CO₂ emissions from transport in United States
United States: CO₂ emissions from transport was 1.67 billion tonnes in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
1.67 billion tonnes
Change on year
down 1.4%
World rank
1st
of 191 countries
All-time high
1.81 billion tonnes
in 2005
All-time low
1.40 billion tonnes
in 1991
Years of data
34
1990–2023
CO₂ emissions from transport in United States, 1990–2023
Source: Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
The most recent figure for co₂ emissions from transport in United States is 1.67 billion tonnes, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of down 1.4% on the previous year and up 1.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, co₂ emissions from transport in United States peaked at 1.81 billion tonnes in 2005 and was at its lowest, 1.40 billion tonnes, in 1991.
United States ranks 1st of 191 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
CO₂ emissions from transport in United States, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 1.43 billion tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 1.40 billion tonnes | -1.9% |
| 1992 | 1.43 billion tonnes | +2.2% |
| 1993 | 1.45 billion tonnes | +1.6% |
| 1994 | 1.51 billion tonnes | +3.6% |
| 1995 | 1.54 billion tonnes | +2.0% |
| 1996 | 1.58 billion tonnes | +2.6% |
| 1997 | 1.60 billion tonnes | +1.6% |
| 1998 | 1.64 billion tonnes | +2.4% |
| 1999 | 1.69 billion tonnes | +2.8% |
| 2000 | 1.72 billion tonnes | +1.9% |
| 2001 | 1.72 billion tonnes | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 1.74 billion tonnes | +1.3% |
| 2003 | 1.77 billion tonnes | +1.4% |
| 2004 | 1.79 billion tonnes | +1.2% |
| 2005 | 1.81 billion tonnes | +1.1% |
| 2006 | 1.81 billion tonnes | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 1.81 billion tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 1.71 billion tonnes | -5.4% |
| 2009 | 1.62 billion tonnes | -5.0% |
| 2010 | 1.68 billion tonnes | +3.5% |
| 2011 | 1.63 billion tonnes | -2.7% |
| 2012 | 1.60 billion tonnes | -2.2% |
| 2013 | 1.65 billion tonnes | +3.1% |
| 2014 | 1.64 billion tonnes | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 1.70 billion tonnes | +3.7% |
| 2016 | 1.71 billion tonnes | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 1.72 billion tonnes | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 1.76 billion tonnes | +2.2% |
| 2019 | 1.76 billion tonnes | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 1.51 billion tonnes | -14.2% |
| 2021 | 1.66 billion tonnes | +10.3% |
| 2022 | 1.70 billion tonnes | +2.1% |
| 2023 | 1.67 billion tonnes | -1.4% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 1.67 billion tonnes is above the median for high income countries, which is 12.23 million tonnes, 136.9× the median. (60 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.53 billion tonnes | 1.40 billion tonnes | 1.69 billion tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.75 billion tonnes | 1.62 billion tonnes | 1.81 billion tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.69 billion tonnes | 1.60 billion tonnes | 1.76 billion tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.64 billion tonnes | 1.51 billion tonnes | 1.70 billion 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 from transport in United States?
- Co₂ emissions from transport in United States was 1.67 billion tonnes in 2023, according to Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest co₂ emissions from transport recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 1.81 billion tonnes in 2005.
- What is the lowest co₂ emissions from transport recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.40 billion tonnes in 1991.
- How does United States rank for co₂ emissions from transport?
- United States ranks 1st out of 191 countries with data for 2023.
- Is co₂ emissions from transport rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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 from transport. 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.