Share of global cumulative CO₂ emissions from flaring in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Share of global cumulative CO₂ emissions from flaring was 5.3% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Share of global 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 %.
Analysis
In 2024, share of global cumulative co₂ emissions from flaring in Saudi Arabia stood at 5.3%.
The figure is down 1.6% on the previous year and down 16.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of global cumulative co₂ emissions from flaring in Saudi Arabia peaked at 12.4% in 1983 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1950.
Saudi Arabia ranks 6th of 215 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of global cumulative CO₂ emissions from flaring in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 0.0% | — |
| 1951 | 0.0% | — |
| 1952 | 0.0% | — |
| 1953 | 0.0% | — |
| 1954 | 0.0% | — |
| 1955 | 0.0% | — |
| 1956 | 0.0% | — |
| 1957 | 0.0% | — |
| 1958 | 0.0% | — |
| 1959 | 0.0% | — |
| 1960 | 0.0% | — |
| 1961 | 0.0% | — |
| 1962 | 0.0% | — |
| 1963 | 0.0% | — |
| 1964 | 0.0% | — |
| 1965 | 0.0% | — |
| 1966 | 0.0% | — |
| 1967 | 1.0% | — |
| 1968 | 1.9% | +87.5% |
| 1969 | 2.7% | +43.4% |
| 1970 | 3.6% | +29.8% |
| 1971 | 4.5% | +26.1% |
| 1972 | 5.6% | +25.1% |
| 1973 | 7.0% | +24.7% |
| 1974 | 8.2% | +16.9% |
| 1975 | 8.9% | +8.0% |
| 1976 | 9.6% | +8.8% |
| 1977 | 10.3% | +7.1% |
| 1978 | 10.7% | +3.9% |
| 1979 | 11.2% | +4.2% |
| 1980 | 11.8% | +5.5% |
| 1981 | 12.1% | +2.8% |
| 1982 | 12.3% | +1.5% |
| 1983 | 12.4% | +0.6% |
| 1984 | 12.2% | -1.7% |
| 1985 | 12.0% | -1.8% |
| 1986 | 11.8% | -1.8% |
| 1987 | 11.5% | -1.7% |
| 1988 | 11.4% | -1.7% |
| 1989 | 11.2% | -1.0% |
| 1990 | 10.9% | -3.1% |
| 1991 | 10.5% | -3.1% |
| 1992 | 10.3% | -2.7% |
| 1993 | 10.0% | -2.5% |
| 1994 | 9.7% | -2.7% |
| 1995 | 9.5% | -2.7% |
| 1996 | 9.2% | -2.8% |
| 1997 | 9.0% | -2.6% |
| 1998 | 8.7% | -2.5% |
| 1999 | 8.5% | -2.4% |
| 2000 | 8.3% | -2.3% |
| 2001 | 8.2% | -2.2% |
| 2002 | 8.0% | -2.1% |
| 2003 | 7.8% | -2.0% |
| 2004 | 7.7% | -2.0% |
| 2005 | 7.5% | -1.9% |
| 2006 | 7.4% | -1.8% |
| 2007 | 7.3% | -1.7% |
| 2008 | 7.1% | -1.6% |
| 2009 | 7.0% | -1.6% |
| 2010 | 6.9% | -1.7% |
| 2011 | 6.8% | -1.9% |
| 2012 | 6.6% | -2.1% |
| 2013 | 6.5% | -2.1% |
| 2014 | 6.4% | -2.0% |
| 2015 | 6.3% | -1.9% |
| 2016 | 6.1% | -1.8% |
| 2017 | 6.0% | -1.8% |
| 2018 | 5.9% | -1.9% |
| 2019 | 5.8% | -2.0% |
| 2020 | 5.7% | -1.8% |
| 2021 | 5.6% | -1.8% |
| 2022 | 5.5% | -1.7% |
| 2023 | 5.4% | -1.7% |
| 2024 | 5.3% | -1.6% |
Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries
- Saudi Arabia's 5.3% is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.0%, 390.3× the median. (74 countries reporting)
- Saudi Arabia's 5.3% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 0.2%, 23.2× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of global 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 | +87.5% | 1.0% | 1.9% |
| 1969 | +43.4% | 1.9% | 2.7% |
| 1970 | +29.8% | 2.7% | 3.6% |
| 1971 | +26.1% | 3.6% | 4.5% |
| 1972 | +25.1% | 4.5% | 5.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.6% | 0.0% | 2.7% | 10 |
| 1970s | 8.0% | 3.6% | 11.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 11.9% | 11.2% | 12.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 9.6% | 8.5% | 10.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 7.6% | 7.0% | 8.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.3% | 5.8% | 6.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.5% | 5.3% | 5.7% | 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 share of global cumulative co₂ emissions from flaring in Saudi Arabia?
- Share of global cumulative co₂ emissions from flaring in Saudi Arabia was 5.3% in 2024, according to Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of global cumulative co₂ emissions from flaring recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 12.4% in 1983.
- What is the lowest share of global cumulative co₂ emissions from flaring recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1950.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for share of global cumulative co₂ emissions from flaring?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 6th out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of global cumulative co₂ emissions from flaring rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.6%. 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 Share of global 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 as a percentage of global cumulative emissions of CO₂ from flaring.