Share of global CO₂ emissions from coal in United States
United States: Share of global CO₂ emissions from coal was 4.6% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Share of global CO₂ emissions from coal in United States, 1800–2024
Source: Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of global co₂ emissions from coal in United States is 4.6%, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of down 4.4% on the previous year and down 58.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of global co₂ emissions from coal in United States peaked at 48.2% in 1918 and was at its lowest, 0.7%, in 1802.
That places United States 3rd out of 179 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 | 14.4% | 12.9% | 17.6% | 10 |
| 1870s | 19.8% | 17.8% | 22.4% | 10 |
| 1880s | 25.7% | 22.3% | 29.9% | 10 |
| 1890s | 31.0% | 29.3% | 33.1% | 10 |
| 1900s | 37.6% | 33.3% | 40.4% | 10 |
| 1910s | 42.3% | 39.3% | 48.2% | 10 |
| 1920s | 43.1% | 39.9% | 47.9% | 10 |
| 1930s | 33.3% | 28.1% | 38.5% | 10 |
| 1940s | 37.5% | 30.0% | 47.4% | 10 |
| 1950s | 24.3% | 18.4% | 32.4% | 10 |
| 1960s | 20.0% | 17.8% | 22.1% | 10 |
| 1970s | 20.1% | 19.4% | 20.8% | 10 |
| 1980s | 20.0% | 19.1% | 21.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 21.8% | 20.6% | 23.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 18.9% | 14.2% | 23.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.3% | 7.1% | 14.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.6% | 4.6% | 6.5% | 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 from coal in United States?
- Share of global co₂ emissions from coal in United States was 4.6% 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 from coal recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 48.2% in 1918.
- What is the lowest share of global co₂ emissions from coal recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.7% in 1802.
- How does United States rank for share of global co₂ emissions from coal?
- United States ranks 3rd out of 179 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of global co₂ emissions from coal rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 58.6%. 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 from coal. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 225 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Annual emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from coal, measured as a percentage of global emissions of CO₂ from coal in the same year.