Annual CO₂ emissions from coal in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Annual CO₂ emissions from coal was 700,645 tonnes in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Annual CO₂ emissions from coal in Saudi Arabia, 1936–2024
Source: Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
The most recent figure for annual co₂ emissions from coal in Saudi Arabia is 700,645 tonnes, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 59 years on record.
That represents a change of up 11.1% on the previous year and up 172.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual co₂ emissions from coal in Saudi Arabia peaked at 700,645 tonnes in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0 tonnes, in 1936.
That places Saudi Arabia 94th out of 179 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Annual CO₂ emissions from coal in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1936 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1937 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1938 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1939 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1940 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1941 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1942 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1943 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1944 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1945 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1946 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1947 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1948 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1949 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1980 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1981 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1982 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1983 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1984 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1985 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1986 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1987 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1988 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1989 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1990 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 24,370 tonnes | — |
| 1992 | 6,955 tonnes | -71.5% |
| 1993 | 51,691 tonnes | +643.2% |
| 1994 | 67,560 tonnes | +30.7% |
| 1995 | 49,591 tonnes | -26.6% |
| 1996 | 46,347 tonnes | -6.5% |
| 1997 | 60,639 tonnes | +30.8% |
| 1998 | 74,931 tonnes | +23.6% |
| 1999 | 59,260 tonnes | -20.9% |
| 2000 | 1,440 tonnes | -97.6% |
| 2001 | 5,118 tonnes | +255.4% |
| 2002 | 28,309 tonnes | +453.1% |
| 2003 | 28,666 tonnes | +1.3% |
| 2004 | 35,932 tonnes | +25.3% |
| 2005 | 70,347 tonnes | +95.8% |
| 2006 | 38,036 tonnes | -45.9% |
| 2007 | 54,790 tonnes | +44.0% |
| 2008 | 108,299 tonnes | +97.7% |
| 2009 | 67,370 tonnes | -37.8% |
| 2010 | 169,966 tonnes | +152.3% |
| 2011 | 170,004 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 192,637 tonnes | +13.3% |
| 2013 | 238,623 tonnes | +23.9% |
| 2014 | 256,942 tonnes | +7.7% |
| 2015 | 259,883 tonnes | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 329,758 tonnes | +26.9% |
| 2017 | 520,288 tonnes | +57.8% |
| 2018 | 461,664 tonnes | -11.3% |
| 2019 | 483,648 tonnes | +4.8% |
| 2020 | 425,022 tonnes | -12.1% |
| 2021 | 516,624 tonnes | +21.6% |
| 2022 | 509,296 tonnes | -1.4% |
| 2023 | 630,458 tonnes | +23.8% |
| 2024 | 700,645 tonnes | +11.1% |
Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries
- Saudi Arabia's 700,645 tonnes is below the median for high income countries, which is 1.88 million tonnes, 37% of the median. (68 countries reporting)
- Saudi Arabia's 700,645 tonnes is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 605,761 tonnes, 1.2× the median. (21 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Annual CO₂ emissions from coal in Saudi Arabia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | +643.2% | 6,955 tonnes | 51,691 tonnes |
| 2002 | +453.1% | 5,118 tonnes | 28,309 tonnes |
| 2001 | +255.4% | 1,440 tonnes | 5,118 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 0 tonnes | 0 tonnes | 0 tonnes | 4 |
| 1940s | 0 tonnes | 0 tonnes | 0 tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 0 tonnes | 0 tonnes | 0 tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 44,134 tonnes | 0 tonnes | 74,931 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 43,831 tonnes | 1,440 tonnes | 108,299 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 308,341 tonnes | 169,966 tonnes | 520,288 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 556,409 tonnes | 425,022 tonnes | 700,645 tonnes | 5 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
More climate change data for Saudi Arabia
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 134.54 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 4,043 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 1,830 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 2,213 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 6.91 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 79.03 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 1,017 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 1,002 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 15.05 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 3.78 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual co₂ emissions from coal in Saudi Arabia?
- Annual co₂ emissions from coal in Saudi Arabia was 700,645 tonnes in 2024, according to Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual co₂ emissions from coal recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 700,645 tonnes in 2024.
- What is the lowest annual co₂ emissions from coal recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 tonnes in 1936.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for annual co₂ emissions from coal?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 94th out of 179 countries with data for 2024.
- Is annual co₂ emissions from coal rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 172.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia data come from?
- The figures come from Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual CO₂ emissions from coal. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 59 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Annual emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from coal, measured in tonnes.