Annual CO₂ emissions from flaring in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Annual CO₂ emissions from flaring was 4.62 million tonnes in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
4.62 million tonnes
Change on year
down 1.2%
World rank
14th
of 215 countries
All-time high
75.19 million tonnes
in 1974
All-time low
0 tonnes
in 1950
Years of data
75
1950–2024
Annual CO₂ emissions from flaring in Saudi Arabia, 1950–2024
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 flaring in Saudi Arabia is 4.62 million tonnes, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of down 1.2% on the previous year and up 26.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual co₂ emissions from flaring in Saudi Arabia peaked at 75.19 million tonnes in 1974 and was at its lowest, 0 tonnes, in 1950.
That places Saudi Arabia 14th out of 215 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Annual CO₂ emissions from flaring in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1951 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1952 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1953 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1954 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1955 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1956 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1957 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1958 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1959 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1960 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1961 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1962 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1963 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1964 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1965 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1966 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1967 | 18.68 million tonnes | — |
| 1968 | 20.25 million tonnes | +8.4% |
| 1969 | 23.59 million tonnes | +16.5% |
| 1970 | 28.53 million tonnes | +20.9% |
| 1971 | 38.27 million tonnes | +34.1% |
| 1972 | 52.05 million tonnes | +36.0% |
| 1973 | 73.08 million tonnes | +40.4% |
| 1974 | 75.19 million tonnes | +2.9% |
| 1975 | 56.11 million tonnes | -25.4% |
| 1976 | 71.97 million tonnes | +28.3% |
| 1977 | 71.94 million tonnes | -0.0% |
| 1978 | 62.62 million tonnes | -13.0% |
| 1979 | 65.13 million tonnes | +4.0% |
| 1980 | 73.80 million tonnes | +13.3% |
| 1981 | 49.21 million tonnes | -33.3% |
| 1982 | 41.11 million tonnes | -16.5% |
| 1983 | 31.39 million tonnes | -23.6% |
| 1984 | 8.12 million tonnes | -74.1% |
| 1985 | 5.96 million tonnes | -26.5% |
| 1986 | 4.62 million tonnes | -22.6% |
| 1987 | 3.85 million tonnes | -16.7% |
| 1988 | 6.35 million tonnes | +65.0% |
| 1989 | 7.89 million tonnes | +24.3% |
| 1990 | 461,664 tonnes | -94.1% |
| 1991 | 864,717 tonnes | +87.3% |
| 1992 | 538,608 tonnes | -37.7% |
| 1993 | 729,136 tonnes | +35.4% |
| 1994 | 6.72 million tonnes | +821.2% |
| 1995 | 6.17 million tonnes | -8.1% |
| 1996 | 6.84 million tonnes | +10.8% |
| 1997 | 7.77 million tonnes | +13.6% |
| 1998 | 6.74 million tonnes | -13.2% |
| 1999 | 6.09 million tonnes | -9.6% |
| 2000 | 7.08 million tonnes | +16.1% |
| 2001 | 6.56 million tonnes | -7.3% |
| 2002 | 6.42 million tonnes | -2.1% |
| 2003 | 7.70 million tonnes | +20.1% |
| 2004 | 6.85 million tonnes | -11.0% |
| 2005 | 7.38 million tonnes | +7.7% |
| 2006 | 7.96 million tonnes | +7.9% |
| 2007 | 7.98 million tonnes | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 8.01 million tonnes | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 7.37 million tonnes | -8.0% |
| 2010 | 6.89 million tonnes | -6.5% |
| 2011 | 5.27 million tonnes | -23.5% |
| 2012 | 3.65 million tonnes | -30.8% |
| 2013 | 3.76 million tonnes | +3.1% |
| 2014 | 3.65 million tonnes | -2.8% |
| 2015 | 4.05 million tonnes | +10.8% |
| 2016 | 3.88 million tonnes | -4.1% |
| 2017 | 4.35 million tonnes | +12.1% |
| 2018 | 4.34 million tonnes | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 3.95 million tonnes | -9.0% |
| 2020 | 4.26 million tonnes | +7.8% |
| 2021 | 3.99 million tonnes | -6.2% |
| 2022 | 3.50 million tonnes | -12.4% |
| 2023 | 4.68 million tonnes | +33.8% |
| 2024 | 4.62 million tonnes | -1.2% |
Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries
- Saudi Arabia's 4.62 million tonnes is above the median for high income countries, which is 48,004 tonnes, 96.3× the median. (74 countries reporting)
- Saudi Arabia's 4.62 million tonnes is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 703,552 tonnes, 6.6× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Annual CO₂ emissions from flaring 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | +821.2% | 729,136 tonnes | 6.72 million tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 0 tonnes | 0 tonnes | 0 tonnes | 10 |
| 1960s | 6.25 million tonnes | 0 tonnes | 23.59 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1970s | 59.49 million tonnes | 28.53 million tonnes | 75.19 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 23.23 million tonnes | 3.85 million tonnes | 73.80 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.29 million tonnes | 461,664 tonnes | 7.77 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 7.33 million tonnes | 6.42 million tonnes | 8.01 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.38 million tonnes | 3.65 million tonnes | 6.89 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.21 million tonnes | 3.50 million tonnes | 4.68 million 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 flaring in Saudi Arabia?
- Annual co₂ emissions from flaring in Saudi Arabia was 4.62 million 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 flaring recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 75.19 million tonnes in 1974.
- What is the lowest annual co₂ emissions from flaring recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 tonnes in 1950.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for annual co₂ emissions from flaring?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 14th out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
- Is annual co₂ emissions from flaring rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 26.5%. 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 flaring. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 75 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Annual emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from flaring, measured in tonnes.