emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre in United States
United States: emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre was 2.4 tonnes per square kilometre in 2022. ▼ Falling
Latest (2022)
2.4 tonnes per square kilometre
Change on year
down 1.8%
World rank
115th
of 207 countries
All-time high
19.03 tonnes per square kilometre
in 1972
All-time low
2.35 tonnes per square kilometre
in 2020
Years of data
62
1961–2022
emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre in United States, 1961–2022
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in tonnes per square kilometre.
Analysis
United States recorded 2.4 tonnes per square kilometre for emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre in 2022.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.8% on the previous year and down 37.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre in United States peaked at 19.03 tonnes per square kilometre in 1972 and was at its lowest, 2.35 tonnes per square kilometre, in 2020.
United States ranks 115th of 207 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 62 years of available data.
emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre in United States, year by year
| Year | tonnes per square kilometre | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 13.34 tonnes per square kilometre | — |
| 1962 | 13.82 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.6% |
| 1963 | 14.26 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.2% |
| 1964 | 14.72 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.2% |
| 1965 | 15.12 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.7% |
| 1966 | 15.83 tonnes per square kilometre | +4.7% |
| 1967 | 16.26 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.7% |
| 1968 | 17.27 tonnes per square kilometre | +6.2% |
| 1969 | 18.08 tonnes per square kilometre | +4.7% |
| 1970 | 18.83 tonnes per square kilometre | +4.1% |
| 1971 | 18.71 tonnes per square kilometre | -0.6% |
| 1972 | 19.03 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.7% |
| 1973 | 19 tonnes per square kilometre | -0.1% |
| 1974 | 17.78 tonnes per square kilometre | -6.4% |
| 1975 | 17.2 tonnes per square kilometre | -3.2% |
| 1976 | 17.85 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.8% |
| 1977 | 18.12 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.5% |
| 1978 | 18.44 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.7% |
| 1979 | 17.49 tonnes per square kilometre | -5.1% |
| 1980 | 16.33 tonnes per square kilometre | -6.6% |
| 1981 | 16.1 tonnes per square kilometre | -1.4% |
| 1982 | 15.79 tonnes per square kilometre | -1.9% |
| 1983 | 15.71 tonnes per square kilometre | -0.5% |
| 1984 | 15.5 tonnes per square kilometre | -1.3% |
| 1985 | 15.45 tonnes per square kilometre | -0.3% |
| 1986 | 15.02 tonnes per square kilometre | -2.8% |
| 1987 | 14.74 tonnes per square kilometre | -1.8% |
| 1988 | 14.49 tonnes per square kilometre | -1.7% |
| 1989 | 13.81 tonnes per square kilometre | -4.7% |
| 1990 | 12.6 tonnes per square kilometre | -8.8% |
| 1991 | 12.24 tonnes per square kilometre | -2.9% |
| 1992 | 11.88 tonnes per square kilometre | -3.0% |
| 1993 | 11.28 tonnes per square kilometre | -5.0% |
| 1994 | 11.08 tonnes per square kilometre | -1.8% |
| 1995 | 10.84 tonnes per square kilometre | -2.2% |
| 1996 | 10.23 tonnes per square kilometre | -5.6% |
| 1997 | 10.08 tonnes per square kilometre | -1.5% |
| 1998 | 9.94 tonnes per square kilometre | -1.4% |
| 1999 | 9.31 tonnes per square kilometre | -6.3% |
| 2000 | 9.31 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 8.95 tonnes per square kilometre | -3.9% |
| 2002 | 7.64 tonnes per square kilometre | -14.7% |
| 2003 | 7.12 tonnes per square kilometre | -6.7% |
| 2004 | 6.63 tonnes per square kilometre | -6.9% |
| 2005 | 6.33 tonnes per square kilometre | -4.6% |
| 2006 | 6.03 tonnes per square kilometre | -4.7% |
| 2007 | 5.57 tonnes per square kilometre | -7.7% |
| 2008 | 5.11 tonnes per square kilometre | -8.2% |
| 2009 | 4.72 tonnes per square kilometre | -7.5% |
| 2010 | 4.26 tonnes per square kilometre | -9.8% |
| 2011 | 4.28 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 3.85 tonnes per square kilometre | -10.0% |
| 2013 | 3.93 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.2% |
| 2014 | 3.81 tonnes per square kilometre | -3.1% |
| 2015 | 3.69 tonnes per square kilometre | -3.2% |
| 2016 | 3.28 tonnes per square kilometre | -11.1% |
| 2017 | 3.15 tonnes per square kilometre | -3.8% |
| 2018 | 2.95 tonnes per square kilometre | -6.4% |
| 2019 | 2.75 tonnes per square kilometre | -6.8% |
| 2020 | 2.35 tonnes per square kilometre | -14.7% |
| 2021 | 2.45 tonnes per square kilometre | +4.2% |
| 2022 | 2.4 tonnes per square kilometre | -1.8% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 2.4 tonnes per square kilometre is below the median for high income countries, which is 3.78 tonnes per square kilometre, 64% of the median. (78 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 15.41 tonnes per square kilometre | 13.34 tonnes per square kilometre | 18.08 tonnes per square kilometre | 9 |
| 1970s | 18.25 tonnes per square kilometre | 17.2 tonnes per square kilometre | 19.03 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1980s | 15.29 tonnes per square kilometre | 13.81 tonnes per square kilometre | 16.33 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1990s | 10.95 tonnes per square kilometre | 9.31 tonnes per square kilometre | 12.6 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2000s | 6.74 tonnes per square kilometre | 4.72 tonnes per square kilometre | 9.31 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.6 tonnes per square kilometre | 2.75 tonnes per square kilometre | 4.28 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.4 tonnes per square kilometre | 2.35 tonnes per square kilometre | 2.45 tonnes per square kilometre | 3 |
Countries ranked near United States
- 112 Bahamas 2.52 tonnes per square kilometre compare
- 113 Estonia 2.48 tonnes per square kilometre compare
- 114 Portugal 2.45 tonnes per square kilometre compare
- 116 Democratic Republic of Congo 2.32 tonnes per square kilometre compare
- 117 Bulgaria 2.23 tonnes per square kilometre compare
- 118 Nicaragua 2.22 tonnes per square kilometre compare
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 emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre in United States?
- Emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre in United States was 2.4 tonnes per square kilometre in 2022, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 19.03 tonnes per square kilometre in 1972.
- What is the lowest emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.35 tonnes per square kilometre in 2020.
- How does United States rank for emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre?
- United States ranks 115th out of 207 countries with data for 2022.
- Is emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 37.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 62 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
emissions of air pollutants divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
emissions of air pollutants ÷ Land area (sq. km)
Computed from
- emissions of air pollutants Hoesly et al. (2024) – Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data
- Land area FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
emissions of air pollutants divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.