Russia vs United States: Per capita greenhouse gas emissions
Russia
18.85 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person
in 2024
United States
17.53 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person
in 2024
Russia rank
13th
United States rank
15th
Per capita greenhouse gas emissions over time
- Russia
- United States
How they compare
Russia currently reports 18.85 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person against 17.53 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in United States, a difference of 1.32 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person.
That makes Russia's figure about 1.1 times United States's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 175 shared years of data; in 1850 it was United States ahead.
Russia ranks 13th and United States ranks 15th of 199 countries.
Across the 18 decades both report, Russia averaged higher in 1 and United States in 17.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Russia | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850s | 12.11 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 34.27 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 22.17 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | United States |
| 1860s | 11.07 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 25.91 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 14.84 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | United States |
| 1870s | 11.98 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 33.03 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 21.05 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | United States |
| 1880s | 12.95 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 30.94 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 17.99 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | United States |
| 1890s | 15.15 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 30.34 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 15.2 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | United States |
| 1900s | 17.61 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 31 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 13.38 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | United States |
| 1910s | 11.79 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 30.72 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 18.93 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | United States |
| 1920s | 10.92 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 28.83 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 17.91 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | United States |
| 1930s | 17.12 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 21.62 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 4.5 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | United States |
| 1940s | 10.11 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 25.32 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 15.22 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | United States |
| 1950s | 14.14 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 23.14 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 9 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | United States |
| 1960s | 16.57 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 23.98 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 7.4 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | United States |
| 1970s | 19.83 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 27.79 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 7.96 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | United States |
| 1980s | 22.36 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 24.91 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 2.54 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | United States |
| 1990s | 16.72 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 25.09 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 8.37 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | United States |
| 2000s | 14.23 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 24.19 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 9.96 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | United States |
| 2010s | 16.95 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 19.95 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 3 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | United States |
| 2020s | 17.68 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 17.67 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.0089 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Russia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher per capita greenhouse gas emissions, Russia or United States?
- Russia, at 18.85 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person against 17.53 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in United States as of 2024.
- What is the difference in per capita greenhouse gas emissions between Russia and United States?
- 1.32 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person, with Russia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Russia and United States?
- 175 years are reported by both, from 1850 to 2024.
- How do Russia and United States rank globally for per capita greenhouse gas emissions?
- Russia ranks 13th and United States ranks 15th of 199 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Jones et al. (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Per capita greenhouse gas emissions. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Greenhouse gas emissions are measured in tonnes per person of carbon dioxide-equivalents over a 100-year timescale.