Sulphur dioxide and coal, per square kilometre in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Sulphur dioxide and coal, per square kilometre was 1.61 units per square kilometre in 2022. ◆ Volatile
Sulphur dioxide and coal, per square kilometre in Saudi Arabia, 1961–2022
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in units per square kilometre.
Analysis
The most recent figure for sulphur dioxide and coal, per square kilometre in Saudi Arabia is 1.61 units per square kilometre, measured in 2022.
The figure is up 11.2% on the previous year and up 2.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, sulphur dioxide and coal, per square kilometre in Saudi Arabia peaked at 1.85 units per square kilometre in 2016 and was at its lowest, 0.0353 units per square kilometre, in 1961.
That places Saudi Arabia 52nd out of 207 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Sulphur dioxide and coal, per square kilometre in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | units per square kilometre | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.0353 units per square kilometre | — |
| 1962 | 0.0438 units per square kilometre | +24.2% |
| 1963 | 0.0482 units per square kilometre | +10.0% |
| 1964 | 0.0485 units per square kilometre | +0.6% |
| 1965 | 0.0471 units per square kilometre | -2.8% |
| 1966 | 0.0589 units per square kilometre | +24.9% |
| 1967 | 0.0654 units per square kilometre | +11.0% |
| 1968 | 0.0726 units per square kilometre | +11.1% |
| 1969 | 0.0815 units per square kilometre | +12.3% |
| 1970 | 0.1452 units per square kilometre | +78.1% |
| 1971 | 0.4974 units per square kilometre | +242.4% |
| 1972 | 0.5204 units per square kilometre | +4.6% |
| 1973 | 0.538 units per square kilometre | +3.4% |
| 1974 | 0.5459 units per square kilometre | +1.5% |
| 1975 | 0.3941 units per square kilometre | -27.8% |
| 1976 | 0.4339 units per square kilometre | +10.1% |
| 1977 | 0.4575 units per square kilometre | +5.4% |
| 1978 | 0.4356 units per square kilometre | -4.8% |
| 1979 | 0.5243 units per square kilometre | +20.4% |
| 1980 | 0.5466 units per square kilometre | +4.3% |
| 1981 | 0.5563 units per square kilometre | +1.8% |
| 1982 | 0.6155 units per square kilometre | +10.6% |
| 1983 | 0.6719 units per square kilometre | +9.2% |
| 1984 | 0.5702 units per square kilometre | -15.1% |
| 1985 | 0.6984 units per square kilometre | +22.5% |
| 1986 | 0.6863 units per square kilometre | -1.7% |
| 1987 | 0.7163 units per square kilometre | +4.4% |
| 1988 | 0.7404 units per square kilometre | +3.4% |
| 1989 | 0.6342 units per square kilometre | -14.3% |
| 1990 | 0.6615 units per square kilometre | +4.3% |
| 1991 | 0.6896 units per square kilometre | +4.2% |
| 1992 | 0.7567 units per square kilometre | +9.7% |
| 1993 | 0.7727 units per square kilometre | +2.1% |
| 1994 | 0.8059 units per square kilometre | +4.3% |
| 1995 | 0.812 units per square kilometre | +0.8% |
| 1996 | 0.8943 units per square kilometre | +10.1% |
| 1997 | 0.8521 units per square kilometre | -4.7% |
| 1998 | 0.9297 units per square kilometre | +9.1% |
| 1999 | 0.9656 units per square kilometre | +3.9% |
| 2000 | 0.9703 units per square kilometre | +0.5% |
| 2001 | 0.9439 units per square kilometre | -2.7% |
| 2002 | 0.9483 units per square kilometre | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 1.01 units per square kilometre | +6.8% |
| 2004 | 1.07 units per square kilometre | +5.3% |
| 2005 | 1.09 units per square kilometre | +2.1% |
| 2006 | 1.17 units per square kilometre | +7.8% |
| 2007 | 1.16 units per square kilometre | -1.3% |
| 2008 | 1.27 units per square kilometre | +9.5% |
| 2009 | 1.37 units per square kilometre | +8.3% |
| 2010 | 1.57 units per square kilometre | +14.2% |
| 2011 | 1.53 units per square kilometre | -2.5% |
| 2012 | 1.57 units per square kilometre | +2.3% |
| 2013 | 1.57 units per square kilometre | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 1.61 units per square kilometre | +2.2% |
| 2015 | 1.75 units per square kilometre | +9.2% |
| 2016 | 1.85 units per square kilometre | +5.3% |
| 2017 | 1.77 units per square kilometre | -4.3% |
| 2018 | 1.58 units per square kilometre | -10.3% |
| 2019 | 1.51 units per square kilometre | -4.7% |
| 2020 | 1.36 units per square kilometre | -10.2% |
| 2021 | 1.45 units per square kilometre | +6.8% |
| 2022 | 1.61 units per square kilometre | +11.2% |
Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries
- Saudi Arabia's 1.61 units per square kilometre is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.7351 units per square kilometre, 2.2× the median. (78 countries reporting)
- Saudi Arabia's 1.61 units per square kilometre is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 0.8233 units per square kilometre, 2.0× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Sulphur dioxide and coal, per square kilometre 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | +242.4% | 0.1452 units per square kilometre | 0.4974 units per square kilometre |
| 1970 | +78.1% | 0.0815 units per square kilometre | 0.1452 units per square kilometre |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.0557 units per square kilometre | 0.0353 units per square kilometre | 0.0815 units per square kilometre | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.4492 units per square kilometre | 0.1452 units per square kilometre | 0.5459 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.6436 units per square kilometre | 0.5466 units per square kilometre | 0.7404 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.814 units per square kilometre | 0.6615 units per square kilometre | 0.9656 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.1 units per square kilometre | 0.9439 units per square kilometre | 1.37 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.63 units per square kilometre | 1.51 units per square kilometre | 1.85 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.47 units per square kilometre | 1.36 units per square kilometre | 1.61 units per square kilometre | 3 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
- 49 Malaysia 1.89 units per square kilometre compare
- 50 Iraq 1.78 units per square kilometre compare
- 51 Japan 1.69 units per square kilometre compare
- 53 North Korea 1.54 units per square kilometre compare
- 54 British Virgin Islands 1.49 units per square kilometre compare
- 55 Cyprus 1.46 units per square kilometre compare
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 sulphur dioxide and coal, per square kilometre in Saudi Arabia?
- Sulphur dioxide and coal, per square kilometre in Saudi Arabia was 1.61 units per square kilometre in 2022, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest sulphur dioxide and coal, per square kilometre recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 1.85 units per square kilometre in 2016.
- What is the lowest sulphur dioxide and coal, per square kilometre recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0353 units per square kilometre in 1961.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for sulphur dioxide and coal, per square kilometre?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 52nd out of 207 countries with data for 2022.
- Is sulphur dioxide and coal, per square kilometre rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Sulphur dioxide and coal, per square kilometre. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 62 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
Sulphur dioxide and coal divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
Sulphur dioxide and coal ÷ Land area (sq. km)
Computed from
- Coal consumption and sulphur dioxide emissions Hoesly et al. (2024) – Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data
- Land area FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
Sulphur dioxide and coal divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.