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
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.
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
- 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 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.
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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.