Total natural resource rents in United States

United States: Total natural resource rents was 1.3% in 2021. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2021)
1.3%
Change on year
up 288.4%
World rank
113th
of 211 countries
All-time high
5.7%
in 1980
All-time low
0.2%
in 2015
Years of data
52
1970–2021

Total natural resource rents in United States, 1970–2021

0246197019952021

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

In 2021, total natural resource rents in United States stood at 1.3%.

That represents a change of up 288.4% on the previous year and up 3.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, total natural resource rents in United States peaked at 5.7% in 1980 and was at its lowest, 0.2%, in 2015.

That places United States 113th out of 211 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 2.3% 0.7% 5.0% 10
1980s 2.3% 0.9% 5.7% 10
1990s 0.9% 0.5% 1.2% 10
2000s 1.1% 0.7% 1.9% 10
2010s 0.7% 0.2% 1.2% 10
2020s 0.8% 0.3% 1.3% 2

Countries ranked near United States

  1. 110 Pakistan 1.4% compare
  2. 111 Georgia 1.4% compare
  3. 112 Paraguay 1.3% compare
  4. 114 Kenya 1.2% compare
  5. 115 Honduras 1.2% compare
  6. 116 Sweden 1.2% compare

See the full ranking of 211 places →

More reference data data for United States

All data for United States →

Frequently asked questions

What is total natural resource rents in United States?
Total natural resource rents in United States was 1.3% 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 United States?
The highest recorded value was 5.7% in 1980.
What is the lowest total natural resource rents recorded in United States?
The lowest recorded value was 0.2% in 2015.
How does United States rank for total natural resource rents?
United States ranks 113th out of 211 countries with data for 2021.
Is total natural resource rents rising or falling in United States?
Over the last ten years it is up 3.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this United States 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.

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CSV · JSON — 52 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Total natural resource rents
Unit
% of GDP
Source
The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank staff estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
211 places, 9,209 data points, 1970–2021
Last refreshed

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.