Iran vs Saudi Arabia: Coal consumption and sulphur dioxide emissions
Iran
2.19 million tonnes
in 2022
Saudi Arabia
3.46 million tonnes
in 2022
Iran rank
8th
Saudi Arabia rank
5th
Coal consumption and sulphur dioxide emissions over time
- Iran
- Saudi Arabia
How they compare
Saudi Arabia currently reports 3.46 million tonnes against 2.19 million tonnes in Iran, a difference of 1.27 million tonnes.
That makes Saudi Arabia's figure about 1.6 times Iran's.
The two have swapped places 11 times across 273 shared years of data; in 1750 it was Iran ahead.
Iran ranks 8th and Saudi Arabia ranks 5th of 220 countries.
Across the 28 decades both report, Iran averaged higher in 23 and Saudi Arabia in 5.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Iran | Saudi Arabia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1750s | 376.77 tonnes | 88.89 tonnes | 287.89 tonnes | Iran |
| 1760s | 383.47 tonnes | 90.44 tonnes | 293.04 tonnes | Iran |
| 1770s | 390.16 tonnes | 91.99 tonnes | 298.17 tonnes | Iran |
| 1780s | 396.82 tonnes | 93.54 tonnes | 303.29 tonnes | Iran |
| 1790s | 403.44 tonnes | 95.08 tonnes | 308.36 tonnes | Iran |
| 1800s | 409.98 tonnes | 96.61 tonnes | 313.38 tonnes | Iran |
| 1810s | 416.43 tonnes | 98.12 tonnes | 318.31 tonnes | Iran |
| 1820s | 429.42 tonnes | 100.09 tonnes | 329.33 tonnes | Iran |
| 1830s | 450.19 tonnes | 102.15 tonnes | 348.04 tonnes | Iran |
| 1840s | 470.36 tonnes | 103.59 tonnes | 366.78 tonnes | Iran |
| 1850s | 488.32 tonnes | 104.97 tonnes | 383.35 tonnes | Iran |
| 1860s | 500.38 tonnes | 106.31 tonnes | 394.07 tonnes | Iran |
| 1870s | 531.3 tonnes | 108.11 tonnes | 423.19 tonnes | Iran |
| 1880s | 584.62 tonnes | 110.64 tonnes | 473.98 tonnes | Iran |
| 1890s | 627.96 tonnes | 113.29 tonnes | 514.68 tonnes | Iran |
| 1900s | 602.77 tonnes | 102.19 tonnes | 500.58 tonnes | Iran |
| 1910s | 3,939 tonnes | 73.82 tonnes | 3,865 tonnes | Iran |
| 1920s | 15,972 tonnes | 45.32 tonnes | 15,926 tonnes | Iran |
| 1930s | 27,648 tonnes | 893.84 tonnes | 26,754 tonnes | Iran |
| 1940s | 47,760 tonnes | 50,803 tonnes | 3,042 tonnes | Saudi Arabia |
| 1950s | 83,771 tonnes | 46,409 tonnes | 37,361 tonnes | Iran |
| 1960s | 334,824 tonnes | 114,232 tonnes | 220,592 tonnes | Iran |
| 1970s | 920,160 tonnes | 965,716 tonnes | 45,557 tonnes | Saudi Arabia |
| 1980s | 1.28 million tonnes | 1.38 million tonnes | 103,732 tonnes | Saudi Arabia |
| 1990s | 2.13 million tonnes | 1.75 million tonnes | 376,262 tonnes | Iran |
| 2000s | 2.89 million tonnes | 2.37 million tonnes | 520,604 tonnes | Iran |
| 2010s | 2.56 million tonnes | 3.50 million tonnes | 948,761 tonnes | Saudi Arabia |
| 2020s | 2.14 million tonnes | 3.16 million tonnes | 1.03 million tonnes | Saudi Arabia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher coal consumption and sulphur dioxide emissions, Iran or Saudi Arabia?
- Saudi Arabia, at 3.46 million tonnes against 2.19 million tonnes in Iran as of 2022.
- What is the difference in coal consumption and sulphur dioxide emissions between Iran and Saudi Arabia?
- 1.27 million tonnes, with Saudi Arabia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Iran and Saudi Arabia?
- 273 years are reported by both, from 1750 to 2022.
- How do Iran and Saudi Arabia rank globally for coal consumption and sulphur dioxide emissions?
- Iran ranks 8th and Saudi Arabia ranks 5th of 220 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Hoesly et al. (2024) – Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Coal consumption and sulphur dioxide emissions. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Sulfur dioxide (SO₂) is an air pollutant formed from the burning of fuels that contain sulfur, such as coal. SO₂ is one of the main chemicals that forms acid rain.