Countries · Saudi Arabia

Climate change in Saudi Arabia

+2.5°C since 1951–1980

Saudi Arabia has warmed 2.5 °C on average, faster than the world as a whole (+1.1 °C over the same period).

Further warming by 2040–2059
+1.9°C
vs 1995–2014, SSP2-4.5 · high emissions +2.5 °C
Extra days above 35 °C
+23/yr
national average, 2040–2059 vs 1995–2014
CO₂ per person (2024)
20.4t
world average 4.7 t · #1 of 60 countries here
Share of global CO₂
1.8%
1.0% of all CO₂ emitted since 1750

Saudi Arabia: national average temperature, 1950–2025 (°C)

24252627°C1960198020002020
Copernicus ERA5, area-weighted national average, via World Bank Climate Change Knowledge Portal.

1950 → 2025. Saudi Arabia's warming stripes.

Saudi Arabia's CO₂ emissions

Saudi Arabia: annual CO₂ emissions from fossil fuels and industry (million tonnes)

0200400600Mt1960198020002020
Global Carbon Budget via Our World in Data. Territorial emissions; excludes land use.

Cities in Saudi Arabia

Riyadh
+2.7°C
since 1951–1980 · in 2050 like Dubai
Jeddah
+1.6°C
since 1951–1980 · in 2050 like Khartoum

Frequently asked questions

How much has Saudi Arabia warmed?

Averaged over the whole country, the last ten years (2016–2025) were 2.5 °C warmer than 1951–1980 according to Copernicus ERA5 — faster than the global average of 1.1 °C over the same period. Land areas warm faster than the oceans, so most countries warm faster than the global figure.

How much warmer will Saudi Arabia be in 2050?

Climate models project Saudi Arabia to be about 1.9 °C warmer in 2040–2059 than in 1995–2014 under an intermediate scenario (SSP2-4.5; model range 1.3–2.5 °C), and 2.5 °C under very high emissions (SSP5-8.5).

How much CO₂ does Saudi Arabia emit?

Saudi Arabia emitted 692 million tonnes of CO₂ from fossil fuels and industry in 2024, 1.8% of the global total, or 20.4 tonnes per person — 4.3 times the world average. Historically it has emitted 1.0% of all CO₂ since 1750.

Sources: World Bank Climate Change Knowledge Portal; Our World in Data – CO₂ and Greenhouse Gas Emissions (Global Carbon Project)

Licence: Temperature: ERA5 (CC BY 4.0) and CMIP6 (CC BY-SA 4.0) via World Bank CCKP. Emissions: Our World in Data, CC BY 4.0 (Global Carbon Budget). · Generated 17 October 2026 · Methodology