Per capita greenhouse gas emissions in United States
United States: Per capita greenhouse gas emissions was 17.53 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
17.53 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person
Change on year
down 1.0%
World rank
15th
of 199 countries
All-time high
35.77 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person
in 1879
All-time low
16.96 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person
in 2020
Years of data
175
1850–2024
Per capita greenhouse gas emissions in United States, 1850–2024
Source: Jones et al. (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person.
Analysis
In 2024, per capita greenhouse gas emissions in United States stood at 17.53 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person.
That represents a change of down 1.0% on the previous year and down 14.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, per capita greenhouse gas emissions in United States peaked at 35.77 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 1879 and was at its lowest, 16.96 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person, in 2020.
United States ranks 15th of 199 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 175 years of available data.
Per capita greenhouse gas emissions in United States, year by year
| Year | tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1850 | 32.8 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | — |
| 1851 | 34.24 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +4.4% |
| 1852 | 34.27 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.1% |
| 1853 | 34.95 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +2.0% |
| 1854 | 34.97 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.1% |
| 1855 | 34.68 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.8% |
| 1856 | 34.31 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.1% |
| 1857 | 34.12 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.5% |
| 1858 | 34.09 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.1% |
| 1859 | 34.33 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.7% |
| 1860 | 31.21 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -9.1% |
| 1861 | 28.26 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -9.4% |
| 1862 | 27.54 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -2.6% |
| 1863 | 27.2 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.2% |
| 1864 | 26.1 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -4.1% |
| 1865 | 24.82 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -4.9% |
| 1866 | 23.96 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -3.5% |
| 1867 | 23.97 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.0% |
| 1868 | 23.39 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -2.4% |
| 1869 | 22.66 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -3.1% |
| 1870 | 28.29 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +24.9% |
| 1871 | 30.45 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +7.6% |
| 1872 | 31.9 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +4.7% |
| 1873 | 33.19 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +4.0% |
| 1874 | 33.63 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.3% |
| 1875 | 33.84 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.6% |
| 1876 | 33.91 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.2% |
| 1877 | 34.58 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +2.0% |
| 1878 | 34.79 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.6% |
| 1879 | 35.77 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +2.8% |
| 1880 | 33.5 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -6.3% |
| 1881 | 31.61 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -5.7% |
| 1882 | 31.68 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.2% |
| 1883 | 31.79 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.3% |
| 1884 | 31.18 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.9% |
| 1885 | 30.29 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -2.9% |
| 1886 | 29.95 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.1% |
| 1887 | 30.1 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.5% |
| 1888 | 30.49 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.3% |
| 1889 | 28.8 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -5.5% |
| 1890 | 30.67 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +6.5% |
| 1891 | 30.97 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.0% |
| 1892 | 30.7 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.8% |
| 1893 | 30.7 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.0% |
| 1894 | 29.72 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -3.2% |
| 1895 | 30.06 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.1% |
| 1896 | 29.7 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.2% |
| 1897 | 29.68 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.1% |
| 1898 | 30.13 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.5% |
| 1899 | 31.08 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +3.1% |
| 1900 | 30.31 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -2.5% |
| 1901 | 30.11 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.7% |
| 1902 | 30.17 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.2% |
| 1903 | 31.15 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +3.3% |
| 1904 | 30.65 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.6% |
| 1905 | 31.37 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +2.4% |
| 1906 | 31.32 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.2% |
| 1907 | 32.97 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +5.3% |
| 1908 | 30.47 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -7.6% |
| 1909 | 31.43 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +3.1% |
| 1910 | 31.72 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.9% |
| 1911 | 30.9 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -2.6% |
| 1912 | 30.78 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.4% |
| 1913 | 31.51 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +2.4% |
| 1914 | 29.67 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -5.8% |
| 1915 | 29.52 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.5% |
| 1916 | 30.54 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +3.4% |
| 1917 | 31.73 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +3.9% |
| 1918 | 32.22 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.5% |
| 1919 | 28.58 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -11.3% |
| 1920 | 31.02 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +8.5% |
| 1921 | 27.49 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -11.4% |
| 1922 | 27.08 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.5% |
| 1923 | 31.21 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +15.3% |
| 1924 | 28.61 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -8.4% |
| 1925 | 28.78 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.6% |
| 1926 | 29.58 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +2.8% |
| 1927 | 28.49 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -3.7% |
| 1928 | 27.66 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -2.9% |
| 1929 | 28.36 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +2.5% |
| 1930 | 25.4 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -10.4% |
| 1931 | 22.56 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -11.2% |
| 1932 | 19.84 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -12.1% |
| 1933 | 20.26 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +2.1% |
| 1934 | 20.82 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +2.8% |
| 1935 | 20.82 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.0% |
| 1936 | 22.53 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +8.2% |
| 1937 | 22.79 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.2% |
| 1938 | 20.08 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -11.9% |
| 1939 | 21.07 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +4.9% |
| 1940 | 22.96 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +9.0% |
| 1941 | 24.33 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +5.9% |
| 1942 | 25.43 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +4.5% |
| 1943 | 25.79 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.4% |
| 1944 | 26.94 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +4.5% |
| 1945 | 26 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -3.5% |
| 1946 | 24.96 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -4.0% |
| 1947 | 26.5 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +6.2% |
| 1948 | 26.97 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.8% |
| 1949 | 23.34 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -13.5% |
| 1950 | 24.3 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +4.1% |
| 1951 | 24.22 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.3% |
| 1952 | 23.21 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -4.2% |
| 1953 | 23.21 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.0% |
| 1954 | 22.04 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -5.0% |
| 1955 | 23.23 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +5.4% |
| 1956 | 23.74 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +2.2% |
| 1957 | 23.14 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -2.5% |
| 1958 | 22.18 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -4.1% |
| 1959 | 22.11 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.3% |
| 1960 | 22.18 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.3% |
| 1961 | 21.37 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -3.7% |
