CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita in United States

United States: CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita was 14.2 tonnes per person in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
14.2 tonnes per person
Change on year
down 0.9%
World rank
12th
of 213 countries
All-time high
22.22 tonnes per person
in 1973
All-time low
0.0421 tonnes per person
in 1800
Years of data
225
1800–2024

CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita in United States, 1800–2024

05101520180019122024

Source: Global Carbon Budget (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes per person.

Analysis

United States recorded 14.2 tonnes per person for co₂ emissions per capita vs. gdp per capita in 2024.

That represents a change of down 0.9% on the previous year and down 17.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, co₂ emissions per capita vs. gdp per capita in United States peaked at 22.22 tonnes per person in 1973 and was at its lowest, 0.0421 tonnes per person, in 1800.

United States ranks 12th of 213 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1800s 0.05 tonnes per person 0.0421 tonnes per person 0.0567 tonnes per person 10
1810s 0.07 tonnes per person 0.0572 tonnes per person 0.0833 tonnes per person 10
1820s 0.1011 tonnes per person 0.0794 tonnes per person 0.1394 tonnes per person 10
1830s 0.2559 tonnes per person 0.1577 tonnes per person 0.3301 tonnes per person 10
1840s 0.5342 tonnes per person 0.3359 tonnes per person 0.7957 tonnes per person 10
1850s 1.24 tonnes per person 0.8387 tonnes per person 1.47 tonnes per person 10
1860s 1.74 tonnes per person 1.41 tonnes per person 2.4 tonnes per person 10
1870s 3.01 tonnes per person 2.47 tonnes per person 3.6 tonnes per person 10
1880s 4.94 tonnes per person 3.99 tonnes per person 6.29 tonnes per person 10
1890s 7.07 tonnes per person 6.35 tonnes per person 8.53 tonnes per person 10
1900s 11.45 tonnes per person 8.88 tonnes per person 14.14 tonnes per person 10
1910s 15.03 tonnes per person 13.82 tonnes per person 17.37 tonnes per person 10
1920s 15.81 tonnes per person 13.52 tonnes per person 17.59 tonnes per person 10
1930s 12.46 tonnes per person 10.32 tonnes per person 14.59 tonnes per person 10
1940s 16.5 tonnes per person 14.49 tonnes per person 17.95 tonnes per person 10
1950s 16.24 tonnes per person 15.21 tonnes per person 16.94 tonnes per person 10
1960s 17.37 tonnes per person 15.73 tonnes per person 19.65 tonnes per person 10
1970s 21.22 tonnes per person 20.15 tonnes per person 22.22 tonnes per person 10
1980s 19.12 tonnes per person 18.34 tonnes per person 20.58 tonnes per person 10
1990s 20.35 tonnes per person 19.79 tonnes per person 20.81 tonnes per person 10
2000s 20.29 tonnes per person 17.81 tonnes per person 21.4 tonnes per person 10
2010s 16.64 tonnes per person 15.5 tonnes per person 18.23 tonnes per person 10
2020s 14.38 tonnes per person 13.82 tonnes per person 14.8 tonnes per person 5

Countries ranked near United States

  1. 9 Sint Maarten (Dutch part) 16.55 tonnes per person compare
  2. 10 Oman 15.65 tonnes per person compare
  3. 11 Australia 14.48 tonnes per person compare
  4. 13 Kazakhstan 13.94 tonnes per person compare
  5. 14 Canada 13.42 tonnes per person compare
  6. 15 Faroe Islands 13.09 tonnes per person compare

See the full ranking of 213 places →

More climate change data for United States

All data for United States →

Frequently asked questions

What is co₂ emissions per capita vs. gdp per capita in United States?
Co₂ emissions per capita vs. gdp per capita in United States was 14.2 tonnes per person in 2024, according to Global Carbon Budget (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest co₂ emissions per capita vs. gdp per capita recorded in United States?
The highest recorded value was 22.22 tonnes per person in 1973.
What is the lowest co₂ emissions per capita vs. gdp per capita recorded in United States?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0421 tonnes per person in 1800.
How does United States rank for co₂ emissions per capita vs. gdp per capita?
United States ranks 12th out of 213 countries with data for 2024.
Is co₂ emissions per capita vs. gdp per capita rising or falling in United States?
Over the last ten years it is down 17.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this United States data come from?
The figures come from Global Carbon Budget (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 225 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita
Unit
tonnes per person
Source
Global Carbon Budget (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
213 places, 22,945 data points, 1750–2024
Last refreshed

Carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from burning fossil fuels and industrial processes. This includes emissions from transport, electricity generation, and heating, but not land-use change.