Iran vs Saudi Arabia: Primary energy use
Iran
3,688 terawatt-hours
in 2025
Saudi Arabia
3,340 terawatt-hours
in 2025
Iran rank
6th
Saudi Arabia rank
9th
Primary energy use over time
- Iran
- Saudi Arabia
How they compare
Iran currently reports 3,688 terawatt-hours against 3,340 terawatt-hours in Saudi Arabia, a difference of 348 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 6th and Saudi Arabia ranks 9th of 218 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 | 113.88 terawatt-hours | 242.08 terawatt-hours | 128.2 terawatt-hours | Saudi Arabia |
| 1970s | 295.7 terawatt-hours | 317.26 terawatt-hours | 21.56 terawatt-hours | Saudi Arabia |
| 1980s | 555.53 terawatt-hours | 685.92 terawatt-hours | 130.39 terawatt-hours | Saudi Arabia |
| 1990s | 1,039 terawatt-hours | 1,106 terawatt-hours | 67.28 terawatt-hours | Saudi Arabia |
| 2000s | 1,883 terawatt-hours | 1,750 terawatt-hours | 132.87 terawatt-hours | Iran |
| 2010s | 2,793 terawatt-hours | 2,887 terawatt-hours | 94.49 terawatt-hours | Saudi Arabia |
| 2020s | 3,526 terawatt-hours | 3,131 terawatt-hours | 394.08 terawatt-hours | Iran |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher primary energy use, Iran or Saudi Arabia?
- Iran, at 3,688 terawatt-hours against 3,340 terawatt-hours in Saudi Arabia as of 2025.
- What is the difference in primary energy use between Iran and Saudi Arabia?
- 348 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 primary energy use?
- Iran ranks 6th and Saudi Arabia ranks 9th of 218 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Energy Institute - Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Primary energy use. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Measured in terawatt-hours of total energy supply.