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
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.
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
- 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 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.
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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.