Oil rents as a share of GDP in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Oil rents as a share of GDP was 23.7% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Oil rents as a share of GDP in Saudi Arabia, 1970–2021
Source: The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank staff estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Saudi Arabia recorded 23.7% for oil rents as a share of gdp in 2021.
That represents a change of up 48.2% on the previous year and down 51.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, oil rents as a share of gdp in Saudi Arabia peaked at 87.1% in 1979 and was at its lowest, 16.0%, in 2020.
Saudi Arabia ranks 6th of 199 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 52 years of available data.
Oil rents as a share of GDP in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 25.4% | — |
| 1971 | 29.6% | +16.4% |
| 1972 | 36.4% | +22.8% |
| 1973 | 43.2% | +18.8% |
| 1974 | 67.5% | +56.3% |
| 1975 | 54.3% | -19.5% |
| 1976 | 53.0% | -2.4% |
| 1977 | 51.8% | -2.2% |
| 1978 | 44.8% | -13.6% |
| 1979 | 87.1% | +94.5% |
| 1980 | 70.3% | -19.3% |
| 1981 | 55.6% | -20.8% |
| 1982 | 36.8% | -33.8% |
| 1983 | 34.7% | -5.8% |
| 1984 | 33.7% | -2.9% |
| 1985 | 27.6% | -17.9% |
| 1986 | 23.1% | -16.3% |
| 1987 | 27.3% | +17.7% |
| 1988 | 26.2% | -3.9% |
| 1989 | 34.2% | +30.5% |
| 1990 | 46.4% | +35.9% |
| 1991 | 29.9% | -35.6% |
| 1992 | 30.8% | +2.9% |
| 1993 | 29.7% | -3.5% |
| 1994 | 26.5% | -10.6% |
| 1995 | 28.1% | +5.9% |
| 1996 | 33.5% | +19.0% |
| 1997 | 29.3% | -12.5% |
| 1998 | 21.3% | -27.4% |
| 1999 | 27.1% | +27.5% |
| 2000 | 41.7% | +53.6% |
| 2001 | 33.4% | -20.0% |
| 2002 | 31.3% | -6.0% |
| 2003 | 37.0% | +18.2% |
| 2004 | 42.6% | +15.1% |
| 2005 | 48.9% | +14.6% |
| 2006 | 49.7% | +1.7% |
| 2007 | 47.4% | -4.5% |
| 2008 | 54.1% | +14.0% |
| 2009 | 34.6% | -36.0% |
| 2010 | 37.9% | +9.4% |
| 2011 | 49.2% | +29.7% |
| 2012 | 47.4% | -3.6% |
| 2013 | 44.5% | -6.2% |
| 2014 | 40.3% | -9.3% |
| 2015 | 24.0% | -40.6% |
| 2016 | 20.0% | -16.5% |
| 2017 | 23.6% | +18.1% |
| 2018 | 28.1% | +18.9% |
| 2019 | 24.3% | -13.4% |
| 2020 | 16.0% | -34.3% |
| 2021 | 23.7% | +48.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 49.3% | 25.4% | 87.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 37.0% | 23.1% | 70.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 30.3% | 21.3% | 46.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 42.1% | 31.3% | 54.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 33.9% | 20.0% | 49.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 19.8% | 16.0% | 23.7% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
More energy & mining data for Saudi Arabia
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate 1.85 % change on previous year (2025)
- Coal consumption, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal consumption, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, per capita 0.0001 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal production, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Coal production, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Fuel imports 5.7% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is oil rents as a share of gdp in Saudi Arabia?
- Oil rents as a share of gdp in Saudi Arabia was 23.7% in 2021, according to The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank staff estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest oil rents as a share of gdp recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 87.1% in 1979.
- What is the lowest oil rents as a share of gdp recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.0% in 2020.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for oil rents as a share of gdp?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 6th out of 199 countries with data for 2021.
- Is oil rents as a share of gdp rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 51.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia data come from?
- The figures come from The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank staff estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Oil rents as a share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Economic profits generated from oil extraction, measured as the difference between production value and costs, expressed as a percentage of gross domestic product.