Germany vs United States: Cumulative CO₂ emissions
Germany
95.14 billion tonnes
in 2024
United States
434.87 billion tonnes
in 2024
Germany rank
4th
United States rank
1st
Cumulative CO₂ emissions over time
- Germany
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 434.87 billion tonnes against 95.14 billion tonnes in Germany, a difference of 339.73 billion tonnes.
That makes United States's figure about 4.6 times Germany's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 225 shared years of data; in 1800 it was Germany ahead.
Germany ranks 4th and United States ranks 1st of 215 countries.
Across the 23 decades both report, Germany averaged higher in 6 and United States in 17.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Germany | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1800s | 8.80 million tonnes | 1.67 million tonnes | 7.13 million tonnes | Germany |
| 1810s | 21.26 million tonnes | 6.21 million tonnes | 15.05 million tonnes | Germany |
| 1820s | 52.95 million tonnes | 14.74 million tonnes | 38.21 million tonnes | Germany |
| 1830s | 97.04 million tonnes | 39.17 million tonnes | 57.87 million tonnes | Germany |
| 1840s | 182.51 million tonnes | 108.52 million tonnes | 73.99 million tonnes | Germany |
| 1850s | 361.39 million tonnes | 334.86 million tonnes | 26.53 million tonnes | Germany |
| 1860s | 776.57 million tonnes | 811.81 million tonnes | 35.24 million tonnes | United States |
| 1870s | 1.57 billion tonnes | 1.81 billion tonnes | 246.07 million tonnes | United States |
| 1880s | 2.84 billion tonnes | 3.84 billion tonnes | 1.00 billion tonnes | United States |
| 1890s | 4.88 billion tonnes | 7.69 billion tonnes | 2.82 billion tonnes | United States |
| 1900s | 8.00 billion tonnes | 14.70 billion tonnes | 6.71 billion tonnes | United States |
| 1910s | 12.47 billion tonnes | 27.03 billion tonnes | 14.56 billion tonnes | United States |
| 1920s | 17.05 billion tonnes | 43.23 billion tonnes | 26.19 billion tonnes | United States |
| 1930s | 21.54 billion tonnes | 59.81 billion tonnes | 38.28 billion tonnes | United States |
| 1940s | 26.90 billion tonnes | 79.03 billion tonnes | 52.13 billion tonnes | United States |
| 1950s | 32.16 billion tonnes | 104.08 billion tonnes | 71.92 billion tonnes | United States |
| 1960s | 40.40 billion tonnes | 133.89 billion tonnes | 93.49 billion tonnes | United States |
| 1970s | 50.54 billion tonnes | 175.15 billion tonnes | 124.61 billion tonnes | United States |
| 1980s | 61.10 billion tonnes | 221.35 billion tonnes | 160.24 billion tonnes | United States |
| 1990s | 71.12 billion tonnes | 271.51 billion tonnes | 200.39 billion tonnes | United States |
| 2000s | 80.21 billion tonnes | 329.65 billion tonnes | 249.44 billion tonnes | United States |
| 2010s | 88.49 billion tonnes | 386.33 billion tonnes | 297.84 billion tonnes | United States |
| 2020s | 93.92 billion tonnes | 424.97 billion tonnes | 331.05 billion tonnes | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher cumulative co₂ emissions, Germany or United States?
- United States, at 434.87 billion tonnes against 95.14 billion tonnes in Germany as of 2024.
- What is the difference in cumulative co₂ emissions between Germany and United States?
- 339.73 billion tonnes, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Germany and United States?
- 225 years are reported by both, from 1800 to 2024.
- How do Germany and United States rank globally for cumulative co₂ emissions?
- Germany ranks 4th and United States ranks 1st of 215 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Cumulative CO₂ emissions. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Total cumulative emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂), excluding land-use change, since the first year of available data, measured in tonnes.