World Bank Group · Total Natural Resources Rents (% of GDP)
Natural resource rents by country
How much of the economy comes from extracting natural resources?
Of the 197 countries compared in 2021, Libya had the highest reading, 61.0347%, and 18 countries shared the lowest reading, 0.0000%. In the middle country the figure was 1.7076%. Among the 113 countries measured in every edition since 1970, the middle one moved from 1.6632% to 2.3044%.
Share
Natural resource rents · 2021
Context statistic
Highest of 197Libya
61.0347%012021 · position · derived
The highest and the lowest
The three countries with the highest values of 197 compared, the three with the lowest, and the highest on each continent. This statistic has no better end, so no country is shown as leading.
- 1
- 2
- 3
Lowest in 2021
- =180
Tuvalu0.0000% - =180
Palestine0.0000% - =180
Puerto Rico0.0000%
Positions out of 197. This statistic has no better end: the two ends describe size, not success.
02Every measured country
Natural resource rents on a map
Each country is shaded by its value, in five groups holding the same number of countries. Hover a country for its value, or select it to open its profile. Below the map, each continent’s middle country.
Darker is a higher value. This statistic has no better end, so the shades describe size, not success.
- 0.0000–0.0449%
- 0.0473–0.8134%
- 0.8270–3.6648%
- 3.8408–11.4488%
- 11.5065–61.0347%
- No reading in 2021 (17 measured in an earlier edition)
- Africa
7.0111%
the middle country, of 52 measured · 55 members
Libya61.0347%
Mauritius0.0027%Highest and lowest reading in Africa.
- Asia
2.5470%
the middle country, of 45 measured · 52 members
Iraq43.4459%Palestine0.0000%Highest and lowest reading in Asia.
- Americas
1.2246%
the middle country, of 39 measured · 48 members
Guyana33.6833%7 share 0.0000%
Highest and lowest reading in Americas.
- Europe
0.3387%
the middle country, of 43 measured · 49 members
Russia18.5109%4 share 0.0000%
Highest and lowest reading in Europe.
- Oceania
0.0421%
the middle country, of 18 measured · 21 members
Papua New Guinea27.3867%6 share 0.0000%
Highest and lowest reading in Oceania.
- Every region
22 sub-regions, highest middle country first
- Middle Africa
21.3429%
the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members
DR Congo38.8273%
São Tomé and Príncipe1.8844%Highest and lowest reading in Middle Africa.
- Melanesia
16.7919%
the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members
Papua New Guinea27.3867%
Vanuatu0.5681%Highest and lowest reading in Melanesia.
- Northern Africa
8.9447%
the middle country, of 6 measured · 6 members
Libya61.0347%
Morocco0.3917%Highest and lowest reading in Northern Africa.
- Western Africa
8.7950%
the middle country, of 16 measured · 16 members
Liberia21.9156%
Benin2.3044%Highest and lowest reading in Western Africa.
- South America
7.9411%
the middle country, of 11 measured · 12 members
Guyana33.6833%
Paraguay1.3470%Highest and lowest reading in South America.
- Western Asia
7.0543%
the middle country, of 15 measured · 19 members
Iraq43.4459%Palestine0.0000%Highest and lowest reading in Western Asia.
- Eastern Africa
5.6991%
the middle country, of 16 measured · 19 members
Zambia35.2641%Mauritius0.0027%Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Africa.
- South-eastern Asia
5.1570%
the middle country, of 11 measured · 11 members
Timor-Leste34.7297%
Singapore0.0002%Highest and lowest reading in South-eastern Asia.
- Southern Africa
4.0306%
the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members
South Africa7.3286%
Botswana1.0385%Highest and lowest reading in Southern Africa.
- Central America
1.5769%
the middle country, of 8 measured · 8 members
Nicaragua3.8408%
Belize0.5230%Highest and lowest reading in Central America.
- Eastern Europe
0.9740%
the middle country, of 10 measured · 10 members
Russia18.5109%
Slovakia0.2262%Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Europe.
- Southern Asia
0.6101%
the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members
Iran30.4481%
Maldives0.0037%Highest and lowest reading in Southern Asia.
- Northern Europe
0.4483%
the middle country, of 11 measured · 13 members
Norway10.0483%
Faroe Islands0.0000%Highest and lowest reading in Northern Europe.
