Per capita CO₂ emissions from transport in United States
United States: Per capita CO₂ emissions from transport was 4,877 kilograms per person in 2023. ▼ Falling
Per capita CO₂ emissions from transport 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
The most recent figure for per capita co₂ emissions from transport in United States is 4,877 kilograms per person, measured in 2023.
The figure is down 2.0% on the previous year and down 5.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, per capita co₂ emissions from transport in United States peaked at 6,113 kilograms per person in 2005 and was at its lowest, 4,442 kilograms per person, in 2020.
That places United States 3rd out of 191 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 | 5,722 kilograms per person | 5,457 kilograms per person | 6,048 kilograms per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 5,944 kilograms per person | 5,268 kilograms per person | 6,113 kilograms per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 5,192 kilograms per person | 5,038 kilograms per person | 5,400 kilograms per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 4,796 kilograms per person | 4,442 kilograms per person | 4,976 kilograms per person | 4 |
Countries ranked near United States
- 1 Palau 7,887 kilograms per person compare
- 2 Luxembourg 6,300 kilograms per person compare
- 4 Saudi Arabia 4,298 kilograms per person compare
- 5 Cook Islands 4,212 kilograms per person compare
- 6 Canada 4,186 kilograms per person compare
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 from transport in United States?
- Per capita co₂ emissions from transport in United States was 4,877 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 from transport recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 6,113 kilograms per person in 2005.
- What is the lowest per capita co₂ emissions from transport recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 4,442 kilograms per person in 2020.
- How does United States rank for per capita co₂ emissions from transport?
- United States ranks 3rd out of 191 countries with data for 2023.
- Is per capita co₂ emissions from transport rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.2%. 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 from transport. 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.