Per capita consumption-based CO₂ emissions in United States
United States: Per capita consumption-based CO₂ emissions was 15.81 tonnes per person in 2023. ▼ Falling
Per capita consumption-based CO₂ emissions 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
The most recent figure for per capita consumption-based co₂ emissions in United States is 15.81 tonnes per person, measured in 2023.
The figure is down 3.0% on the previous year and down 10.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, per capita consumption-based co₂ emissions in United States peaked at 22.51 tonnes per person in 2005 and was at its lowest, 15.03 tonnes per person, in 2020.
United States ranks 11th of 120 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 | 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
- 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 per capita consumption-based co₂ emissions in United States?
- Per capita consumption-based co₂ emissions 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 per capita consumption-based co₂ emissions recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 22.51 tonnes per person in 2005.
- What is the lowest per capita consumption-based co₂ emissions recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.03 tonnes per person in 2020.
- How does United States rank for per capita consumption-based co₂ emissions?
- United States ranks 11th out of 120 countries with data for 2023.
- Is per capita consumption-based co₂ emissions 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 Per capita consumption-based CO₂ emissions. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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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.