Annual greenhouse gas emissions by world region in United States
United States: Annual greenhouse gas emissions by world region was 6.05 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Annual greenhouse gas emissions by world region in United States, 1850–2024
Source: Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes of CO₂ equivalents.
Analysis
The most recent figure for annual greenhouse gas emissions by world region in United States is 6.05 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.4% on the previous year and down 8.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual greenhouse gas emissions by world region in United States peaked at 7.43 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2005 and was at its lowest, 774.04 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents, in 1850.
That places United States 2nd out of 199 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850s | 927.74 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 774.04 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.06 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1860s | 907.41 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 872.64 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 986.39 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1870s | 1.47 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.13 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.74 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1880s | 1.70 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.61 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.82 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1890s | 2.05 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.91 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.28 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1900s | 2.53 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.27 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.82 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1910s | 2.96 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.83 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.25 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1920s | 3.20 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.90 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.39 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1930s | 2.68 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.42 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.04 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1940s | 3.48 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.97 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.88 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1950s | 3.82 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.61 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 4.01 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1960s | 4.66 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.92 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5.68 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1970s | 6.06 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5.81 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 6.33 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1980s | 5.98 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5.72 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 6.33 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1990s | 6.69 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 6.39 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 7.01 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2000s | 7.11 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 6.58 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 7.43 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.47 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 6.31 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 6.82 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.04 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5.76 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 6.20 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 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 annual greenhouse gas emissions by world region in United States?
- Annual greenhouse gas emissions by world region in United States was 6.05 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2024, according to Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual greenhouse gas emissions by world region recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 7.43 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2005.
- What is the lowest annual greenhouse gas emissions by world region recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 774.04 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 1850.
- How does United States rank for annual greenhouse gas emissions by world region?
- United States ranks 2nd out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is annual greenhouse gas emissions by world region rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual greenhouse gas emissions by world region. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 175 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Greenhouse gas emissions are measured in tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalents over a 100-year timescale.