Canada vs United States: Per capita CO₂ emissions relative to the global average
Canada
13.42 tonnes per person
in 2024
United States
14.2 tonnes per person
in 2024
Canada rank
14th
United States rank
12th
Per capita CO₂ emissions relative to the global average over time
- Canada
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 14.2 tonnes per person against 13.42 tonnes per person in Canada, a difference of 0.78 tonnes per person.
That makes United States's figure about 1.1 times Canada's.
Across all 225 years both countries report, United States has been ahead every year.
Canada ranks 14th and United States ranks 12th of 213 countries.
United States has averaged higher in every one of the 23 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Canada | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1800s | 0.0066 tonnes per person | 0.05 tonnes per person | 0.0434 tonnes per person | United States |
| 1810s | 0.0051 tonnes per person | 0.07 tonnes per person | 0.0648 tonnes per person | United States |
| 1820s | 0.0038 tonnes per person | 0.1011 tonnes per person | 0.0973 tonnes per person | United States |
| 1830s | 0.0027 tonnes per person | 0.2559 tonnes per person | 0.2533 tonnes per person | United States |
| 1840s | 0.0076 tonnes per person | 0.5342 tonnes per person | 0.5266 tonnes per person | United States |
| 1850s | 0.0528 tonnes per person | 1.24 tonnes per person | 1.19 tonnes per person | United States |
| 1860s | 0.237 tonnes per person | 1.74 tonnes per person | 1.51 tonnes per person | United States |
| 1870s | 0.4465 tonnes per person | 3.01 tonnes per person | 2.56 tonnes per person | United States |
| 1880s | 1.86 tonnes per person | 4.94 tonnes per person | 3.08 tonnes per person | United States |
| 1890s | 2.89 tonnes per person | 7.07 tonnes per person | 4.17 tonnes per person | United States |
| 1900s | 5.57 tonnes per person | 11.45 tonnes per person | 5.88 tonnes per person | United States |
| 1910s | 9.26 tonnes per person | 15.03 tonnes per person | 5.78 tonnes per person | United States |
| 1920s | 9.13 tonnes per person | 15.81 tonnes per person | 6.68 tonnes per person | United States |
| 1930s | 7.71 tonnes per person | 12.46 tonnes per person | 4.75 tonnes per person | United States |
| 1940s | 10.9 tonnes per person | 16.5 tonnes per person | 5.6 tonnes per person | United States |
| 1950s | 10.99 tonnes per person | 16.24 tonnes per person | 5.25 tonnes per person | United States |
| 1960s | 12.47 tonnes per person | 17.37 tonnes per person | 4.9 tonnes per person | United States |
| 1970s | 17 tonnes per person | 21.22 tonnes per person | 4.21 tonnes per person | United States |
| 1980s | 16.62 tonnes per person | 19.12 tonnes per person | 2.49 tonnes per person | United States |
| 1990s | 16.76 tonnes per person | 20.35 tonnes per person | 3.6 tonnes per person | United States |
| 2000s | 17.62 tonnes per person | 20.29 tonnes per person | 2.67 tonnes per person | United States |
| 2010s | 15.76 tonnes per person | 16.64 tonnes per person | 0.8853 tonnes per person | United States |
| 2020s | 13.82 tonnes per person | 14.38 tonnes per person | 0.5553 tonnes per person | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher per capita co₂ emissions relative to the global average, Canada or United States?
- United States, at 14.2 tonnes per person against 13.42 tonnes per person in Canada as of 2024.
- What is the difference in per capita co₂ emissions relative to the global average between Canada and United States?
- 0.78 tonnes per person, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Canada and United States?
- 225 years are reported by both, from 1800 to 2024.
- How do Canada and United States rank globally for per capita co₂ emissions relative to the global average?
- Canada ranks 14th 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.