Energy — Emissions in United States

United States: Energy — Emissions was 4.64 million kt in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
4.64 million kt
Change on year
down 3.1%
World rank
4th
of 231 countries
All-time high
5.76 million kt
in 2005
All-time low
2.86 million kt
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023

Energy — Emissions in United States, 1961–2023

02.0M4.0M6.0M196119922023

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in kt.

Analysis

In 2023, energy — emissions in United States stood at 4.64 million kt.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.1% on the previous year and down 9.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, energy — emissions in United States peaked at 5.76 million kt in 2005 and was at its lowest, 2.86 million kt, in 1961.

That places United States 4th out of 231 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.

Energy — Emissions in United States, year by year

Annual values for Energy — Emissions (CO2) in United States, 1961 to 2023.
Year kt Change
1961 2.86 million kt
1962 2.97 million kt +3.8%
1963 3.10 million kt +4.4%
1964 3.24 million kt +4.5%
1965 3.38 million kt +4.3%
1966 3.55 million kt +5.0%
1967 3.68 million kt +3.7%
1968 3.81 million kt +3.5%
1969 4.00 million kt +5.0%
1970 4.31 million kt +7.8%
1971 4.34 million kt +0.7%
1972 4.55 million kt +4.8%
1973 4.77 million kt +4.8%
1974 4.59 million kt -3.8%
1975 4.40 million kt -4.1%
1976 4.62 million kt +5.0%
1977 4.74 million kt +2.6%
1978 4.89 million kt +3.2%
1979 4.91 million kt +0.4%
1980 4.73 million kt -3.7%
1981 4.53 million kt -4.2%
1982 4.30 million kt -5.1%
1983 4.33 million kt +0.7%
1984 4.47 million kt +3.2%
1985 4.49 million kt +0.4%
1986 4.49 million kt +0.0%
1987 4.68 million kt +4.2%
1988 4.89 million kt +4.5%
1989 4.96 million kt +1.4%
1990 4.81 million kt -3.0%
1991 4.81 million kt +0.0%
1992 4.90 million kt +1.9%
1993 5.01 million kt +2.2%
1994 5.08 million kt +1.4%
1995 5.12 million kt +0.8%
1996 5.24 million kt +2.3%
1997 5.35 million kt +2.1%
1998 5.39 million kt +0.7%
1999 5.48 million kt +1.7%
2000 5.67 million kt +3.5%
2001 5.57 million kt -1.8%
2002 5.62 million kt +0.9%
2003 5.65 million kt +0.5%
2004 5.73 million kt +1.4%
2005 5.76 million kt +0.5%
2006 5.67 million kt -1.6%
2007 5.76 million kt +1.6%
2008 5.59 million kt -3.0%
2009 5.25 million kt -6.1%
2010 5.38 million kt +2.5%
2011 5.25 million kt -2.4%
2012 5.06 million kt -3.6%
2013 5.15 million kt +1.8%
2014 5.21 million kt +1.2%
2015 5.12 million kt -1.7%
2016 4.98 million kt -2.7%
2017 4.94 million kt -0.8%
2018 5.08 million kt +2.8%
2019 5.01 million kt -1.4%
2020 4.47 million kt -10.8%
2021 4.75 million kt +6.3%
2022 4.79 million kt +0.8%
2023 4.64 million kt -3.1%

United States compared with similar countries

  • United States's 4.64 million kt is above the median for high income countries, which is 30,800 kt, 150.6× the median. (65 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 3.40 million kt 2.86 million kt 4.00 million kt 9
1970s 4.61 million kt 4.31 million kt 4.91 million kt 10
1980s 4.59 million kt 4.30 million kt 4.96 million kt 10
1990s 5.12 million kt 4.81 million kt 5.48 million kt 10
2000s 5.63 million kt 5.25 million kt 5.76 million kt 10
2010s 5.12 million kt 4.94 million kt 5.38 million kt 10
2020s 4.66 million kt 4.47 million kt 4.79 million kt 4

Countries ranked near United States

  1. 1 China 11.38 million kt compare
  2. 2 China, mainland 11.10 million kt compare
  3. 3 OECD 10.75 million kt compare
  4. 5 USSR 3.49 million kt compare
  5. 6 India 2.91 million kt compare
  6. 7 Russian Federation 2.04 million kt compare
  7. 7 Russia 2.04 million kt compare

See the full ranking of 264 places →

More climate change data for United States

All data for United States →

Frequently asked questions

What is energy — emissions in United States?
Energy — emissions in United States was 4.64 million kt in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest energy — emissions recorded in United States?
The highest recorded value was 5.76 million kt in 2005.
What is the lowest energy — emissions recorded in United States?
The lowest recorded value was 2.86 million kt in 1961.
How does United States rank for energy — emissions?
United States ranks 4th out of 231 countries with data for 2023.
Is energy — emissions rising or falling in United States?
Over the last ten years it is down 9.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this United States data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Energy — Emissions (CO2). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Energy — Emissions in United States. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 21 September 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/energy-emissions-co2-fao-tier-1/united-states/

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About this data

Indicator
Energy — Emissions (CO2)
Unit
kt
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
264 places, 15,205 data points, 1961–2023
Last refreshed

The FAOSTAT domain on Emissions Totals summarizes the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions disseminated in the FAOSTAT Climate Change domains of emissions from agrifood systems. Data are computed following the Tier 1 methods of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Guidelines for National greenhouse gas (GHG) Inventories (IPCC, 1996; 1997; 2000; 2002; 2006; 2014). Emissions from other economic sectors as defined by the IPCC are also disseminated in the domain for completeness. Methodological details can be found at: https://files-faostat.fao.org/production/GT/GT_en.pdf