Russia vs United States: CO₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change
Russia
1.78 billion tonnes
in 2024
United States
4.90 billion tonnes
in 2024
Russia rank
4th
United States rank
2nd
CO₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change over time
- Russia
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 4.90 billion tonnes against 1.78 billion tonnes in Russia, a difference of 3.12 billion tonnes.
That makes United States's figure about 2.8 times Russia's.
Across all 169 years both countries report, United States has been ahead every year.
Russia ranks 4th and United States ranks 2nd of 215 countries.
United States has averaged higher in every one of the 18 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Russia | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850s | 222,407 tonnes | 36.23 million tonnes | 36.01 million tonnes | United States |
| 1860s | 1.04 million tonnes | 62.10 million tonnes | 61.06 million tonnes | United States |
| 1870s | 4.52 million tonnes | 133.69 million tonnes | 129.17 million tonnes | United States |
| 1880s | 11.45 million tonnes | 274.59 million tonnes | 263.14 million tonnes | United States |
| 1890s | 26.03 million tonnes | 479.89 million tonnes | 453.86 million tonnes | United States |
| 1900s | 50.17 million tonnes | 940.33 million tonnes | 890.16 million tonnes | United States |
| 1910s | 56.76 million tonnes | 1.45 billion tonnes | 1.39 billion tonnes | United States |
| 1920s | 39.98 million tonnes | 1.76 billion tonnes | 1.72 billion tonnes | United States |
| 1930s | 180.96 million tonnes | 1.55 billion tonnes | 1.36 billion tonnes | United States |
| 1940s | 255.53 million tonnes | 2.27 billion tonnes | 2.01 billion tonnes | United States |
| 1950s | 615.35 million tonnes | 2.68 billion tonnes | 2.07 billion tonnes | United States |
| 1960s | 1.12 billion tonnes | 3.37 billion tonnes | 2.25 billion tonnes | United States |
| 1970s | 1.78 billion tonnes | 4.63 billion tonnes | 2.85 billion tonnes | United States |
| 1980s | 2.26 billion tonnes | 4.60 billion tonnes | 2.34 billion tonnes | United States |
| 1990s | 1.81 billion tonnes | 5.43 billion tonnes | 3.62 billion tonnes | United States |
| 2000s | 1.56 billion tonnes | 5.97 billion tonnes | 4.41 billion tonnes | United States |
| 2010s | 1.66 billion tonnes | 5.40 billion tonnes | 3.73 billion tonnes | United States |
| 2020s | 1.70 billion tonnes | 4.92 billion tonnes | 3.22 billion tonnes | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher co₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change, Russia or United States?
- United States, at 4.90 billion tonnes against 1.78 billion tonnes in Russia as of 2024.
- What is the difference in co₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change between Russia and United States?
- 3.12 billion tonnes, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Russia and United States?
- 169 years are reported by both, from 1850 to 2024.
- How do Russia and United States rank globally for co₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change?
- Russia ranks 4th and United States ranks 2nd of 215 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as CO₂ emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Annual total emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂), excluding land-use change, measured in tonnes.