India vs United States: Annual CO₂ emissions from coal

India
2.11 billion tonnes
in 2024
United States
732.89 million tonnes
in 2024
India rank
2nd
United States rank
3rd

Annual CO₂ emissions from coal over time

  • India
  • United States
0500.0M1.0B1.5B2.0B180019122024

How they compare

India currently reports 2.11 billion tonnes against 732.89 million tonnes in United States, a difference of 1.38 billion tonnes.

That makes India's figure about 2.9 times United States's.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 156 shared years of data; in 1858 it was United States ahead.

India ranks 2nd and United States ranks 3rd of 179 countries.

Across the 18 decades both report, India averaged higher in 1 and United States in 17.

Head to head by decade

Decade India United States Difference Ahead
1850s 515,478 tonnes 43.48 million tonnes 42.97 million tonnes United States
1860s 583,435 tonnes 52.19 million tonnes 51.61 million tonnes United States
1870s 1.69 million tonnes 152.73 million tonnes 151.04 million tonnes United States
1880s 2.40 million tonnes 258.32 million tonnes 255.92 million tonnes United States
1890s 5.85 million tonnes 449.99 million tonnes 444.14 million tonnes United States
1900s 15.64 million tonnes 870.15 million tonnes 854.51 million tonnes United States
1910s 29.27 million tonnes 1.29 billion tonnes 1.26 billion tonnes United States
1920s 36.06 million tonnes 1.35 billion tonnes 1.31 billion tonnes United States
1930s 40.80 million tonnes 1.02 billion tonnes 974.24 million tonnes United States
1940s 50.24 million tonnes 1.36 billion tonnes 1.31 billion tonnes United States
1950s 64.09 million tonnes 1.04 billion tonnes 979.95 million tonnes United States
1960s 110.21 million tonnes 1.04 billion tonnes 934.43 million tonnes United States
1970s 153.14 million tonnes 1.22 billion tonnes 1.07 billion tonnes United States
1980s 256.00 million tonnes 1.56 billion tonnes 1.31 billion tonnes United States
1990s 464.82 million tonnes 1.89 billion tonnes 1.42 billion tonnes United States
2000s 728.17 million tonnes 2.08 billion tonnes 1.35 billion tonnes United States
2010s 1.38 billion tonnes 1.51 billion tonnes 128.06 million tonnes United States
2020s 1.87 billion tonnes 848.25 million tonnes 1.02 billion tonnes India

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher annual co₂ emissions from coal, India or United States?
India, at 2.11 billion tonnes against 732.89 million tonnes in United States as of 2024.
What is the difference in annual co₂ emissions from coal between India and United States?
1.38 billion tonnes, with India ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for India and United States?
156 years are reported by both, from 1858 to 2024.
How do India and United States rank globally for annual co₂ emissions from coal?
India ranks 2nd and United States ranks 3rd of 179 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Annual CO₂ emissions from coal. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
Annual CO₂ emissions from coal
Unit
tonnes
Source
Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
179 places, 18,115 data points, 1750–2024
Last refreshed

Annual emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from coal, measured in tonnes.