- Southern Europe
0.2404%
the middle country, of 14 measured · 17 members
Serbia1.7463%2 share 0.0000%
Highest and lowest reading in Southern Europe.
- Eastern Asia
0.0486%
the middle country, of 6 measured · 8 members
Mongolia33.1372%
Macau0.0007%Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Asia.
- Western Europe
0.0387%
the middle country, of 8 measured · 9 members
Netherlands0.3405%
Monaco0.0000%Highest and lowest reading in Western Europe.
- Caribbean
0.0134%
the middle country, of 17 measured · 24 members
Trinidad and Tobago7.8594%6 share 0.0000%
Highest and lowest reading in Caribbean.
- Polynesia
0.0036%
the middle country, of 5 measured · 7 members
Samoa0.2803%2 share 0.0000%
Highest and lowest reading in Polynesia.
- Micronesia
0.0000%
the middle country, of 6 measured · 7 members
Kiribati0.0435%4 share 0.0000%
Highest and lowest reading in Micronesia.
- Australia and New Zealand
2 of 2 measured — too few for a middle: Australia, New Zealand.
Australia13.3579%
New Zealand1.4941%Highest and lowest reading in Australia and New Zealand.
- Central Asia
4 of 5 measured — too few for a middle: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan.
Kazakhstan26.8423%
Tajikistan9.0463%Highest and lowest reading in Central Asia.
- Northern America
3 of 4 measured — too few for a middle: Bermuda, Canada, United States.
Canada4.9491%
Bermuda0.0000%Highest and lowest reading in Northern America.
03The whole field at once
The spread
197 countries, one dot each, on one scale — further right is a higher value. Half the countries are above 1.7076%; a quarter are above 8.5530%, and a quarter below 0.1179%. The bar in each row marks that continent’s middle country.
04All 214 ever measured
Every country
In order, highest value first. “=” marks a position shared with another country. World Bank Group ranks nobody on this measure; the position is derived here by ordering the published values. Neither end is better. A high figure is a windfall and a dependency at the same time, and a zero means only that there is nothing much under the ground — which is why zeroes are kept here rather than treated as missing.
Showing 25 of 214 countries
Values for 2021. The change column compares 2021 with 2020 only; the sparkline covers the recent editions.
051970–2021 · 52 reference years
Over time
Each point is one reference year from 1970 to 2021, where the series stops.
- the middle country
- the middle half of countries
- the middle of the 113 countries measured every time
- each continent’s middle country
The same, year by year
| Year | Countries | Middle country | Middle half | Measured every time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 197 | 1.7076% | 0.1179% – 8.5530% | 2.3044% |
| 2020 | 204 | 1.1013% | 0.0820% – 4.7669% | 1.4515% |
| 2019 | 207 | 1.1544% | 0.0876% – 5.6404% | 1.5124% |
| 2018 | 209 | 1.2412% | 0.0994% – 6.1046% | 1.9730% |
| 2017 | 209 | 1.3394% | 0.0930% – 6.2977% | 1.8294% |
| 2016 | 209 | 1.0585% | 0.0826% – 5.6160% | 1.9752% |
| 2015 | 210 | 1.2456% | 0.0775% – 5.7425% | 1.8522% |
| 2014 | 211 | 1.6858% | 0.1058% – 8.2810% | 2.8228% |
| 2013 | 210 | 1.7379% | 0.1280% – 10.0581% | 2.9831% |
| 2012 | 208 | 2.0001% | 0.1676% – 9.8277% | 3.8555% |
