Japan vs Saudi Arabia: Emissions of air pollutants
Japan
2.07 million tonnes
in 2022
Saudi Arabia
2.69 million tonnes
in 2022
Japan rank
9th
Saudi Arabia rank
8th
Emissions of air pollutants over time
- Japan
- Saudi Arabia
How they compare
Saudi Arabia currently reports 2.69 million tonnes against 2.07 million tonnes in Japan, a difference of 619,120 tonnes.
That makes Saudi Arabia's figure about 1.3 times Japan's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 273 shared years of data; in 1750 it was Japan ahead.
Japan ranks 9th and Saudi Arabia ranks 8th of 220 countries.
Across the 28 decades both report, Japan averaged higher in 27 and Saudi Arabia in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Japan | Saudi Arabia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1750s | 3,158 tonnes | 155.35 tonnes | 3,003 tonnes | Japan |
| 1760s | 3,189 tonnes | 158.39 tonnes | 3,030 tonnes | Japan |
| 1770s | 3,220 tonnes | 161.47 tonnes | 3,058 tonnes | Japan |
| 1780s | 3,250 tonnes | 164.6 tonnes | 3,086 tonnes | Japan |
| 1790s | 3,281 tonnes | 167.78 tonnes | 3,113 tonnes | Japan |
| 1800s | 3,323 tonnes | 172.95 tonnes | 3,150 tonnes | Japan |
| 1810s | 3,379 tonnes | 180.66 tonnes | 3,198 tonnes | Japan |
| 1820s | 3,432 tonnes | 189.51 tonnes | 3,242 tonnes | Japan |
| 1830s | 3,485 tonnes | 198.85 tonnes | 3,286 tonnes | Japan |
| 1840s | 3,541 tonnes | 207.32 tonnes | 3,334 tonnes | Japan |
| 1850s | 3,567 tonnes | 216.02 tonnes | 3,351 tonnes | Japan |
| 1860s | 3,338 tonnes | 228.18 tonnes | 3,110 tonnes | Japan |
| 1870s | 5,571 tonnes | 245.94 tonnes | 5,326 tonnes | Japan |
| 1880s | 13,061 tonnes | 266.37 tonnes | 12,794 tonnes | Japan |
| 1890s | 35,063 tonnes | 289.67 tonnes | 34,773 tonnes | Japan |
| 1900s | 86,485 tonnes | 325.1 tonnes | 86,160 tonnes | Japan |
| 1910s | 165,912 tonnes | 361.13 tonnes | 165,550 tonnes | Japan |
| 1920s | 228,682 tonnes | 384.05 tonnes | 228,298 tonnes | Japan |
| 1930s | 291,363 tonnes | 1,400 tonnes | 289,963 tonnes | Japan |
| 1940s | 310,572 tonnes | 56,030 tonnes | 254,542 tonnes | Japan |
| 1950s | 602,827 tonnes | 17,954 tonnes | 584,872 tonnes | Japan |
| 1960s | 3.04 million tonnes | 39,075 tonnes | 3.00 million tonnes | Japan |
| 1970s | 6.92 million tonnes | 1.17 million tonnes | 5.75 million tonnes | Japan |
| 1980s | 5.63 million tonnes | 1.19 million tonnes | 4.43 million tonnes | Japan |
| 1990s | 4.64 million tonnes | 1.33 million tonnes | 3.32 million tonnes | Japan |
| 2000s | 3.95 million tonnes | 1.60 million tonnes | 2.35 million tonnes | Japan |
| 2010s | 2.53 million tonnes | 2.51 million tonnes | 18,624 tonnes | Japan |
| 2020s | 2.04 million tonnes | 2.55 million tonnes | 508,347 tonnes | Saudi Arabia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher emissions of air pollutants, Japan or Saudi Arabia?
- Saudi Arabia, at 2.69 million tonnes against 2.07 million tonnes in Japan as of 2022.
- What is the difference in emissions of air pollutants between Japan and Saudi Arabia?
- 619,120 tonnes, with Saudi Arabia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and Saudi Arabia?
- 273 years are reported by both, from 1750 to 2022.
- How do Japan and Saudi Arabia rank globally for emissions of air pollutants?
- Japan ranks 9th and Saudi Arabia ranks 8th 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 Emissions of air pollutants. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Nitrogen oxides (NOₓ) are gases that are mainly formed during the burning of fossil fuels. Exposure to NOₓ gases can have negative impacts on respiratory health. NOₓ gases can also lead to the formation of ozone – another air pollutant.