Annual CO₂ emissions from flaring in United States
United States: Annual CO₂ emissions from flaring was 61.33 million tonnes in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
61.33 million tonnes
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
2nd
of 215 countries
All-time high
84.52 million tonnes
in 2019
All-time low
4.99 million tonnes
in 1982
Years of data
75
1950–2024
Annual CO₂ emissions from flaring in United States, 1950–2024
Source: Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
The most recent figure for annual co₂ emissions from flaring in United States is 61.33 million tonnes, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of up 4.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual co₂ emissions from flaring in United States peaked at 84.52 million tonnes in 2019 and was at its lowest, 4.99 million tonnes, in 1982.
That places United States 2nd out of 215 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Annual CO₂ emissions from flaring in United States, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 43.12 million tonnes | — |
| 1951 | 42.70 million tonnes | -1.0% |
| 1952 | 45.68 million tonnes | +7.0% |
| 1953 | 43.62 million tonnes | -4.5% |
| 1954 | 38.95 million tonnes | -10.7% |
| 1955 | 41.65 million tonnes | +6.9% |
| 1956 | 46.53 million tonnes | +11.7% |
| 1957 | 43.56 million tonnes | -6.4% |
| 1958 | 34.10 million tonnes | -21.7% |
| 1959 | 30.76 million tonnes | -9.8% |
| 1960 | 30.32 million tonnes | -1.4% |
| 1961 | 28.20 million tonnes | -7.0% |
| 1962 | 22.92 million tonnes | -18.7% |
| 1963 | 20.65 million tonnes | -9.9% |
| 1964 | 18.41 million tonnes | -10.8% |
| 1965 | 17.19 million tonnes | -6.6% |
| 1966 | 20.23 million tonnes | +17.7% |
| 1967 | 26.38 million tonnes | +30.4% |
| 1968 | 27.82 million tonnes | +5.4% |
| 1969 | 28.32 million tonnes | +1.8% |
| 1970 | 26.25 million tonnes | -7.3% |
| 1971 | 15.26 million tonnes | -41.9% |
| 1972 | 13.31 million tonnes | -12.8% |
| 1973 | 13.19 million tonnes | -0.9% |
| 1974 | 8.90 million tonnes | -32.5% |
| 1975 | 7.11 million tonnes | -20.1% |
| 1976 | 7.34 million tonnes | +3.2% |
| 1977 | 7.26 million tonnes | -1.0% |
| 1978 | 8.12 million tonnes | +11.9% |
| 1979 | 8.87 million tonnes | +9.2% |
| 1980 | 6.69 million tonnes | -24.5% |
| 1981 | 5.23 million tonnes | -21.8% |
| 1982 | 4.99 million tonnes | -4.6% |
| 1983 | 5.09 million tonnes | +2.0% |
| 1984 | 5.79 million tonnes | +13.8% |
| 1985 | 5.10 million tonnes | -11.9% |
| 1986 | 5.24 million tonnes | +2.8% |
| 1987 | 6.63 million tonnes | +26.5% |
| 1988 | 7.64 million tonnes | +15.2% |
| 1989 | 7.60 million tonnes | -0.6% |
| 1990 | 42.67 million tonnes | +461.8% |
| 1991 | 41.85 million tonnes | -1.9% |
| 1992 | 41.46 million tonnes | -0.9% |
| 1993 | 41.10 million tonnes | -0.9% |
| 1994 | 41.05 million tonnes | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 39.28 million tonnes | -4.3% |
| 1996 | 37.89 million tonnes | -3.5% |
| 1997 | 37.91 million tonnes | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 35.58 million tonnes | -6.1% |
| 1999 | 35.49 million tonnes | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 35.98 million tonnes | +1.4% |
| 2001 | 35.71 million tonnes | -0.8% |
| 2002 | 36.09 million tonnes | +1.1% |
| 2003 | 36.14 million tonnes | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 36.82 million tonnes | +1.9% |
| 2005 | 37.02 million tonnes | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 38.00 million tonnes | +2.7% |
| 2007 | 38.48 million tonnes | +1.3% |
| 2008 | 40.05 million tonnes | +4.1% |
| 2009 | 38.60 million tonnes | -3.6% |
| 2010 | 40.90 million tonnes | +5.9% |
| 2011 | 43.76 million tonnes | +7.0% |
| 2012 | 47.49 million tonnes | +8.5% |
| 2013 | 53.02 million tonnes | +11.6% |
| 2014 | 58.75 million tonnes | +10.8% |
| 2015 | 60.57 million tonnes | +3.1% |
| 2016 | 51.65 million tonnes | -14.7% |
| 2017 | 55.27 million tonnes | +7.0% |
| 2018 | 67.92 million tonnes | +22.9% |
| 2019 | 84.52 million tonnes | +24.4% |
| 2020 | 66.08 million tonnes | -21.8% |
| 2021 | 60.22 million tonnes | -8.9% |
| 2022 | 58.88 million tonnes | -2.2% |
| 2023 | 61.33 million tonnes | +4.2% |
| 2024 | 61.33 million tonnes | +0.0% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 61.33 million tonnes is above the median for high income countries, which is 48,004 tonnes, 1277.6× the median. (74 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Annual CO₂ emissions from flaring in United States changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | +461.8% | 7.60 million tonnes | 42.67 million tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 41.07 million tonnes | 30.76 million tonnes | 46.53 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1960s | 24.04 million tonnes | 17.19 million tonnes | 30.32 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1970s | 11.56 million tonnes | 7.11 million tonnes | 26.25 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 6.00 million tonnes | 4.99 million tonnes | 7.64 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 39.43 million tonnes | 35.49 million tonnes | 42.67 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 37.29 million tonnes | 35.71 million tonnes | 40.05 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 56.39 million tonnes | 40.90 million tonnes | 84.52 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 61.57 million tonnes | 58.88 million tonnes | 66.08 million tonnes | 5 |
Countries ranked near United States
More climate change data for United States
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 274,482 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 60,922 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 213,560 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 229.89 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 7,627 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 107,381 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 89,068 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 18,313 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 336.11 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 654.05 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual co₂ emissions from flaring in United States?
- Annual co₂ emissions from flaring in United States was 61.33 million tonnes in 2024, according to Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual co₂ emissions from flaring recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 84.52 million tonnes in 2019.
- What is the lowest annual co₂ emissions from flaring recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.99 million tonnes in 1982.
- How does United States rank for annual co₂ emissions from flaring?
- United States ranks 2nd out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
- Is annual co₂ emissions from flaring rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.4%. 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 Annual CO₂ emissions from flaring. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 75 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Annual emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from flaring, measured in tonnes.