CO₂ emissions by sector in United States
United States: CO₂ emissions by sector was 514.17 million tonnes in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
514.17 million tonnes
Change on year
down 6.8%
World rank
1st
of 187 countries
All-time high
616.37 million tonnes
in 1996
All-time low
460.54 million tonnes
in 2012
Years of data
34
1990–2023
CO₂ emissions by sector in United States, 1990–2023
Source: Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
In 2023, co₂ emissions by sector in United States stood at 514.17 million tonnes.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 6.8% on the previous year and down 2.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, co₂ emissions by sector in United States peaked at 616.37 million tonnes in 1996 and was at its lowest, 460.54 million tonnes, in 2012.
United States ranks 1st of 187 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
CO₂ emissions by sector in United States, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 545.48 million tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 555.18 million tonnes | +1.8% |
| 1992 | 565.06 million tonnes | +1.8% |
| 1993 | 585.57 million tonnes | +3.6% |
| 1994 | 575.85 million tonnes | -1.7% |
| 1995 | 580.04 million tonnes | +0.7% |
| 1996 | 616.37 million tonnes | +6.3% |
| 1997 | 600.06 million tonnes | -2.6% |
| 1998 | 548.57 million tonnes | -8.6% |
| 1999 | 567.35 million tonnes | +3.4% |
| 2000 | 599.12 million tonnes | +5.6% |
| 2001 | 581.69 million tonnes | -2.9% |
| 2002 | 582.86 million tonnes | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 605.74 million tonnes | +3.9% |
| 2004 | 590.28 million tonnes | -2.6% |
| 2005 | 571.93 million tonnes | -3.1% |
| 2006 | 517.53 million tonnes | -9.5% |
| 2007 | 549.00 million tonnes | +6.1% |
| 2008 | 556.24 million tonnes | +1.3% |
| 2009 | 551.36 million tonnes | -0.9% |
| 2010 | 545.05 million tonnes | -1.1% |
| 2011 | 522.21 million tonnes | -4.2% |
| 2012 | 460.54 million tonnes | -11.8% |
| 2013 | 528.01 million tonnes | +14.7% |
| 2014 | 545.08 million tonnes | +3.2% |
| 2015 | 512.54 million tonnes | -6.0% |
| 2016 | 496.47 million tonnes | -3.1% |
| 2017 | 497.90 million tonnes | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 550.68 million tonnes | +10.6% |
| 2019 | 550.59 million tonnes | -0.0% |
| 2020 | 510.93 million tonnes | -7.2% |
| 2021 | 524.11 million tonnes | +2.6% |
| 2022 | 551.75 million tonnes | +5.3% |
| 2023 | 514.17 million tonnes | -6.8% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 514.17 million tonnes is above the median for high income countries, which is 2.00 million tonnes, 256.4× the median. (60 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 573.95 million tonnes | 545.48 million tonnes | 616.37 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 570.58 million tonnes | 517.53 million tonnes | 605.74 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 520.91 million tonnes | 460.54 million tonnes | 550.68 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 525.24 million tonnes | 510.93 million tonnes | 551.75 million tonnes | 4 |
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 co₂ emissions by sector in United States?
- Co₂ emissions by sector in United States was 514.17 million tonnes in 2023, according to Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest co₂ emissions by sector recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 616.37 million tonnes in 1996.
- What is the lowest co₂ emissions by sector recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 460.54 million tonnes in 2012.
- How does United States rank for co₂ emissions by sector?
- United States ranks 1st out of 187 countries with data for 2023.
- Is co₂ emissions by sector rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of CO₂ emissions by sector. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Emissions are measured in tonnes.