CO₂ emissions by sector in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: CO₂ emissions by sector was 22.50 million tonnes in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
22.50 million tonnes
Change on year
up 16.5%
World rank
20th
of 187 countries
All-time high
22.53 million tonnes
in 2018
All-time low
8.94 million tonnes
in 1990
Years of data
34
1990–2023
CO₂ emissions by sector in Saudi Arabia, 1990–2023
Source: Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
The most recent figure for co₂ emissions by sector in Saudi Arabia is 22.50 million tonnes, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 16.5% on the previous year and up 32.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, co₂ emissions by sector in Saudi Arabia peaked at 22.53 million tonnes in 2018 and was at its lowest, 8.94 million tonnes, in 1990.
Saudi Arabia ranks 20th of 187 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
CO₂ emissions by sector in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 8.94 million tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 9.41 million tonnes | +5.3% |
| 1992 | 9.04 million tonnes | -3.9% |
| 1993 | 9.28 million tonnes | +2.7% |
| 1994 | 9.39 million tonnes | +1.2% |
| 1995 | 9.33 million tonnes | -0.6% |
| 1996 | 9.44 million tonnes | +1.2% |
| 1997 | 10.16 million tonnes | +7.6% |
| 1998 | 10.12 million tonnes | -0.4% |
| 1999 | 9.97 million tonnes | -1.5% |
| 2000 | 10.14 million tonnes | +1.7% |
| 2001 | 10.15 million tonnes | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 11.36 million tonnes | +11.9% |
| 2003 | 11.49 million tonnes | +1.1% |
| 2004 | 11.59 million tonnes | +0.9% |
| 2005 | 11.92 million tonnes | +2.8% |
| 2006 | 11.88 million tonnes | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 13.33 million tonnes | +12.2% |
| 2008 | 13.07 million tonnes | -2.0% |
| 2009 | 13.96 million tonnes | +6.8% |
| 2010 | 16.01 million tonnes | +14.7% |
| 2011 | 17.98 million tonnes | +12.3% |
| 2012 | 17.94 million tonnes | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 17.00 million tonnes | -5.2% |
| 2014 | 16.87 million tonnes | -0.8% |
| 2015 | 17.83 million tonnes | +5.7% |
| 2016 | 19.84 million tonnes | +11.3% |
| 2017 | 21.91 million tonnes | +10.4% |
| 2018 | 22.53 million tonnes | +2.8% |
| 2019 | 20.98 million tonnes | -6.9% |
| 2020 | 19.23 million tonnes | -8.3% |
| 2021 | 19.25 million tonnes | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 19.32 million tonnes | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 22.50 million tonnes | +16.5% |
Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries
- Saudi Arabia's 22.50 million tonnes is above the median for high income countries, which is 2.00 million tonnes, 11.2× the median. (60 countries reporting)
- Saudi Arabia's 22.50 million tonnes is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 4.85 million tonnes, 4.6× the median. (22 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 9.51 million tonnes | 8.94 million tonnes | 10.16 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 11.89 million tonnes | 10.14 million tonnes | 13.96 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 18.89 million tonnes | 16.01 million tonnes | 22.53 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 20.07 million tonnes | 19.23 million tonnes | 22.50 million tonnes | 4 |
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 co₂ emissions by sector in Saudi Arabia?
- Co₂ emissions by sector in Saudi Arabia was 22.50 million tonnes in 2023, according to Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest co₂ emissions by sector recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 22.53 million tonnes in 2018.
- What is the lowest co₂ emissions by sector recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.94 million tonnes in 1990.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for co₂ emissions by sector?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 20th out of 187 countries with data for 2023.
- Is co₂ emissions by sector rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 32.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia data come from?
- The figures come from Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of CO₂ emissions by sector. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Emissions are measured in tonnes.