Per capita greenhouse gas emissions in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Per capita greenhouse gas emissions was 24.2 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
24.2 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person
Change on year
up 0.3%
World rank
7th
of 199 countries
All-time high
40.31 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person
in 1980
All-time low
-0.2987 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person
in 1850
Years of data
175
1850–2024
Per capita greenhouse gas emissions in Saudi Arabia, 1850–2024
Source: Jones et al. (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person.
Analysis
In 2024, per capita greenhouse gas emissions in Saudi Arabia stood at 24.2 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.3% on the previous year and up 1.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, per capita greenhouse gas emissions in Saudi Arabia peaked at 40.31 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 1980 and was at its lowest, -0.2987 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person, in 1850.
That places Saudi Arabia 7th out of 199 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.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850s | -0.1209 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.2987 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.0101 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1860s | 0.074 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.0262 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.1092 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1870s | 0.137 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.1172 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.1557 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1880s | 0.1664 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.1587 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.1745 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1890s | 0.1819 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.1759 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.1895 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1900s | 0.1792 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.1676 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.1895 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.1662 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.1609 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.1705 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.1567 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.1421 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.1805 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.363 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.126 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 2.17 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1940s | 12.38 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 2.32 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 29.94 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1950s | 3.67 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.13 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10.41 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1960s | 8.88 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 3.37 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 17.62 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1970s | 31.75 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 22.18 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 36.47 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 29.9 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 25.11 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 40.31 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 24.9 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 19.4 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 30.15 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 23.9 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 22.98 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 24.98 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 25.15 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 23.92 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 27.04 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 24.76 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 24.12 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 25.92 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 5 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
- 4 Brunei 32.33 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 5 Mongolia 28.26 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 6 Trinidad and Tobago 27.18 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 8 United Arab Emirates 23.77 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 9 Australia 22.83 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 10 Oman 22.17 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
More climate change data for Saudi Arabia
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.7% (2100)
- Population growth 4.6% (2025)
- Population, total 36.97 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 4.8% (2025)
- Urban population 31.28 million (2025)
- Urban population 84.6% (2025)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 20.38 tonnes per person (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions 19.02 billion tonnes (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita 20.38 tonnes per person (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 20.38 tonnes per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is per capita greenhouse gas emissions in Saudi Arabia?
- Per capita greenhouse gas emissions in Saudi Arabia was 24.2 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 2024, according to Jones et al. (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest per capita greenhouse gas emissions recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 40.31 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 1980.
- What is the lowest per capita greenhouse gas emissions recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was -0.2987 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 1850.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for per capita greenhouse gas emissions?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 7th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is per capita greenhouse gas emissions rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia data come from?
- The figures come from Jones et al. (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Per capita greenhouse gas emissions. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 175 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Greenhouse gas emissions are measured in tonnes per person of carbon dioxide-equivalents over a 100-year timescale.