Total natural resource rents in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Total natural resource rents was 25.6% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Total natural resource rents 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
The most recent figure for total natural resource rents in Saudi Arabia is 25.6%, measured in 2021.
The figure is up 47.6% on the previous year and down 49.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, total natural resource rents in Saudi Arabia peaked at 87.3% in 1979 and was at its lowest, 17.3%, in 2020.
Saudi Arabia ranks 18th of 211 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 52 years of available data.
Total natural resource rents in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 25.6% | — |
| 1971 | 29.7% | +16.0% |
| 1972 | 36.5% | +22.7% |
| 1973 | 43.3% | +18.7% |
| 1974 | 67.5% | +56.0% |
| 1975 | 54.4% | -19.5% |
| 1976 | 53.1% | -2.4% |
| 1977 | 51.9% | -2.2% |
| 1978 | 44.9% | -13.5% |
| 1979 | 87.3% | +94.3% |
| 1980 | 70.5% | -19.3% |
| 1981 | 55.8% | -20.8% |
| 1982 | 36.9% | -33.8% |
| 1983 | 35.0% | -5.3% |
| 1984 | 34.1% | -2.5% |
| 1985 | 28.1% | -17.5% |
| 1986 | 23.9% | -14.8% |
| 1987 | 28.0% | +17.0% |
| 1988 | 27.0% | -3.6% |
| 1989 | 34.9% | +29.4% |
| 1990 | 47.2% | +35.1% |
| 1991 | 30.6% | -35.2% |
| 1992 | 31.5% | +2.8% |
| 1993 | 30.5% | -3.1% |
| 1994 | 27.4% | -10.0% |
| 1995 | 29.0% | +5.8% |
| 1996 | 34.4% | +18.4% |
| 1997 | 30.2% | -12.1% |
| 1998 | 22.3% | -26.3% |
| 1999 | 28.0% | +25.6% |
| 2000 | 42.7% | +52.5% |
| 2001 | 34.6% | -18.9% |
| 2002 | 32.4% | -6.2% |
| 2003 | 38.0% | +17.2% |
| 2004 | 43.6% | +14.7% |
| 2005 | 49.9% | +14.5% |
| 2006 | 50.8% | +1.6% |
| 2007 | 48.5% | -4.5% |
| 2008 | 55.0% | +13.5% |
| 2009 | 35.8% | -35.0% |
| 2010 | 38.9% | +8.7% |
| 2011 | 50.2% | +29.1% |
| 2012 | 48.5% | -3.4% |
| 2013 | 45.5% | -6.1% |
| 2014 | 41.3% | -9.2% |
| 2015 | 24.9% | -39.9% |
| 2016 | 20.7% | -16.6% |
| 2017 | 24.5% | +18.1% |
| 2018 | 29.3% | +19.5% |
| 2019 | 25.5% | -13.0% |
| 2020 | 17.3% | -32.0% |
| 2021 | 25.6% | +47.6% |
Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries
- Saudi Arabia's 25.6% is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.1%, 214.4× the median. (82 countries reporting)
- Saudi Arabia's 25.6% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 5.1%, 5.0× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 49.4% | 25.6% | 87.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 37.4% | 23.9% | 70.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 31.1% | 22.3% | 47.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 43.1% | 32.4% | 55.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 34.9% | 20.7% | 50.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 21.4% | 17.3% | 25.6% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
More reference data data for Saudi Arabia
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.1847 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.4 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.44 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1771 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 2.44 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.6194 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.2207 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 6.07 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 10.64 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.9641 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is total natural resource rents in Saudi Arabia?
- Total natural resource rents in Saudi Arabia was 25.6% 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 total natural resource rents recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 87.3% in 1979.
- What is the lowest total natural resource rents recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.3% in 2020.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for total natural resource rents?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 18th out of 211 countries with data for 2021.
- Is total natural resource rents rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 49.1%. 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 Total natural resource rents. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 52 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Natural resources rents are estimated as the difference between the price of a commodity and the average cost of producing it. Total natural resources rents are the sum of oil rents, natural gas rents, coal rents, mineral rents, and forest rents.