Australia vs United States: Per capita CO₂ emissions relative to the global average
Australia
14.48 tonnes per person
in 2024
United States
14.2 tonnes per person
in 2024
Australia rank
11th
United States rank
12th
Per capita CO₂ emissions relative to the global average over time
- Australia
- United States
How they compare
Australia currently reports 14.48 tonnes per person against 14.2 tonnes per person in United States, a difference of 0.28 tonnes per person.
The two have swapped places 5 times across 225 shared years of data; in 1800 it was United States ahead.
Australia ranks 11th and United States ranks 12th of 213 countries.
Across the 23 decades both report, Australia averaged higher in 2 and United States in 21.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Australia | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1800s | 0.0015 tonnes per person | 0.05 tonnes per person | 0.0485 tonnes per person | United States |
| 1810s | 0.0084 tonnes per person | 0.07 tonnes per person | 0.0616 tonnes per person | United States |
| 1820s | 0.0144 tonnes per person | 0.1011 tonnes per person | 0.0867 tonnes per person | United States |
| 1830s | 0.0439 tonnes per person | 0.2559 tonnes per person | 0.212 tonnes per person | United States |
| 1840s | 0.1099 tonnes per person | 0.5342 tonnes per person | 0.4243 tonnes per person | United States |
| 1850s | 0.2466 tonnes per person | 1.24 tonnes per person | 0.9967 tonnes per person | United States |
| 1860s | 0.6534 tonnes per person | 1.74 tonnes per person | 1.09 tonnes per person | United States |
| 1870s | 1.04 tonnes per person | 3.01 tonnes per person | 1.97 tonnes per person | United States |
| 1880s | 1.69 tonnes per person | 4.94 tonnes per person | 3.25 tonnes per person | United States |
| 1890s | 2.09 tonnes per person | 7.07 tonnes per person | 4.98 tonnes per person | United States |
| 1900s | 3.24 tonnes per person | 11.45 tonnes per person | 8.21 tonnes per person | United States |
| 1910s | 4.55 tonnes per person | 15.03 tonnes per person | 10.48 tonnes per person | United States |
| 1920s | 4.79 tonnes per person | 15.81 tonnes per person | 11.02 tonnes per person | United States |
| 1930s | 4.34 tonnes per person | 12.46 tonnes per person | 8.12 tonnes per person | United States |
| 1940s | 5.62 tonnes per person | 16.5 tonnes per person | 10.88 tonnes per person | United States |
| 1950s | 7.58 tonnes per person | 16.24 tonnes per person | 8.66 tonnes per person | United States |
| 1960s | 9.55 tonnes per person | 17.37 tonnes per person | 7.81 tonnes per person | United States |
| 1970s | 12.35 tonnes per person | 21.22 tonnes per person | 8.87 tonnes per person | United States |
| 1980s | 14.22 tonnes per person | 19.12 tonnes per person | 4.9 tonnes per person | United States |
| 1990s | 16.85 tonnes per person | 20.35 tonnes per person | 3.5 tonnes per person | United States |
| 2000s | 18.76 tonnes per person | 20.29 tonnes per person | 1.53 tonnes per person | United States |
| 2010s | 17.08 tonnes per person | 16.64 tonnes per person | 0.4392 tonnes per person | Australia |
| 2020s | 14.82 tonnes per person | 14.38 tonnes per person | 0.4439 tonnes per person | Australia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher per capita co₂ emissions relative to the global average, Australia or United States?
- Australia, at 14.48 tonnes per person against 14.2 tonnes per person in United States as of 2024.
- What is the difference in per capita co₂ emissions relative to the global average between Australia and United States?
- 0.28 tonnes per person, with Australia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and United States?
- 225 years are reported by both, from 1800 to 2024.
- How do Australia and United States rank globally for per capita co₂ emissions relative to the global average?
- Australia ranks 11th and United States ranks 12th of 213 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 relative to the global average. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from burning fossil fuels and industrial processes. This includes emissions from transport, electricity generation, and heating, but not land-use change.