Year-on-year change in CO₂ emissions in United States
United States: Year-on-year change in CO₂ emissions was -14.29 million tonnes in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Year-on-year change in CO₂ emissions in United States, 1801–2024
Source: Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
The most recent figure for year-on-year change in co₂ emissions in United States is -14.29 million tonnes, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of up 89.6% on the previous year and down 124.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, year-on-year change in co₂ emissions in United States peaked at 463.02 million tonnes in 1923 and was at its lowest, -545.96 million tonnes, in 2020.
That places United States 212th out of 215 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1800s | 16,692 tonnes | -7,328 tonnes | 43,968 tonnes | 9 |
| 1810s | 35,907 tonnes | -18,320 tonnes | 62,288 tonnes | 10 |
| 1820s | 103,325 tonnes | 29,312 tonnes | 201,520 tonnes | 10 |
| 1830s | 372,262 tonnes | -274,800 tonnes | 934,320 tonnes | 10 |
| 1840s | 1.27 million tonnes | 340,752 tonnes | 2.36 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1850s | 2.71 million tonnes | 593,568 tonnes | 5.00 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1860s | 4.84 million tonnes | -1.76 million tonnes | 13.63 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1870s | 8.18 million tonnes | -5.21 million tonnes | 31.57 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1880s | 16.07 million tonnes | -38.29 million tonnes | 66.48 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1890s | 29.07 million tonnes | -29.01 million tonnes | 80.50 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1900s | 54.48 million tonnes | -150.97 million tonnes | 168.52 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1910s | 31.48 million tonnes | -267.68 million tonnes | 152.09 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1920s | 47.71 million tonnes | -314.69 million tonnes | 463.02 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1930s | -29.26 million tonnes | -276.86 million tonnes | 221.09 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1940s | 49.39 million tonnes | -417.70 million tonnes | 228.36 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1950s | 66.70 million tonnes | -123.51 million tonnes | 376.62 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1960s | 120.32 million tonnes | -10.45 million tonnes | 194.23 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1970s | 87.36 million tonnes | -194.01 million tonnes | 304.55 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 5.15 million tonnes | -231.72 million tonnes | 205.85 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 84.00 million tonnes | -55.35 million tonnes | 175.26 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | -31.42 million tonnes | -433.12 million tonnes | 222.88 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | -25.02 million tonnes | -207.51 million tonnes | 183.15 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | -66.36 million tonnes | -545.96 million tonnes | 330.16 million tonnes | 5 |
Countries ranked near United States
More climate change data for United States
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 4.1% (2100)
- Population growth 0.5% (2025)
- Population, total 341.79 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 0.6% (2025)
- Urban population 274.08 million (2025)
- Urban population 80.2% (2025)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 14.2 tonnes per person (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions 434.87 billion tonnes (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita 14.2 tonnes per person (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 14.2 tonnes per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is year-on-year change in co₂ emissions in United States?
- Year-on-year change in co₂ emissions in United States was -14.29 million tonnes in 2024, according to Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest year-on-year change in co₂ emissions recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 463.02 million tonnes in 1923.
- What is the lowest year-on-year change in co₂ emissions recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was -545.96 million tonnes in 2020.
- How does United States rank for year-on-year change in co₂ emissions?
- United States ranks 212th out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
- Is year-on-year change in co₂ emissions rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 124.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Year-on-year change in CO₂ emissions. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 224 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Annual growth in total emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂), excluding land-use change, measured in tonnes.