Cumulative CO₂ emissions by source in United States
United States: Cumulative CO₂ emissions by source was 5.43 billion tonnes in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Cumulative CO₂ emissions by source in United States, 1904–2024
Source: Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
United States recorded 5.43 billion tonnes for cumulative co₂ emissions by source in 2024. That is the highest value across all 121 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.6% on the previous year and up 33.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cumulative co₂ emissions by source in United States peaked at 5.43 billion tonnes in 2024 and was at its lowest, 1.83 million tonnes, in 1904.
That places United States 2nd out of 46 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 6.93 million tonnes | 1.83 million tonnes | 12.18 million tonnes | 6 |
| 1910s | 25.20 million tonnes | 14.52 million tonnes | 35.79 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1920s | 49.62 million tonnes | 38.14 million tonnes | 62.49 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1930s | 73.05 million tonnes | 64.77 million tonnes | 83.33 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1940s | 105.35 million tonnes | 86.55 million tonnes | 124.77 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1950s | 157.35 million tonnes | 129.76 million tonnes | 188.07 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1960s | 242.91 million tonnes | 196.65 million tonnes | 295.97 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1970s | 370.00 million tonnes | 309.10 million tonnes | 431.15 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 491.45 million tonnes | 443.77 million tonnes | 539.49 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.27 billion tonnes | 668.95 million tonnes | 1.93 billion tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.77 billion tonnes | 2.09 billion tonnes | 3.42 billion tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.14 billion tonnes | 3.55 billion tonnes | 4.76 billion tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.16 billion tonnes | 4.88 billion tonnes | 5.43 billion tonnes | 5 |
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 cumulative co₂ emissions by source in United States?
- Cumulative co₂ emissions by source in United States was 5.43 billion tonnes in 2024, according to Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest cumulative co₂ emissions by source recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 5.43 billion tonnes in 2024.
- What is the lowest cumulative co₂ emissions by source recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.83 million tonnes in 1904.
- How does United States rank for cumulative co₂ emissions by source?
- United States ranks 2nd out of 46 countries with data for 2024.
- Is cumulative co₂ emissions by source rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is up 33.4%. 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) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Cumulative CO₂ emissions by source. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 121 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Cumulative emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from other industry sources since the first year of available data, measured in tonnes.