Iran vs Saudi Arabia: Fossil fuel consumption
Iran
3,656 terawatt-hours
in 2025
Saudi Arabia
3,320 terawatt-hours
in 2025
Iran rank
7th
Saudi Arabia rank
8th
Fossil fuel consumption over time
- Iran
- Saudi Arabia
How they compare
Iran currently reports 3,656 terawatt-hours against 3,320 terawatt-hours in Saudi Arabia, a difference of 336 terawatt-hours.
That makes Iran's figure about 1.1 times Saudi Arabia's.
The two have swapped places 5 times across 61 shared years of data; in 1965 it was Saudi Arabia ahead.
Iran ranks 7th and Saudi Arabia ranks 8th of 220 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, Iran averaged higher in 2 and Saudi Arabia in 5.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Iran | Saudi Arabia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 111.88 terawatt-hours | 242.08 terawatt-hours | 130.2 terawatt-hours | Saudi Arabia |
| 1970s | 291.93 terawatt-hours | 317.26 terawatt-hours | 25.33 terawatt-hours | Saudi Arabia |
| 1980s | 548.94 terawatt-hours | 685.92 terawatt-hours | 136.98 terawatt-hours | Saudi Arabia |
| 1990s | 1,031 terawatt-hours | 1,106 terawatt-hours | 74.82 terawatt-hours | Saudi Arabia |
| 2000s | 1,872 terawatt-hours | 1,750 terawatt-hours | 122.53 terawatt-hours | Iran |
| 2010s | 2,765 terawatt-hours | 2,887 terawatt-hours | 122.26 terawatt-hours | Saudi Arabia |
| 2020s | 3,488 terawatt-hours | 3,125 terawatt-hours | 363.08 terawatt-hours | Iran |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher fossil fuel consumption, Iran or Saudi Arabia?
- Iran, at 3,656 terawatt-hours against 3,320 terawatt-hours in Saudi Arabia as of 2025.
- What is the difference in fossil fuel consumption between Iran and Saudi Arabia?
- 336 terawatt-hours, with Iran ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Iran and Saudi Arabia?
- 61 years are reported by both, from 1965 to 2025.
- How do Iran and Saudi Arabia rank globally for fossil fuel consumption?
- Iran ranks 7th and Saudi Arabia ranks 8th of 220 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Energy Institute - Statistical Review of World Energy (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Fossil fuel consumption. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Measured in terawatt-hours. Fossil fuels include coal, oil, and gas.