Nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Nitrous oxide emissions by sector was 4.98 million tonnes in 2023. ▲ Rising
Nitrous oxide 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 nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Saudi Arabia is 4.98 million tonnes, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.7% on the previous year and up 59.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Saudi Arabia peaked at 5.17 million tonnes in 2022 and was at its lowest, 2.49 million tonnes, in 1995.
Saudi Arabia ranks 68th of 193 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 3.02 million tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 3.17 million tonnes | +5.0% |
| 1992 | 3.28 million tonnes | +3.5% |
| 1993 | 3.09 million tonnes | -5.8% |
| 1994 | 2.84 million tonnes | -8.1% |
| 1995 | 2.49 million tonnes | -12.3% |
| 1996 | 2.58 million tonnes | +3.6% |
| 1997 | 2.77 million tonnes | +7.4% |
| 1998 | 2.87 million tonnes | +3.6% |
| 1999 | 2.86 million tonnes | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 3.01 million tonnes | +5.2% |
| 2001 | 3.09 million tonnes | +2.7% |
| 2002 | 3.14 million tonnes | +1.6% |
| 2003 | 3.23 million tonnes | +2.9% |
| 2004 | 3.35 million tonnes | +3.7% |
| 2005 | 3.15 million tonnes | -6.0% |
| 2006 | 3.14 million tonnes | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 3.30 million tonnes | +5.1% |
| 2008 | 2.79 million tonnes | -15.5% |
| 2009 | 2.51 million tonnes | -10.0% |
| 2010 | 2.67 million tonnes | +6.4% |
| 2011 | 3.07 million tonnes | +15.0% |
| 2012 | 3.20 million tonnes | +4.2% |
| 2013 | 3.12 million tonnes | -2.5% |
| 2014 | 2.95 million tonnes | -5.4% |
| 2015 | 3.16 million tonnes | +7.1% |
| 2016 | 3.21 million tonnes | +1.6% |
| 2017 | 3.11 million tonnes | -3.1% |
| 2018 | 3.16 million tonnes | +1.6% |
| 2019 | 3.23 million tonnes | +2.2% |
| 2020 | 4.77 million tonnes | +47.7% |
| 2021 | 4.66 million tonnes | -2.3% |
| 2022 | 5.17 million tonnes | +10.9% |
| 2023 | 4.98 million tonnes | -3.7% |
Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries
- Saudi Arabia's 4.98 million tonnes is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.79 million tonnes, 2.8× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Saudi Arabia's 4.98 million tonnes is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 1.59 million tonnes, 3.1× the median. (22 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Nitrous oxide emissions by sector 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 | +47.7% | 3.23 million tonnes | 4.77 million tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.90 million tonnes | 2.49 million tonnes | 3.28 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.07 million tonnes | 2.51 million tonnes | 3.35 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.09 million tonnes | 2.67 million tonnes | 3.23 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.89 million tonnes | 4.66 million tonnes | 5.17 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 nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Saudi Arabia?
- Nitrous oxide emissions by sector in Saudi Arabia was 4.98 million tonnes in 2023, according to Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest nitrous oxide emissions by sector recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 5.17 million tonnes in 2022.
- What is the lowest nitrous oxide emissions by sector recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.49 million tonnes in 1995.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for nitrous oxide emissions by sector?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 68th out of 193 countries with data for 2023.
- Is nitrous oxide emissions by sector rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 59.6%. 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 Nitrous oxide 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 of carbon dioxide-equivalents.