Iran |
| 2010s | 802.55 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 723.23 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 79.33 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Iran |
| 2020s | 968.71 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 800.36 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 168.35 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | Iran |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher annual greenhouse gas emissions by world region, Iran or Saudi Arabia?
- Iran, at 1.01 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents against 821.84 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in Saudi Arabia as of 2024.
- What is the difference in annual greenhouse gas emissions by world region between Iran and Saudi Arabia?
- 190.38 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents, with Iran ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Iran and Saudi Arabia?
- 175 years are reported by both, from 1850 to 2024.
- How do Iran and Saudi Arabia rank globally for annual greenhouse gas emissions by world region?
- Iran ranks 7th and Saudi Arabia ranks 9th of 199 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Annual greenhouse gas emissions by world region. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Greenhouse gas emissions are measured in tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalents over a 100-year timescale.