Are consumption-based CO₂ per capita emissions above or below the global average? in United States
United States: Are consumption-based CO₂ per capita emissions above or below the global average? was 15.81 tonnes per person in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
15.81 tonnes per person
Change on year
down 3.0%
World rank
11th
of 120 countries
All-time high
22.51 tonnes per person
in 2005
All-time low
15.03 tonnes per person
in 2020
Years of data
34
1990–2023
Are consumption-based CO₂ per capita emissions above or below the global average? in United States, 1990–2023
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 15.81 tonnes per person for are consumption-based co₂ per capita emissions above or below the global average? in 2023.
The figure is down 3.0% on the previous year and down 10.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, are consumption-based co₂ per capita emissions above or below the global average? in United States peaked at 22.51 tonnes per person in 2005 and was at its lowest, 15.03 tonnes per person, in 2020.
That places United States 11th out of 120 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
Are consumption-based CO₂ per capita emissions above or below the global average? in United States, year by year
| Year | tonnes per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 19.94 tonnes per person | — |
| 1991 | 19.4 tonnes per person | -2.7% |
| 1992 | 19.98 tonnes per person | +3.0% |
| 1993 | 19.9 tonnes per person | -0.4% |
| 1994 | 20.05 tonnes per person | +0.7% |
| 1995 | 20.08 tonnes per person | +0.2% |
| 1996 | 20.47 tonnes per person | +1.9% |
| 1997 | 20.62 tonnes per person | +0.7% |
| 1998 | 21.15 tonnes per person | +2.6% |
| 1999 | 21.3 tonnes per person | +0.7% |
| 2000 | 22.13 tonnes per person | +3.9% |
| 2001 | 21.63 tonnes per person | -2.3% |
| 2002 | 21.85 tonnes per person | +1.0% |
| 2003 | 22.2 tonnes per person | +1.6% |
| 2004 | 22.39 tonnes per person | +0.9% |
| 2005 | 22.51 tonnes per person | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 22.16 tonnes per person | -1.6% |
| 2007 | 21.62 tonnes per person | -2.4% |
| 2008 | 20.39 tonnes per person | -5.7% |
| 2009 | 18.59 tonnes per person | -8.8% |
| 2010 | 18.93 tonnes per person | +1.9% |
| 2011 | 18.27 tonnes per person | -3.5% |
| 2012 | 17.5 tonnes per person | -4.2% |
| 2013 | 17.61 tonnes per person | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 17.82 tonnes per person | +1.2% |
| 2015 | 17.46 tonnes per person | -2.0% |
| 2016 | 16.88 tonnes per person | -3.3% |
| 2017 | 16.63 tonnes per person | -1.5% |
| 2018 | 16.97 tonnes per person | +2.0% |
| 2019 | 16.52 tonnes per person | -2.6% |
| 2020 | 15.03 tonnes per person | -9.0% |
| 2021 | 16.14 tonnes per person | +7.3% |
| 2022 | 16.3 tonnes per person | +1.0% |
| 2023 | 15.81 tonnes per person | -3.0% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 15.81 tonnes per person is above the median for high income countries, which is 8.42 tonnes per person, 1.9× the median. (52 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 20.29 tonnes per person | 19.4 tonnes per person | 21.3 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 21.55 tonnes per person | 18.59 tonnes per person | 22.51 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 17.46 tonnes per person | 16.52 tonnes per person | 18.93 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 15.82 tonnes per person | 15.03 tonnes per person | 16.3 tonnes per person | 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 are consumption-based co₂ per capita emissions above or below the global average? in United States?
- Are consumption-based co₂ per capita emissions above or below the global average? in United States was 15.81 tonnes per person in 2023, according to Global Carbon Budget (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest are consumption-based co₂ per capita emissions above or below the global average? recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 22.51 tonnes per person in 2005.
- What is the lowest are consumption-based co₂ per capita emissions above or below the global average? recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.03 tonnes per person in 2020.
- How does United States rank for are consumption-based co₂ per capita emissions above or below the global average??
- United States ranks 11th out of 120 countries with data for 2023.
- Is are consumption-based co₂ per capita emissions above or below the global average? rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- 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 Are consumption-based CO₂ per capita emissions above or below the global average?. 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
Annual consumption-based emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂), measured in tonnes per person.