| 2011 | 210 | 2.6293% | 0.1636% – 11.2749% | 3.6496% |
| 2010 | 207 | 2.3896% | 0.1776% – 9.5328% | 3.0303% |
| 2009 | 207 | 1.6378% | 0.1494% – 8.9459% | 3.0983% |
| 2008 | 207 | 2.3627% | 0.2296% – 12.3218% | 3.7752% |
| 2007 | 206 | 2.0376% | 0.1773% – 11.2618% | 3.5049% |
| 2006 | 206 | 1.8284% | 0.1640% – 10.5221% | 2.9504% |
| 2005 | 205 | 1.6424% | 0.1220% – 8.9792% | 2.7915% |
| 2004 | 204 | 1.5936% | 0.1308% – 8.2356% | 2.4932% |
| 2003 | 205 | 1.2475% | 0.0744% – 7.1428% | 2.2916% |
| 2002 | 205 | 1.2761% | 0.0568% – 6.8482% | 2.2000% |
| 2001 | 200 | 1.5096% | 0.1118% – 6.4919% | 1.9413% |
| 2000 | 199 | 1.8388% | 0.1431% – 7.4655% | 2.3081% |
| 1999 | 195 | 1.4220% | 0.1024% – 5.5097% | 1.7581% |
| 1998 | 194 | 1.2736% | 0.0962% – 6.2990% | 1.5778% |
| 1997 | 192 | 1.7895% | 0.1961% – 8.4264% | 2.1312% |
| 1996 | 192 | 1.6181% | 0.1891% – 9.3687% | 2.2261% |
| 1995 | 192 | 1.8404% | 0.2550% – 9.1702% | 2.4773% |
| 1994 | 183 | 1.8386% | 0.2362% – 8.9876% | 2.1760% |
| 1993 | 180 | 2.1786% | 0.2487% – 7.5626% | 2.2033% |
| 1992 | 177 | 2.1918% | 0.1645% – 8.1169% | 2.4802% |
| 1991 | 177 | 2.1396% | 0.1639% – 7.5736% | 2.6478% |
| 1990 | 178 | 3.2318% | 0.2616% – 11.4167% | 3.2109% |
| 1989 | 163 | 2.9633% | 0.2683% – 10.1942% | 2.9384% |
| 1988 | 163 | 2.8619% | 0.2203% – 8.1901% | 2.8139% |
| 1987 | 160 | 2.3213% | 0.1592% – 7.1356% | 2.6527% |
| 1986 | 155 | 1.8762% | 0.1611% – 7.4681% | 2.0447% |
| 1985 | 153 | 2.2886% | 0.2993% – 8.7128% | 2.4438% |
| 1984 | 151 | 2.4424% | 0.3198% – 9.7003% | 2.9376% |
| 1983 | 150 | 2.6775% | 0.4171% – 9.5244% | 2.8004% |
| 1982 | 149 | 2.9324% | 0.4375% – 10.4777% | 3.2822% |
| 1981 | 148 | 2.9964% | 0.4070% – 9.9972% | 3.1425% |
| 1980 | 145 | 3.8035% | 0.4496% – 11.3152% | 4.1423% |
| 1979 | 132 | 3.5783% | 0.4057% – 9.3007% | 4.0543% |
| 1978 | 134 | 3.1079% | 0.3945% – 9.9692% | 3.2744% |
| 1977 | 135 | 3.8384% | 0.5196% – 11.7013% | 3.9780% |
| 1976 | 132 | 3.4258% | 0.5954% – 8.7538% | 3.1897% |
| 1975 | 131 | 3.9035% | 0.7368% – 9.8956% | 3.4361% |
| 1974 | 129 | 4.1719% | 0.6727% – 10.4615% | 3.7124% |
| 1973 | 128 | 2.6232% | 0.4473% – 7.5974% | 2.3016% |
| 1972 | 128 | 1.7798% | 0.3483% – 5.7600% | 1.6077% |
| 1971 | 128 | 1.7429% | 0.3035% – 5.0080% | 1.4082% |
| 1970 | 126 | 1.7545% | 0.3234% – 6.2615% | 1.6632% |
062020 → 2021
Who rose and fell
The biggest changes in value between the two newest editions — reference years recalculated in one report, not two separate publications. Places are shown second, because they also move when other countries do.
Rose most
before → afterFell most
before → after
Solomon Islands19.1939% → 18.3950% · 8th → 27th−0.7988
Guinea-Bissau11.1516% → 10.4285% · 30th → 42nd−0.7231
Eswatini3.3816% → 2.9992% · 65th → 82nd−0.3825
Uruguay2.2934% → 1.9277% · 80th → 93rd−0.3657- Paraguay1.6826% → 1.3470% · 85th → 105th−0.3356
197 countries were measured in both 2020 and 2021. The field changed from 204 to 197 countries, so a place can move for reasons that have nothing to do with the country itself.
07Across every edition
Natural resource rents in records
The extremes of the statistic. A record reached by more than one country names none of them.
