Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in United States
United States: Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity was 384.4 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
384.4 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour
Change on year
up 0.2%
World rank
125th
of 213 countries
All-time high
609.89 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour
in 2001
All-time low
383.78 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour
in 2024
Years of data
26
2000–2025
Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in United States, 2000–2025
Source: Ember (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour.
Analysis
In 2025, lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in United States stood at 384.4 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.2% on the previous year and down 23.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in United States peaked at 609.89 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour in 2001 and was at its lowest, 383.78 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour, in 2024.
That places United States 125th out of 213 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 26 years of available data.
Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in United States, year by year
| Year | grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 607.52 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | — |
| 2001 | 609.89 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +0.4% |
| 2002 | 600.66 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -1.5% |
| 2003 | 606.34 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +0.9% |
| 2004 | 602.44 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -0.6% |
| 2005 | 604.39 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 595.46 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -1.5% |
| 2007 | 598.47 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 591.33 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -1.2% |
| 2009 | 565.02 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -4.4% |
| 2010 | 570.81 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 550.48 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -3.6% |
| 2012 | 532.77 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -3.2% |
| 2013 | 533.43 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 529.41 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -0.8% |
| 2015 | 504.9 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -4.6% |
| 2016 | 483.35 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -4.3% |
| 2017 | 469.02 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -3.0% |
| 2018 | 462.61 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -1.4% |
| 2019 | 439.45 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -5.0% |
| 2020 | 411.73 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -6.3% |
| 2021 | 423.78 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +2.9% |
| 2022 | 410.39 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -3.2% |
| 2023 | 392.89 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -4.3% |
| 2024 | 383.78 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -2.3% |
| 2025 | 384.4 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +0.2% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 384.4 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour is below the median for high income countries, which is 417.06 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour, 92% of the median. (75 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 598.15 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 565.02 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 609.89 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 2010s | 507.62 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 439.45 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 570.81 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 2020s | 401.16 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 383.78 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 423.78 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 6 |
Countries ranked near United States
- 122 Czechia 401.46 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
- 123 Reunion 394.14 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
- 124 Lebanon 389.51 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
- 126 Zimbabwe 384.02 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
- 127 Samoa 375 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
- 128 Rwanda 353.98 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
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 lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in United States?
- Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in United States was 384.4 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour in 2025, according to Ember (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 609.89 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour in 2001.
- What is the lowest lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 383.78 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour in 2024.
- How does United States rank for lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity?
- United States ranks 125th out of 213 countries with data for 2025.
- Is lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 23.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from Ember (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Greenhouse gases emitted per unit of generated electricity, measured in grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour.