Iran, Islamic Rep. vs Saudi Arabia: Greenhouse gas emissions

Iran, Islamic Rep.
1.01 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 2024
Saudi Arabia
821.84 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 2024
Iran, Islamic Rep. rank
7th
Saudi Arabia rank
9th

Greenhouse gas emissions over time

  • Iran, Islamic Rep.
  • Saudi Arabia
0250.0M500.0M750.0M1.0B185019372024

How they compare

Iran, Islamic Rep. 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, Islamic Rep.'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, Islamic Rep. ahead.

Iran, Islamic Rep. ranks 7th and Saudi Arabia ranks 9th of 199 countries.

Iran, Islamic Rep. has averaged higher in every one of the 18 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Iran, Islamic Rep. 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, Islamic Rep.
1860s 10.37 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 163,210 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 10.21 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents Iran, Islamic Rep.
1870s 15.86 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 299,190 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 15.56 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents Iran, Islamic Rep.
1880s 19.90 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 359,468 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 19.55 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents Iran, Islamic Rep.
1890s 20.16 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 387,949 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 19.77 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents Iran, Islamic Rep.
1900s 20.09 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 384,940 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 19.71 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents Iran, Islamic Rep.
1910s 22.23 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 372,675 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 21.86 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents Iran, Islamic Rep.
1920s 34.44 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 379,992 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 34.06 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents Iran, Islamic Rep.
1930s 47.56 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 991,838 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 46.57 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents Iran, Islamic Rep.
1940s 67.68 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 36.84 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 30.84 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents Iran, Islamic Rep.
1950s 70.09 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 7.10 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 62.99 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents Iran, Islamic Rep.
1960s 162.11 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 26.94 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 135.16 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents Iran, Islamic Rep.
1970s 305.00 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 145.62 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 159.38 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents Iran, Islamic Rep.
1980s 253.76 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 233.37 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 20.39 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents Iran, Islamic Rep.
1990s 426.80 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 320.30 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 106.49 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents Iran, Islamic Rep.
2000s 621.26 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 482.46 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 138.79 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents Iran, Islamic Rep.
2010s 802.55 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 723.23 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 79.33 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents Iran, Islamic Rep.
2020s 968.71 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 800.36 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 168.35 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents Iran, Islamic Rep.

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher greenhouse gas emissions, Iran, Islamic Rep. or Saudi Arabia?
Iran, Islamic Rep., 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 greenhouse gas emissions between Iran, Islamic Rep. and Saudi Arabia?
190.38 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents, with Iran, Islamic Rep. ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Iran, Islamic Rep. and Saudi Arabia?
175 years are reported by both, from 1850 to 2024.
How do Iran, Islamic Rep. and Saudi Arabia rank globally for greenhouse gas emissions?
Iran, Islamic Rep. 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 Greenhouse gas emissions. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
Greenhouse gas emissions
Unit
tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
Source
Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
199 places, 34,825 data points, 1850–2024
Last refreshed

Greenhouse gas emissions are measured in tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalents over a 100-year timescale.