Highest reading on record
88.5923%
Natural resources rents (% of GDP)
Lowest reading on record
Reached 826 times by 34 countries — shared, so no holder is named
0.0000%
Natural resources rents (% of GDP)
Biggest rise between editions
+49.5557
11.4790% → 61.0347%
Biggest fall between editions
−46.1822
51.7869% → 5.6046%
Biggest change since first measured
+34.3261
0.4036% → 34.7297%
Highest most often
3 countries share this record — no holder is named
6 of 52
editions
08The measure
About natural resource rents
Natural resources rents measure what a country earns from oil, gas, coal, minerals and forests over and above what it costs to extract them, as a share of GDP. It is the number the resource-curse argument is actually about.
What the number is: Natural resources rents (% of GDP).
09Where it fits
Connections
Its part in the Country Index, the statistics whose values line up most closely with it across countries, and others on the same subject.
In the Country Index
Context, with no vote
This statistic is published in full under Economy & Innovation and Environment & Sustainability, but does not help decide any Country Index standing.
Economy & InnovationEnvironment & SustainabilityWhich statistics vote, and why
Moves with
Where natural resource rents is higher, these tend to be higher too.
- Commodity Export DependenceUNCTAD · 182 countries in commonρ 0.63
- Land AreaFAO · 195 countries in commonρ 0.63
- Multidimensional Poverty MeasureWorld Bank Group · 139 countries in commonρ 0.55
Moves against
Where natural resource rents is higher, these tend to be lower.
- Economic Complexity IndexKeyGrowth Lab at Harvard University · 139 countries in commonρ −0.66
- Services ExportsUNCTAD · 175 countries in commonρ −0.63
- Rule of LawKeyWorld Bank Group · 194 countries in commonρ −0.59
Rank correlation (ρ, from −1 to 1) across countries, on each statistic’s newest edition, out of 381 statistics sharing at least 80 countries with this one. Two statistics that move together do not cause each other.
10Keep reading
Explore further
More from World Bank Group
11Questions
Natural resource rents: questions and answers
Which country has the highest natural resource rents?
Libya, at 61.0347%, among the 197 countries compared in 2021.
Which country has the lowest natural resource rents?
18 countries share the lowest reading, 0.0000%, among the 197 compared in 2021, so no single country is named.
How many countries does the Total Natural Resources Rents (% of GDP) cover?
197 in 2021, and 214 at least once across all editions. The number measured varies from 126 to 211 between editions.
What is the world average natural resource rents?
This site does not calculate a world average, which would depend on how countries are weighted. In the middle country of the 197 compared in 2021, the figure was 1.7076%.
Is this World Bank Group’s own ranking?
No. World Bank Group publishes the values but ranks nobody; the position on this page is derived by Nations Inquiry by ordering the published values, and equal values share a position.
How often is the Total Natural Resources Rents (% of GDP) published?
This site holds 52 reference years, 1970–2021, all recalculated in World Bank Group’s 2026 report on one method — not 52 separate publications.
Where does the data come from, and can I download it?
From World Bank Group, under CC BY 4.0. Pulled from the World Bank’s indicator API (NY.GDP.TOTL.RT.ZS), produced for The Changing Wealth of Nations. Every edition is on this site’s Datasets pages as a full table, and downloads as a CSV file with every value unrounded.
12Method
Sources, method and citation
Source
Total Natural Resources Rents (% of GDP) — World Bank Group
Pulled from the World Bank’s indicator API (NY.GDP.TOTL.RT.ZS), produced for The Changing Wealth of Nations.
Newest edition
Report year 2021Data year 2021
Cite the source as: World Bank. World Development Indicators. Washington, DC: World Bank Group.
Licence: CC BY 4.0, checked 2026-09-06.
How this page reads the numbers
- World Bank Group ranks nobody on this measure. The position is derived by Nations Inquiry by ordering the published values; equal values share a position.
- This statistic has no better end, so the page describes higher and lower values and never calls a country a leader.
- A country is named at an end only when it holds that value alone. Where several share it, the page says how many and names none first.
- Values are stored exactly as published and trimmed only for display. “The middle country” is the median of the countries measured, not a world average.
The file itself, column by column — where it came from, what each column holds, and every edition as a CSV — is on its dataset page.
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). Natural resource rents by country: Total Natural Resources Rents (% of GDP), data from World Bank Group. https://nationsinquiry.com/statistics/natural-resources-rents