Energy use per capita vs. CO₂ emissions per capita in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Energy use per capita vs. CO₂ emissions per capita was 18.48 in 2024. ▼ Falling
Energy use per capita vs. CO₂ emissions per capita in Saudi Arabia, 1970–2024
Source: Joint Research Centre (European Commission) and International Energy Agency (IEA), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Saudi Arabia recorded 18.48 for energy use per capita vs. co₂ emissions per capita in 2024.
That represents a change of down 2.0% on the previous year and down 10.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, energy use per capita vs. co₂ emissions per capita in Saudi Arabia peaked at 31.87 in 1980 and was at its lowest, 14.6, in 1970.
That places Saudi Arabia 8th out of 203 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 55 years of available data.
Energy use per capita vs. CO₂ emissions per capita in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 14.6 | — |
| 1971 | 16.95 | +16.1% |
| 1972 | 20.72 | +22.2% |
| 1973 | 26.38 | +27.3% |
| 1974 | 26.28 | -0.4% |
| 1975 | 20.64 | -21.4% |
| 1976 | 24.08 | +16.6% |
| 1977 | 24.5 | +1.7% |
| 1978 | 24.62 | +0.5% |
| 1979 | 27.49 | +11.7% |
| 1980 | 31.87 | +15.9% |
| 1981 | 27.91 | -12.4% |
| 1982 | 26.83 | -3.9% |
| 1983 | 25.1 | -6.4% |
| 1984 | 17.76 | -29.2% |
| 1985 | 16.64 | -6.3% |
| 1986 | 15.74 | -5.4% |
| 1987 | 16.13 | +2.4% |
| 1988 | 16.55 | +2.6% |
| 1989 | 15.85 | -4.2% |
| 1990 | 16.34 | +3.1% |
| 1991 | 15.92 | -2.6% |
| 1992 | 16.34 | +2.7% |
| 1993 | 16.46 | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 17.16 | +4.2% |
| 1995 | 16.34 | -4.8% |
| 1996 | 16.67 | +2.0% |
| 1997 | 16.22 | -2.7% |
| 1998 | 16.72 | +3.1% |
| 1999 | 16.44 | -1.7% |
| 2000 | 16.4 | -0.3% |
| 2001 | 16.18 | -1.3% |
| 2002 | 16.4 | +1.3% |
| 2003 | 16.41 | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 16.63 | +1.3% |
| 2005 | 16.85 | +1.3% |
| 2006 | 17.09 | +1.4% |
| 2007 | 17.34 | +1.5% |
| 2008 | 18.06 | +4.1% |
| 2009 | 18.33 | +1.5% |
| 2010 | 20.3 | +10.7% |
| 2011 | 20.29 | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 20.61 | +1.6% |
| 2013 | 19.81 | -3.9% |
| 2014 | 20.7 | +4.5% |
| 2015 | 20.51 | -0.9% |
| 2016 | 19.69 | -4.0% |
| 2017 | 19.48 | -1.1% |
| 2018 | 19.21 | -1.4% |
| 2019 | 19.29 | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 18.29 | -5.2% |
| 2021 | 19.18 | +4.8% |
| 2022 | 19.28 | +0.6% |
| 2023 | 18.85 | -2.2% |
| 2024 | 18.48 | -2.0% |
Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries
- Saudi Arabia's 18.48 is above the median for high income countries, which is 5.15, 3.6× the median. (77 countries reporting)
- Saudi Arabia's 18.48 is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 3.58, 5.2× the median. (22 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Energy use per capita vs. CO₂ emissions per capita 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | -29.2% | 25.1 | 17.76 |
| 1973 | +27.3% | 20.72 | 26.38 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 22.63 | 14.6 | 27.49 | 10 |
| 1980s | 21.04 | 15.74 | 31.87 | 10 |
| 1990s | 16.46 | 15.92 | 17.16 | 10 |
| 2000s | 16.97 | 16.18 | 18.33 | 10 |
| 2010s | 19.99 | 19.21 | 20.7 | 10 |
| 2020s | 18.82 | 18.29 | 19.28 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
- 5 Brunei 20.24 compare
- 6 Trinidad and Tobago 19.58 compare
- 7 Oman 18.65 compare
- 9 United Arab Emirates 18.26 compare
- 10 New Caledonia 17.08 compare
- 11 Gibraltar 16.15 compare
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 energy use per capita vs. co₂ emissions per capita in Saudi Arabia?
- Energy use per capita vs. co₂ emissions per capita in Saudi Arabia was 18.48 in 2024, according to Joint Research Centre (European Commission) and International Energy Agency (IEA), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest energy use per capita vs. co₂ emissions per capita recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 31.87 in 1980.
- What is the lowest energy use per capita vs. co₂ emissions per capita recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.6 in 1970.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for energy use per capita vs. co₂ emissions per capita?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 8th out of 203 countries with data for 2024.
- Is energy use per capita vs. co₂ emissions per capita rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia data come from?
- The figures come from Joint Research Centre (European Commission) and International Energy Agency (IEA), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Energy use per capita vs. CO₂ emissions per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 55 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Average energy consumption per capita is measured in kilowatt-hours per person. Average carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions per capita are measured in tonnes per person.