Per capita CO₂ emissions by sector in United States
United States: Per capita CO₂ emissions by sector was 1,497 kilograms per person in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
1,497 kilograms per person
Change on year
down 7.3%
World rank
10th
of 187 countries
All-time high
2,276 kilograms per person
in 1996
All-time low
1,452 kilograms per person
in 2012
Years of data
34
1990–2023
Per capita CO₂ emissions by sector in United States, 1990–2023
Source: Climate Watch (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in kilograms per person.
Analysis
In 2023, per capita co₂ emissions by sector in United States stood at 1,497 kilograms per person.
The figure is down 7.3% on the previous year and down 9.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, per capita co₂ emissions by sector in United States peaked at 2,276 kilograms per person in 1996 and was at its lowest, 1,452 kilograms per person, in 2012.
That places United States 10th out of 187 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
Per capita CO₂ emissions by sector in United States, year by year
| Year | kilograms per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 2,153 kilograms per person | — |
| 1991 | 2,165 kilograms per person | +0.5% |
| 1992 | 2,177 kilograms per person | +0.6% |
| 1993 | 2,230 kilograms per person | +2.4% |
| 1994 | 2,169 kilograms per person | -2.7% |
| 1995 | 2,163 kilograms per person | -0.3% |
| 1996 | 2,276 kilograms per person | +5.2% |
| 1997 | 2,194 kilograms per person | -3.6% |
| 1998 | 1,987 kilograms per person | -9.5% |
| 1999 | 2,035 kilograms per person | +2.4% |
| 2000 | 2,128 kilograms per person | +4.6% |
| 2001 | 2,046 kilograms per person | -3.9% |
| 2002 | 2,030 kilograms per person | -0.8% |
| 2003 | 2,089 kilograms per person | +2.9% |
| 2004 | 2,016 kilograms per person | -3.5% |
| 2005 | 1,934 kilograms per person | -4.1% |
| 2006 | 1,732 kilograms per person | -10.4% |
| 2007 | 1,819 kilograms per person | +5.0% |
| 2008 | 1,824 kilograms per person | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 1,790 kilograms per person | -1.9% |
| 2010 | 1,752 kilograms per person | -2.1% |
| 2011 | 1,663 kilograms per person | -5.1% |
| 2012 | 1,452 kilograms per person | -12.6% |
| 2013 | 1,649 kilograms per person | +13.6% |
| 2014 | 1,687 kilograms per person | +2.3% |
| 2015 | 1,572 kilograms per person | -6.8% |
| 2016 | 1,508 kilograms per person | -4.0% |
| 2017 | 1,499 kilograms per person | -0.6% |
| 2018 | 1,644 kilograms per person | +9.7% |
| 2019 | 1,630 kilograms per person | -0.8% |
| 2020 | 1,505 kilograms per person | -7.7% |
| 2021 | 1,541 kilograms per person | +2.4% |
| 2022 | 1,616 kilograms per person | +4.9% |
| 2023 | 1,497 kilograms per person | -7.3% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 1,497 kilograms per person is above the median for high income countries, which is 461.71 kilograms per person, 3.2× the median. (60 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2,155 kilograms per person | 1,987 kilograms per person | 2,276 kilograms per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 1,941 kilograms per person | 1,732 kilograms per person | 2,128 kilograms per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 1,606 kilograms per person | 1,452 kilograms per person | 1,752 kilograms per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 1,540 kilograms per person | 1,497 kilograms per person | 1,616 kilograms per person | 4 |
Countries ranked near United States
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 per capita co₂ emissions by sector in United States?
- Per capita co₂ emissions by sector in United States was 1,497 kilograms per person in 2023, according to Climate Watch (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest per capita co₂ emissions by sector recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 2,276 kilograms per person in 1996.
- What is the lowest per capita co₂ emissions by sector recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,452 kilograms per person in 2012.
- How does United States rank for per capita co₂ emissions by sector?
- United States ranks 10th out of 187 countries with data for 2023.
- Is per capita co₂ emissions by sector rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from Climate Watch (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Per capita CO₂ emissions by sector. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Emissions are measured in kilograms per person.