What is emissions of air pollutants in Saudi Arabia?

Emissions of air pollutants in Saudi Arabia was 910,496 tonnes in 2022, according to Hoesly et al. (2024) - Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data.

What is the highest emissions of air pollutants recorded in Saudi Arabia?

The highest recorded value was 1.45 million tonnes in 2002.

What is the lowest emissions of air pollutants recorded in Saudi Arabia?

The lowest recorded value was 3,226 tonnes in 1937.

How does Saudi Arabia rank for emissions of air pollutants?

Saudi Arabia ranks 56th out of 220 countries with data for 2022.

Is emissions of air pollutants rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?

Over the last ten years it is down 15.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.

Where does this Saudi Arabia data come from?

The figures come from Hoesly et al. (2024) - Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of emissions of air pollutants. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

emissions of air pollutants in Saudi Arabia

Name: emissions of air pollutants in Saudi Arabia
Creator: Hoesly et al. (2024) - Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

Saudi Arabia: emissions of air pollutants was 910,496 tonnes in 2022. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2022)

910,496 tonnes

Change on year

up 5.9%

World rank

56th

of 220 countries

All-time high

1.45 million tonnes

in 2002

All-time low

3,226 tonnes

in 1937

Years of data

273

1750–2022

emissions of air pollutants in Saudi Arabia, 1750–2022

Source: Hoesly et al. (2024) - Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.

Analysis

The most recent figure for emissions of air pollutants in Saudi Arabia is 910,496 tonnes, measured in 2022.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.9% on the previous year and down 15.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, emissions of air pollutants in Saudi Arabia peaked at 1.45 million tonnes in 2002 and was at its lowest, 3,226 tonnes, in 1937.

That places Saudi Arabia 56th out of 220 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1750s	29,777 tonnes	29,543 tonnes	30,010 tonnes	10
1760s	30,296 tonnes	30,062 tonnes	30,530 tonnes	10
1770s	30,816 tonnes	30,582 tonnes	31,049 tonnes	10
1780s	31,334 tonnes	31,101 tonnes	31,567 tonnes	10
1790s	31,851 tonnes	31,619 tonnes	32,082 tonnes	10
1800s	32,363 tonnes	32,133 tonnes	32,592 tonnes	10
1810s	32,870 tonnes	32,643 tonnes	33,096 tonnes	10
1820s	33,531 tonnes	33,146 tonnes	33,915 tonnes	10
1830s	34,220 tonnes	34,000 tonnes	34,439 tonnes	10
1840s	34,701 tonnes	34,487 tonnes	34,914 tonnes	10
1850s	35,167 tonnes	34,961 tonnes	35,371 tonnes	10
1860s	35,613 tonnes	35,416 tonnes	35,808 tonnes	10
1870s	36,216 tonnes	35,852 tonnes	36,578 tonnes	10
1880s	37,063 tonnes	36,658 tonnes	37,465 tonnes	10
1890s	37,951 tonnes	37,554 tonnes	38,345 tonnes	10
1900s	34,220 tonnes	29,988 tonnes	38,431 tonnes	10
1910s	24,688 tonnes	20,333 tonnes	29,041 tonnes	10
1920s	15,107 tonnes	10,793 tonnes	19,365 tonnes	10
1930s	7,916 tonnes	3,226 tonnes	23,155 tonnes	10
1940s	131,156 tonnes	24,739 tonnes	315,601 tonnes	10
1950s	53,389 tonnes	32,108 tonnes	78,335 tonnes	10
1960s	110,648 tonnes	67,555 tonnes	160,159 tonnes	10
1970s	519,306 tonnes	221,602 tonnes	908,961 tonnes	10
1980s	1.12 million tonnes	1.01 million tonnes	1.20 million tonnes	10
1990s	1.27 million tonnes	1.16 million tonnes	1.36 million tonnes	10
2000s	1.27 million tonnes	1.04 million tonnes	1.45 million tonnes	10
2010s	1.05 million tonnes	946,896 tonnes	1.11 million tonnes	10
2020s	871,309 tonnes	843,481 tonnes	910,496 tonnes	3

Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia

53 Haiti 1.08 million tonnes compare
54 Spain 1.03 million tonnes compare
55 Burkina Faso 987,249 tonnes compare
57 Libya 896,496 tonnes compare
58 Uzbekistan 867,112 tonnes compare
59 South Sudan 859,132 tonnes compare

See the full ranking of 220 places →

More climate change data for Saudi Arabia

Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.7% (2100)
Population growth 4.6% (2025)
Population, total 36.97 million (2025)
Urban population growth 4.8% (2025)
Urban population 31.28 million (2025)
Urban population 84.6% (2025)
CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 20.38 tonnes per person (2024)
Cumulative CO₂ emissions 19.02 billion tonnes (2024)
CO₂ emissions per capita 20.38 tonnes per person (2024)
CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 20.38 tonnes per person (2024)

All data for Saudi Arabia →

Frequently asked questions

What is emissions of air pollutants in Saudi Arabia?: Emissions of air pollutants in Saudi Arabia was 910,496 tonnes in 2022, according to Hoesly et al. (2024) - Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest emissions of air pollutants recorded in Saudi Arabia?: The highest recorded value was 1.45 million tonnes in 2002.
What is the lowest emissions of air pollutants recorded in Saudi Arabia?: The lowest recorded value was 3,226 tonnes in 1937.
How does Saudi Arabia rank for emissions of air pollutants?: Saudi Arabia ranks 56th out of 220 countries with data for 2022.
Is emissions of air pollutants rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?: Over the last ten years it is down 15.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Saudi Arabia data come from?: The figures come from Hoesly et al. (2024) - Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of emissions of air pollutants. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 273 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator: emissions of air pollutants
Unit: tonnes
Source: Hoesly et al. (2024) - Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 220 places, 60,060 data points, 1750–2022
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a pollutant produced from the incomplete combustion of carbon-based fuels such as oil, gas, wood, and coal. CO is a harmful gas that contributes to both outdoor and indoor air pollution.