CO₂ emissions by sector in United States
United States: CO₂ emissions by sector was 514.17 million tonnes in 2023. ▼ Falling
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.
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
- 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 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.