Methane emissions from agriculture in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Methane emissions from agriculture was 7.14 million tonnes in 2023. ▲ Rising
Methane emissions from agriculture in Saudi Arabia, 1990–2023
Source: Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
In 2023, methane emissions from agriculture in Saudi Arabia stood at 7.14 million tonnes.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 7.3% on the previous year and up 127.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, methane emissions from agriculture in Saudi Arabia peaked at 7.70 million tonnes in 2022 and was at its lowest, 2.26 million tonnes, in 1990.
That places Saudi Arabia 79th out of 193 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Methane emissions from agriculture in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 2.26 million tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 2.34 million tonnes | +3.5% |
| 1992 | 2.45 million tonnes | +4.7% |
| 1993 | 2.52 million tonnes | +2.9% |
| 1994 | 2.61 million tonnes | +3.6% |
| 1995 | 2.64 million tonnes | +1.1% |
| 1996 | 2.68 million tonnes | +1.5% |
| 1997 | 2.69 million tonnes | +0.4% |
| 1998 | 2.61 million tonnes | -3.0% |
| 1999 | 2.45 million tonnes | -6.1% |
| 2000 | 2.56 million tonnes | +4.5% |
| 2001 | 2.61 million tonnes | +2.0% |
| 2002 | 2.63 million tonnes | +0.8% |
| 2003 | 2.66 million tonnes | +1.1% |
| 2004 | 2.85 million tonnes | +7.1% |
| 2005 | 2.92 million tonnes | +2.5% |
| 2006 | 2.80 million tonnes | -4.1% |
| 2007 | 2.83 million tonnes | +1.1% |
| 2008 | 2.55 million tonnes | -9.9% |
| 2009 | 2.30 million tonnes | -9.8% |
| 2010 | 2.60 million tonnes | +13.0% |
| 2011 | 2.85 million tonnes | +9.6% |
| 2012 | 2.92 million tonnes | +2.5% |
| 2013 | 3.14 million tonnes | +7.5% |
| 2014 | 3.04 million tonnes | -3.2% |
| 2015 | 3.07 million tonnes | +1.0% |
| 2016 | 3.10 million tonnes | +1.0% |
| 2017 | 3.13 million tonnes | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 3.20 million tonnes | +2.2% |
| 2019 | 3.31 million tonnes | +3.4% |
| 2020 | 6.18 million tonnes | +86.7% |
| 2021 | 6.16 million tonnes | -0.3% |
| 2022 | 7.70 million tonnes | +25.0% |
| 2023 | 7.14 million tonnes | -7.3% |
Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries
- Saudi Arabia's 7.14 million tonnes is above the median for high income countries, which is 2.42 million tonnes, 3.0× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Saudi Arabia's 7.14 million tonnes is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 2.08 million tonnes, 3.4× the median. (22 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Methane emissions from agriculture 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +86.7% | 3.31 million tonnes | 6.18 million tonnes |
| 2022 | +25.0% | 6.16 million tonnes | 7.70 million tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.52 million tonnes | 2.26 million tonnes | 2.69 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.67 million tonnes | 2.30 million tonnes | 2.92 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.04 million tonnes | 2.60 million tonnes | 3.31 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.79 million tonnes | 6.16 million tonnes | 7.70 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 methane emissions from agriculture in Saudi Arabia?
- Methane emissions from agriculture in Saudi Arabia was 7.14 million tonnes in 2023, according to Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest methane emissions from agriculture recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 7.70 million tonnes in 2022.
- What is the lowest methane emissions from agriculture recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.26 million tonnes in 1990.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for methane emissions from agriculture?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 79th out of 193 countries with data for 2023.
- Is methane emissions from agriculture rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 127.4%. 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 Methane emissions from agriculture. 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 of carbon dioxide-equivalents.