Saudi Arabia vs United States: Share of global CO₂ emissions from oil
Saudi Arabia
3.6%
in 2024
United States
17.6%
in 2024
Saudi Arabia rank
4th
United States rank
1st
Share of global CO₂ emissions from oil over time
- Saudi Arabia
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 17.6% against 3.6% in Saudi Arabia, a difference of 14.0%.
That makes United States's figure about 4.8 times Saudi Arabia's.
Across all 89 years both countries report, United States has been ahead every year.
Saudi Arabia ranks 4th and United States ranks 1st of 215 countries.
United States has averaged higher in every one of the 10 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Saudi Arabia | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 0.1% | 59.6% | 59.5% | United States |
| 1940s | 1.0% | 65.0% | 64.0% | United States |
| 1950s | 0.1% | 50.7% | 50.6% | United States |
| 1960s | 0.1% | 34.5% | 34.3% | United States |
| 1970s | 0.4% | 27.9% | 27.5% | United States |
| 1980s | 1.3% | 24.0% | 22.6% | United States |
| 1990s | 1.7% | 23.3% | 21.6% | United States |
| 2000s | 2.3% | 23.0% | 20.6% | United States |
| 2010s | 3.2% | 19.1% | 15.8% | United States |
| 2020s | 3.6% | 18.2% | 14.6% | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of global co₂ emissions from oil, Saudi Arabia or United States?
- United States, at 17.6% against 3.6% in Saudi Arabia as of 2024.
- What is the difference in share of global co₂ emissions from oil between Saudi Arabia and United States?
- 14.0%, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Saudi Arabia and United States?
- 89 years are reported by both, from 1936 to 2024.
- How do Saudi Arabia and United States rank globally for share of global co₂ emissions from oil?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 4th and United States ranks 1st 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 oil. 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 oil, measured as a percentage of global emissions of CO₂ from oil in the same year.