Germany vs United States: Cumulative CO₂ emissions from coal
Germany
65.23 billion tonnes
in 2024
United States
176.02 billion tonnes
in 2024
Germany rank
3rd
United States rank
2nd
Cumulative CO₂ emissions from coal over time
- Germany
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 176.02 billion tonnes against 65.23 billion tonnes in Germany, a difference of 110.79 billion tonnes.
That makes United States's figure about 2.7 times Germany's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 225 shared years of data; in 1800 it was Germany ahead.
Germany ranks 3rd and United States ranks 2nd of 179 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 | 776.38 million tonnes | 806.59 million tonnes | 30.21 million tonnes | United States |
| 1870s | 1.56 billion tonnes | 1.78 billion tonnes | 220.47 million tonnes | United States |
| 1880s | 2.82 billion tonnes | 3.71 billion tonnes | 888.72 million tonnes | United States |
| 1890s | 4.84 billion tonnes | 7.32 billion tonnes | 2.47 billion tonnes | United States |
| 1900s | 7.93 billion tonnes | 13.87 billion tonnes | 5.93 billion tonnes | United States |
| 1910s | 12.38 billion tonnes | 25.01 billion tonnes | 12.63 billion tonnes | United States |
| 1920s | 16.95 billion tonnes | 38.37 billion tonnes | 21.42 billion tonnes | United States |
| 1930s | 21.41 billion tonnes | 50.13 billion tonnes | 28.72 billion tonnes | United States |
| 1940s | 26.72 billion tonnes | 62.20 billion tonnes | 35.48 billion tonnes | United States |
| 1950s | 31.77 billion tonnes | 74.31 billion tonnes | 42.53 billion tonnes | United States |
| 1960s | 38.75 billion tonnes | 84.19 billion tonnes | 45.44 billion tonnes | United States |
| 1970s | 44.97 billion tonnes | 95.68 billion tonnes | 50.71 billion tonnes | United States |
| 1980s | 50.48 billion tonnes | 109.67 billion tonnes | 59.20 billion tonnes | United States |
| 1990s | 55.53 billion tonnes | 127.16 billion tonnes | 71.63 billion tonnes | United States |
| 2000s | 59.35 billion tonnes | 147.43 billion tonnes | 88.08 billion tonnes | United States |
| 2010s | 62.82 billion tonnes | 165.76 billion tonnes | 102.94 billion tonnes | United States |
| 2020s | 64.85 billion tonnes | 174.42 billion tonnes | 109.57 billion tonnes | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher cumulative co₂ emissions from coal, Germany or United States?
- United States, at 176.02 billion tonnes against 65.23 billion tonnes in Germany as of 2024.
- What is the difference in cumulative co₂ emissions from coal between Germany and United States?
- 110.79 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 from coal?
- Germany ranks 3rd and United States ranks 2nd of 179 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Cumulative CO₂ emissions from coal. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Cumulative emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from coal since the first year of available data, measured in tonnes.