Share of global CO₂ emissions vs. share of population in United States
United States: Share of global CO₂ emissions vs. share of population was 12.7% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Share of global CO₂ emissions vs. share of population in United States, 1800–2024
Source: Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
United States recorded 12.7% for share of global co₂ emissions vs. share of population in 2024.
That represents a change of down 1.6% on the previous year and down 18.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of global co₂ emissions vs. share of population in United States peaked at 55.0% in 1945 and was at its lowest, 0.7%, in 1802.
That places United States 2nd out of 215 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1800s | 1.0% | 0.7% | 1.1% | 10 |
| 1810s | 1.3% | 1.1% | 1.5% | 10 |
| 1820s | 1.9% | 1.6% | 2.7% | 10 |
| 1830s | 4.0% | 2.3% | 5.0% | 10 |
| 1840s | 7.1% | 4.9% | 9.8% | 10 |
| 1850s | 13.5% | 10.1% | 15.0% | 10 |
| 1860s | 14.6% | 13.1% | 17.9% | 10 |
| 1870s | 20.2% | 18.1% | 23.1% | 10 |
| 1880s | 26.6% | 23.2% | 31.2% | 10 |
| 1890s | 31.8% | 30.1% | 33.6% | 10 |
| 1900s | 38.6% | 33.8% | 41.6% | 10 |
| 1910s | 44.2% | 40.9% | 50.0% | 10 |
| 1920s | 47.4% | 44.3% | 51.8% | 10 |
| 1930s | 39.8% | 35.8% | 44.1% | 10 |
| 1940s | 45.7% | 38.4% | 55.0% | 10 |
| 1950s | 37.1% | 32.0% | 42.9% | 10 |
| 1960s | 30.2% | 29.3% | 30.9% | 10 |
| 1970s | 26.9% | 25.2% | 29.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 22.9% | 22.0% | 24.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 23.0% | 21.9% | 23.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 20.8% | 17.4% | 23.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 15.3% | 14.1% | 17.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 13.2% | 12.7% | 13.6% | 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 share of global co₂ emissions vs. share of population in United States?
- Share of global co₂ emissions vs. share of population in United States was 12.7% in 2024, according to Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of global co₂ emissions vs. share of population recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 55.0% in 1945.
- What is the lowest share of global co₂ emissions vs. share of population recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.7% in 1802.
- How does United States rank for share of global co₂ emissions vs. share of population?
- United States ranks 2nd out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of global co₂ emissions vs. share of population rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of global CO₂ emissions vs. share of population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 225 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Annual total emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂), excluding land-use change, measured as a percentage of global emissions of CO₂ in the same year.