Total natural resources rents in Least developed countries

Least developed countries: Total natural resources rents was 8.5% in 2021. ▲ Rising

Latest (2021)
8.5%
Change on year
up 67.2%
Rank
14th
of 45 groups
All-time high
19.5%
in 2008
All-time low
4.4%
in 1975
Years of data
52
1970–2021

Total natural resources rents in Least developed countries, 1970–2021

5101520197019952021

Source: The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank (WB). Measured in % of GDP.

Analysis

In 2021, total natural resources rents in Least developed countries stood at 8.5%.

That represents a change of up 67.2% on the previous year and down 45.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, total natural resources rents in Least developed countries peaked at 19.5% in 2008 and was at its lowest, 4.4%, in 1975.

That places Least developed countries 14th out of 45 groups with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 52 years of available data.

Total natural resources rents in Least developed countries, year by year

Annual values for Total natural resources rents (% of GDP) in Least developed countries, 1970 to 2021.
Year % of GDP Change
1970 6.3%
1971 4.5% -27.8%
1972 4.8% +6.5%
1973 7.9% +64.2%
1974 7.2% -8.8%
1975 4.4% -39.2%
1976 5.1% +15.2%
1977 6.9% +35.7%
1978 5.5% -19.6%
1979 5.5% +0.1%
1980 7.9% +43.1%
1981 6.5% -17.6%
1982 7.6% +16.8%
1983 6.7% -12.5%
1984 6.2% -6.8%
1985 5.4% -13.2%
1986 6.1% +12.6%
1987 6.4% +5.0%
1988 6.9% +7.4%
1989 7.6% +10.1%
1990 9.3% +22.6%
1991 6.7% -27.4%
1992 9.2% +36.6%
1993 9.0% -1.8%
1994 13.6% +50.8%
1995 13.0% -4.7%
1996 11.2% -13.7%
1997 9.8% -12.3%
1998 8.7% -11.3%
1999 7.4% -14.6%
2000 9.6% +29.1%
2001 8.7% -9.1%
2002 9.5% +9.3%
2003 11.1% +16.8%
2004 11.5% +3.3%
2005 14.2% +23.8%
2006 15.3% +7.3%
2007 16.5% +8.2%
2008 19.5% +18.4%
2009 12.3% -37.1%
2010 13.9% +13.0%
2011 15.6% +12.4%
2012 13.3% -14.9%
2013 11.7% -12.2%
2014 10.0% -14.2%
2015 7.1% -28.9%
2016 6.9% -2.4%
2017 7.7% +11.5%
2018 7.3% -6.2%
2019 6.0% -18.0%
2020 5.1% -14.3%
2021 8.5% +67.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 5.8% 4.4% 7.9% 10
1980s 6.7% 5.4% 7.9% 10
1990s 9.8% 6.7% 13.6% 10
2000s 12.8% 8.7% 19.5% 10
2010s 10.0% 6.0% 15.6% 10
2020s 6.8% 5.1% 8.5% 2

Countries ranked near Least developed countries

  1. 11 Azerbaijan 29.9% compare
  2. 12 Kuwait 29.3% compare
  3. 13 Oman 29.2% compare
  4. 14 Papua New Guinea 27.4% compare
  5. 15 Qatar 27.3% compare
  6. 16 Eritrea 27.0% compare
  7. 17 Kazakhstan 26.8% compare

See the full ranking of 260 places →

More energy & mining data for Least developed countries

All data for Least developed countries →

Frequently asked questions

What is total natural resources rents in Least developed countries?
Total natural resources rents in Least developed countries was 8.5% in 2021, according to The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank (WB).
What is the highest total natural resources rents recorded in Least developed countries?
The highest recorded value was 19.5% in 2008.
What is the lowest total natural resources rents recorded in Least developed countries?
The lowest recorded value was 4.4% in 1975.
How does Least developed countries rank for total natural resources rents?
Least developed countries ranks 14th out of 45 groups with data for 2021.
Is total natural resources rents rising or falling in Least developed countries?
Over the last ten years it is down 45.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Least developed countries data come from?
The figures come from The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank (WB), published as part of Total natural resources rents (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Total natural resources rents in Least developed countries. Statizoid, drawing on The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank (WB). Retrieved 02 September 2026, from https://energy.statizoid.com/stat/total-natural-resources-rents-percent-of-gdp/least-developed-countries-un-classification/

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About this data

Indicator
Total natural resources rents (% of GDP)
Unit
% of GDP
Source
The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank (WB)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
260 places, 11,658 data points, 1970–2021
Last refreshed

Total natural resources rents are the sum of oil rents, natural gas rents, coal rents (hard and soft), mineral rents, and forest rents.