China vs Saudi Arabia: Share of global CO₂ emissions from flaring

China
1.0%
in 2024
Saudi Arabia
1.1%
in 2024
China rank
15th
Saudi Arabia rank
14th

Share of global CO₂ emissions from flaring over time

  • China
  • Saudi Arabia
0510152025195019872024

How they compare

Saudi Arabia currently reports 1.1% against 1.0% in China, a difference of 0.1%.

That makes Saudi Arabia's figure about 1.2 times China's.

The two have swapped places 6 times across 45 shared years of data; in 1971 it was Saudi Arabia ahead.

China ranks 15th and Saudi Arabia ranks 14th of 215 countries.

Across the 6 decades both report, China averaged higher in 1 and Saudi Arabia in 5.

Head to head by decade

Decade China Saudi Arabia Difference Ahead
1970s 0.5% 16.9% 16.4% Saudi Arabia
1980s 1.2% 16.1% 14.9% Saudi Arabia
1990s 1.3% 2.0% 0.7% Saudi Arabia
2000s 1.5% 2.2% 0.7% Saudi Arabia
2010s 1.0% 1.2% 0.2% Saudi Arabia
2020s 1.1% 1.0% 0.1% China

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher share of global co₂ emissions from flaring, China or Saudi Arabia?
Saudi Arabia, at 1.1% against 1.0% in China as of 2024.
What is the difference in share of global co₂ emissions from flaring between China and Saudi Arabia?
0.1%, with Saudi Arabia ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for China and Saudi Arabia?
45 years are reported by both, from 1971 to 2024.
How do China and Saudi Arabia rank globally for share of global co₂ emissions from flaring?
China ranks 15th and Saudi Arabia ranks 14th of 215 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of global CO₂ emissions from flaring. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
Share of global CO₂ emissions from flaring
Unit
%
Source
Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
215 places, 9,653 data points, 1950–2024
Last refreshed

Annual emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from flaring, measured as a percentage of global emissions of CO₂ from flaring in the same year.