Germany vs United States: Cumulative CO₂ emissions by source
Germany
318.89 million tonnes
in 2024
United States
5.43 billion tonnes
in 2024
Germany rank
5th
United States rank
2nd
Cumulative CO₂ emissions by source over time
- Germany
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 5.43 billion tonnes against 318.89 million tonnes in Germany, a difference of 5.11 billion tonnes.
That makes United States's figure about 17.0 times Germany's.
Across all 35 years both countries report, United States has been ahead every year.
Germany ranks 5th and United States ranks 2nd of 46 countries.
United States has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Germany | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 56.51 million tonnes | 1.27 billion tonnes | 1.22 billion tonnes | United States |
| 2000s | 153.57 million tonnes | 2.77 billion tonnes | 2.62 billion tonnes | United States |
| 2010s | 240.53 million tonnes | 4.14 billion tonnes | 3.90 billion tonnes | United States |
| 2020s | 303.78 million tonnes | 5.16 billion tonnes | 4.85 billion tonnes | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher cumulative co₂ emissions by source, Germany or United States?
- United States, at 5.43 billion tonnes against 318.89 million tonnes in Germany as of 2024.
- What is the difference in cumulative co₂ emissions by source between Germany and United States?
- 5.11 billion tonnes, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Germany and United States?
- 35 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2024.
- How do Germany and United States rank globally for cumulative co₂ emissions by source?
- Germany ranks 5th and United States ranks 2nd of 46 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Cumulative CO₂ emissions by source. 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 other industry sources since the first year of available data, measured in tonnes.