| 1962 | 22.34 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +4.5% |
| 1963 | 22.41 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.3% |
| 1964 | 22.84 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +2.0% |
| 1965 | 23.21 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.6% |
| 1966 | 23.86 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +2.8% |
| 1967 | 26.15 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +9.6% |
| 1968 | 27.99 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +7.0% |
| 1969 | 27.43 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -2.0% |
| 1970 | 28.02 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +2.1% |
| 1971 | 27.61 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.5% |
| 1972 | 28.23 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +2.2% |
| 1973 | 28.81 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +2.1% |
| 1974 | 27.71 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -3.8% |
| 1975 | 26.5 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -4.4% |
| 1976 | 27.24 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +2.8% |
| 1977 | 27.92 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +2.5% |
| 1978 | 28 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.3% |
| 1979 | 27.83 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.6% |
| 1980 | 26.84 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -3.5% |
| 1981 | 25.71 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -4.2% |
| 1982 | 24.38 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -5.2% |
| 1983 | 24.16 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.9% |
| 1984 | 24.59 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.8% |
| 1985 | 24.39 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.8% |
| 1986 | 23.93 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.9% |
| 1987 | 24.56 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +2.7% |
| 1988 | 25.23 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +2.7% |
| 1989 | 25.26 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.1% |
| 1990 | 25.61 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.4% |
| 1991 | 24.93 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -2.7% |
| 1992 | 24.9 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.1% |
| 1993 | 24.95 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 25.19 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.9% |
| 1995 | 24.77 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.7% |
| 1996 | 25.13 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.5% |
| 1997 | 25.18 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.2% |
| 1998 | 25.09 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.4% |
| 1999 | 25.16 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 25.64 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.9% |
| 2001 | 24.54 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -4.3% |
| 2002 | 24.59 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 24.99 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.6% |
| 2004 | 24.98 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.0% |
| 2005 | 25.12 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 23.65 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -5.9% |
| 2007 | 23.79 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.6% |
| 2008 | 23.2 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -2.5% |
| 2009 | 21.36 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -7.9% |
| 2010 | 21.94 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +2.7% |
| 2011 | 20.77 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -5.3% |
| 2012 | 20.15 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -3.0% |
| 2013 | 20.27 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 20.46 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 19.65 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -4.0% |
| 2016 | 19.16 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -2.5% |
| 2017 | 19.02 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.7% |
| 2018 | 19.3 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.5% |
| 2019 | 18.83 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -2.4% |
| 2020 | 16.96 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -9.9% |
| 2021 | 18.02 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +6.2% |
| 2022 | 18.16 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.7% |
| 2023 | 17.7 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -2.5% |
| 2024 | 17.53 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.0% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 17.53 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person is above the median for high income countries, which is 7.8 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person, 2.2× the median. (67 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850s | 34.27 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 32.8 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 34.97 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1860s | 25.91 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 22.66 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 31.21 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1870s | 33.03 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 28.29 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 35.77 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1880s | 30.94 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 28.8 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 33.5 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1890s | 30.34 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 29.68 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 31.08 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1900s | 31 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 30.11 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 32.97 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1910s | 30.72 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 28.58 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 32.22 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1920s | 28.83 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 27.08 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 31.21 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1930s | 21.62 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 19.84 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 25.4 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1940s | 25.32 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 22.96 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 26.97 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1950s | 23.14 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 22.04 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 24.3 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1960s | 23.98 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 21.37 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 27.99 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1970s | 27.79 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 26.5 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 28.81 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 24.91 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 23.93 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 26.84 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 25.09 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 24.77 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 25.61 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 24.19 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 21.36 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 25.64 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 19.95 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 18.83 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 21.94 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 17.67 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 16.96 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 18.16 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 5 |
Countries ranked near United States
- 12 Belize 19.06 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 13 Russia 18.85 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 14 Kazakhstan 18.08 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 16 Palau 16.58 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 17 Guyana 16.11 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 18 Turkmenistan 15.79 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
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 greenhouse gas emissions in United States?
- Per capita greenhouse gas emissions in United States was 17.53 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 2024, according to Jones et al. (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest per capita greenhouse gas emissions recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 35.77 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 1879.
- What is the lowest per capita greenhouse gas emissions recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.96 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 2020.
- How does United States rank for per capita greenhouse gas emissions?
- United States ranks 15th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is per capita greenhouse gas emissions rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from Jones et al. (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Per capita greenhouse gas emissions. 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 per person of carbon dioxide-equivalents over a 100-year timescale.