United Kingdom vs United States: Share of global cumulative CO₂ emissions from coal
United Kingdom
6.7%
in 2024
United States
20.7%
in 2024
United Kingdom rank
4th
United States rank
2nd
Share of global cumulative CO₂ emissions from coal over time
- United Kingdom
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 20.7% against 6.7% in United Kingdom, a difference of 14.0%.
That makes United States's figure about 3.1 times United Kingdom's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 225 shared years of data; in 1800 it was United Kingdom ahead.
United Kingdom ranks 4th and United States ranks 2nd of 179 countries.
Across the 23 decades both report, United Kingdom averaged higher in 11 and United States in 12.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | United Kingdom | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1800s | 97.8% | 0.2% | 97.6% | United Kingdom |
| 1810s | 95.7% | 0.5% | 95.2% | United Kingdom |
| 1820s | 92.5% | 0.8% | 91.7% | United Kingdom |
| 1830s | 88.0% | 1.5% | 86.5% | United Kingdom |
| 1840s | 81.7% | 2.8% | 78.9% | United Kingdom |
| 1850s | 73.7% | 5.6% | 68.1% | United Kingdom |
| 1860s | 64.7% | 8.7% | 56.0% | United Kingdom |
| 1870s | 56.5% | 12.0% | 44.5% | United Kingdom |
| 1880s | 49.0% | 16.0% | 33.0% | United Kingdom |
| 1890s | 41.6% | 20.6% | 21.0% | United Kingdom |
| 1900s | 34.8% | 25.5% | 9.3% | United Kingdom |
| 1910s | 28.6% | 30.4% | 1.8% | United States |
| 1920s | 24.7% | 34.1% | 9.4% | United States |
| 1930s | 22.3% | 35.0% | 12.7% | United States |
| 1940s | 20.4% | 34.9% | 14.5% | United States |
| 1950s | 18.9% | 34.3% | 15.4% | United States |
| 1960s | 17.1% | 31.7% | 14.6% | United States |
| 1970s | 15.2% | 29.7% | 14.5% | United States |
| 1980s | 13.2% | 28.0% | 14.9% | United States |
| 1990s | 11.3% | 26.7% | 15.4% | United States |
| 2000s | 9.7% | 25.8% | 16.1% | United States |
| 2010s | 8.0% | 23.5% | 15.5% | United States |
| 2020s | 7.0% | 21.3% | 14.4% | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of global cumulative co₂ emissions from coal, United Kingdom or United States?
- United States, at 20.7% against 6.7% in United Kingdom as of 2024.
- What is the difference in share of global cumulative co₂ emissions from coal between United Kingdom and United States?
- 14.0%, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for United Kingdom and United States?
- 225 years are reported by both, from 1800 to 2024.
- How do United Kingdom and United States rank globally for share of global cumulative co₂ emissions from coal?
- United Kingdom ranks 4th and United States ranks 2nd of 179 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of global cumulative CO₂ emissions from coal. 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 coal since the first year of available data, measured as a percentage of global cumulative emissions of CO₂ from coal.