Cumulative CO₂ emissions from flaring in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Cumulative CO₂ emissions from flaring was 1.07 billion tonnes in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
1.07 billion tonnes
Change on year
up 0.4%
World rank
6th
of 215 countries
All-time high
1.07 billion tonnes
in 2024
All-time low
0 tonnes
in 1950
Years of data
75
1950–2024
Cumulative 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
Saudi Arabia recorded 1.07 billion tonnes for cumulative co₂ emissions from flaring in 2024. That is the highest value across all 75 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.4% on the previous year and up 4.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cumulative co₂ emissions from flaring in Saudi Arabia peaked at 1.07 billion tonnes in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0 tonnes, in 1950.
That places Saudi Arabia 6th 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.
Cumulative 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 | 38.93 million tonnes | +108.4% |
| 1969 | 62.52 million tonnes | +60.6% |
| 1970 | 91.05 million tonnes | +45.6% |
| 1971 | 129.32 million tonnes | +42.0% |
| 1972 | 181.37 million tonnes | +40.2% |
| 1973 | 254.45 million tonnes | +40.3% |
| 1974 | 329.64 million tonnes | +29.5% |
| 1975 | 385.75 million tonnes | +17.0% |
| 1976 | 457.71 million tonnes | +18.7% |
| 1977 | 529.66 million tonnes | +15.7% |
| 1978 | 592.28 million tonnes | +11.8% |
| 1979 | 657.41 million tonnes | +11.0% |
| 1980 | 731.21 million tonnes | +11.2% |
| 1981 | 780.42 million tonnes | +6.7% |
| 1982 | 821.53 million tonnes | +5.3% |
| 1983 | 852.92 million tonnes | +3.8% |
| 1984 | 861.03 million tonnes | +1.0% |
| 1985 | 867.00 million tonnes | +0.7% |
| 1986 | 871.61 million tonnes | +0.5% |
| 1987 | 875.46 million tonnes | +0.4% |
| 1988 | 881.81 million tonnes | +0.7% |
| 1989 | 889.69 million tonnes | +0.9% |
| 1990 | 890.15 million tonnes | +0.1% |
| 1991 | 891.02 million tonnes | +0.1% |
| 1992 | 891.56 million tonnes | +0.1% |
| 1993 | 892.29 million tonnes | +0.1% |
| 1994 | 899.00 million tonnes | +0.8% |
| 1995 | 905.17 million tonnes | +0.7% |
| 1996 | 912.01 million tonnes | +0.8% |
| 1997 | 919.78 million tonnes | +0.9% |
| 1998 | 926.53 million tonnes | +0.7% |
| 1999 | 932.62 million tonnes | +0.7% |
| 2000 | 939.70 million tonnes | +0.8% |
| 2001 | 946.26 million tonnes | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 952.67 million tonnes | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 960.38 million tonnes | +0.8% |
| 2004 | 967.23 million tonnes | +0.7% |
| 2005 | 974.61 million tonnes | +0.8% |
| 2006 | 982.57 million tonnes | +0.8% |
| 2007 | 990.55 million tonnes | +0.8% |
| 2008 | 998.56 million tonnes | +0.8% |
| 2009 | 1.01 billion tonnes | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 1.01 billion tonnes | +0.7% |
| 2011 | 1.02 billion tonnes | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 1.02 billion tonnes | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 1.03 billion tonnes | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 1.03 billion tonnes | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 1.03 billion tonnes | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 1.04 billion tonnes | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 1.04 billion tonnes | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 1.05 billion tonnes | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 1.05 billion tonnes | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 1.05 billion tonnes | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 1.06 billion tonnes | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 1.06 billion tonnes | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 1.07 billion tonnes | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 1.07 billion tonnes | +0.4% |
Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries
- Saudi Arabia's 1.07 billion tonnes is above the median for high income countries, which is 2.74 million tonnes, 390.3× the median. (74 countries reporting)
- Saudi Arabia's 1.07 billion tonnes is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 46.06 million tonnes, 23.2× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Cumulative 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | +108.4% | 18.68 million tonnes | 38.93 million tonnes |
| 1969 | +60.6% | 38.93 million tonnes | 62.52 million tonnes |
| 1970 | +45.6% | 62.52 million tonnes | 91.05 million tonnes |
| 1971 | +42.0% | 91.05 million tonnes | 129.32 million tonnes |
| 1973 | +40.3% | 181.37 million tonnes | 254.45 million tonnes |
| 1972 | +40.2% | 129.32 million tonnes | 181.37 million tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 0 tonnes | 0 tonnes | 0 tonnes | 10 |
| 1960s | 12.01 million tonnes | 0 tonnes | 62.52 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1970s | 360.86 million tonnes | 91.05 million tonnes | 657.41 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 843.27 million tonnes | 731.21 million tonnes | 889.69 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 906.01 million tonnes | 890.15 million tonnes | 932.62 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 971.85 million tonnes | 939.70 million tonnes | 1.01 billion tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.03 billion tonnes | 1.01 billion tonnes | 1.05 billion tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.06 billion tonnes | 1.05 billion tonnes | 1.07 billion 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 cumulative co₂ emissions from flaring in Saudi Arabia?
- Cumulative co₂ emissions from flaring in Saudi Arabia was 1.07 billion tonnes in 2024, according to Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest cumulative co₂ emissions from flaring recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 1.07 billion tonnes in 2024.
- What is the lowest cumulative co₂ emissions from flaring recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 tonnes in 1950.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for cumulative co₂ emissions from flaring?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 6th out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
- Is cumulative co₂ emissions from flaring rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.0%. 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 Cumulative 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
Cumulative emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from flaring since the first year of available data, measured in tonnes.