India vs United States: Carbon dioxide emissions by income level
India
3.19 billion tonnes
in 2024
United States
4.90 billion tonnes
in 2024
India rank
3rd
United States rank
2nd
Carbon dioxide emissions by income level over time
- India
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 4.90 billion tonnes against 3.19 billion tonnes in India, a difference of 1.71 billion tonnes.
That makes United States's figure about 1.5 times India's.
Across all 156 years both countries report, United States has been ahead every year.
India ranks 3rd 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 | India | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850s | 515,478 tonnes | 43.48 million tonnes | 42.97 million tonnes | United States |
| 1860s | 583,435 tonnes | 53.16 million tonnes | 52.57 million tonnes | United States |
| 1870s | 1.73 million tonnes | 159.69 million tonnes | 157.96 million tonnes | United States |
| 1880s | 2.68 million tonnes | 274.59 million tonnes | 271.91 million tonnes | United States |
| 1890s | 6.77 million tonnes | 479.89 million tonnes | 473.12 million tonnes | United States |
| 1900s | 17.83 million tonnes | 940.33 million tonnes | 922.51 million tonnes | United States |
| 1910s | 32.40 million tonnes | 1.45 billion tonnes | 1.42 billion tonnes | United States |
| 1920s | 39.16 million tonnes | 1.76 billion tonnes | 1.72 billion tonnes | United States |
| 1930s | 41.93 million tonnes | 1.55 billion tonnes | 1.50 billion tonnes | United States |
| 1940s | 52.14 million tonnes | 2.27 billion tonnes | 2.22 billion tonnes | United States |
| 1950s | 78.21 million tonnes | 2.68 billion tonnes | 2.60 billion tonnes | United States |
| 1960s | 147.03 million tonnes | 3.37 billion tonnes | 3.23 billion tonnes | United States |
| 1970s | 227.90 million tonnes | 4.63 billion tonnes | 4.40 billion tonnes | United States |
| 1980s | 395.75 million tonnes | 4.60 billion tonnes | 4.20 billion tonnes | United States |
| 1990s | 751.91 million tonnes | 5.43 billion tonnes | 4.67 billion tonnes | United States |
| 2000s | 1.22 billion tonnes | 5.97 billion tonnes | 4.75 billion tonnes | United States |
| 2010s | 2.17 billion tonnes | 5.40 billion tonnes | 3.22 billion tonnes | United States |
| 2020s | 2.84 billion tonnes | 4.92 billion tonnes | 2.08 billion tonnes | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher carbon dioxide emissions by income level, India or United States?
- United States, at 4.90 billion tonnes against 3.19 billion tonnes in India as of 2024.
- What is the difference in carbon dioxide emissions by income level between India and United States?
- 1.71 billion tonnes, with United States 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 carbon dioxide emissions by income level?
- India ranks 3rd 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 Carbon dioxide emissions by income level. 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.