Germany vs United States: Per capita CO₂ emissions by source
Germany
1.92 tonnes per person
in 2024
United States
2.12 tonnes per person
in 2024
Germany rank
25th
United States rank
23rd
Per capita CO₂ emissions by source over time
- Germany
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 2.12 tonnes per person against 1.92 tonnes per person in Germany, a difference of 0.2 tonnes per person.
That makes United States's figure about 1.1 times Germany's.
The two have swapped places 19 times across 225 shared years of data; in 1800 it was Germany ahead.
Germany ranks 25th and United States ranks 23rd of 179 countries.
Across the 23 decades both report, Germany averaged higher in 7 and United States in 16.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Germany | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1800s | 0.0506 tonnes per person | 0.05 tonnes per person | 0.0006 tonnes per person | Germany |
| 1810s | 0.078 tonnes per person | 0.07 tonnes per person | 0.008 tonnes per person | Germany |
| 1820s | 0.1484 tonnes per person | 0.1011 tonnes per person | 0.0473 tonnes per person | Germany |
| 1830s | 0.1739 tonnes per person | 0.2559 tonnes per person | 0.082 tonnes per person | United States |
| 1840s | 0.3611 tonnes per person | 0.5342 tonnes per person | 0.1731 tonnes per person | United States |
| 1850s | 0.7371 tonnes per person | 1.24 tonnes per person | 0.5062 tonnes per person | United States |
| 1860s | 1.52 tonnes per person | 1.71 tonnes per person | 0.1936 tonnes per person | United States |
| 1870s | 2.25 tonnes per person | 2.92 tonnes per person | 0.6659 tonnes per person | United States |
| 1880s | 3.42 tonnes per person | 4.65 tonnes per person | 1.23 tonnes per person | United States |
| 1890s | 4.68 tonnes per person | 6.62 tonnes per person | 1.95 tonnes per person | United States |
| 1900s | 6.21 tonnes per person | 10.6 tonnes per person | 4.39 tonnes per person | United States |
| 1910s | 7.51 tonnes per person | 13.34 tonnes per person | 5.83 tonnes per person | United States |
| 1920s | 6.98 tonnes per person | 12.15 tonnes per person | 5.17 tonnes per person | United States |
| 1930s | 6.73 tonnes per person | 8.19 tonnes per person | 1.46 tonnes per person | United States |
| 1940s | 6.59 tonnes per person | 9.92 tonnes per person | 3.33 tonnes per person | United States |
| 1950s | 8.99 tonnes per person | 6.36 tonnes per person | 2.63 tonnes per person | Germany |
| 1960s | 9.36 tonnes per person | 5.38 tonnes per person | 3.98 tonnes per person | Germany |
| 1970s | 7.05 tonnes per person | 5.6 tonnes per person | 1.45 tonnes per person | Germany |
| 1980s | 7.15 tonnes per person | 6.5 tonnes per person | 0.6508 tonnes per person | Germany |
| 1990s | 5.3 tonnes per person | 7.08 tonnes per person | 1.79 tonnes per person | United States |
| 2000s | 4.47 tonnes per person | 7.06 tonnes per person | 2.59 tonnes per person | United States |
| 2010s | 3.97 tonnes per person | 4.67 tonnes per person | 0.7019 tonnes per person | United States |
| 2020s | 2.42 tonnes per person | 2.48 tonnes per person | 0.0576 tonnes per person | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher per capita co₂ emissions by source, Germany or United States?
- United States, at 2.12 tonnes per person against 1.92 tonnes per person in Germany as of 2024.
- What is the difference in per capita co₂ emissions by source between Germany and United States?
- 0.2 tonnes per person, 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 per capita co₂ emissions by source?
- Germany ranks 25th and United States ranks 23rd of 179 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Global Carbon Budget (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Per capita CO₂ emissions by source. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Annual emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from coal, measured in tonnes per person.