El Salvador vs United States: Carbon intensity of energy
El Salvador
191.66 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour
in 2024
United States
191.81 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour
in 2024
El Salvador rank
133rd
United States rank
132nd
Carbon intensity of energy over time
- El Salvador
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 191.81 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour against 191.66 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour in El Salvador, a difference of 0.15 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour.
The two have swapped places 10 times across 45 shared years of data; in 1980 it was United States ahead.
El Salvador ranks 133rd and United States ranks 132nd of 204 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, El Salvador averaged higher in 1 and United States in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | El Salvador | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 200.9 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 228.07 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 27.18 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | United States |
| 1990s | 235.47 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 227.97 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 7.5 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | El Salvador |
| 2000s | 214.46 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 227.63 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 13.18 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | United States |
| 2010s | 195.22 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 211.47 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 16.26 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | United States |
| 2020s | 182.76 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 195.68 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 12.92 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher carbon intensity of energy, El Salvador or United States?
- United States, at 191.81 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour against 191.66 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour in El Salvador as of 2024.
- What is the difference in carbon intensity of energy between El Salvador and United States?
- 0.15 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for El Salvador and United States?
- 45 years are reported by both, from 1980 to 2024.
- How do El Salvador and United States rank globally for carbon intensity of energy?
- El Salvador ranks 133rd and United States ranks 132nd of 204 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Global Carbon Budget (2025) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Carbon intensity of energy. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Fossil carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions per unit of total energy supply, measured in grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour.